WDPN31 PGTW 010300 MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI// SUBJ/PROGNOSTIC REASONING FOR TROPICAL STORM 03W (FAXAI) WARNING NR 05// RMKS// 1. FOR METEOROLOGISTS. 2. 6 HOUR SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS. TROPICAL STORM (TS) 03W (FAXAI), LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 418 NM SOUTHEAST OF ANDERSEN AFB, HAS TRACKED EAST-SOUTHEASTWARD AT 03 KNOTS OVER THE PAST SIX HOURS. ANIMATED MULTISPECTRAL SATELLITE IMAGERY (MSI) DEPICTS AN EXPOSED LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER (LLCC) WITH DEEP CONVECTIVE BANDING PERSISTING OVER THE NORTHERN SEMI- CIRCLE. THE EXPOSED LLCC APPEARS TO BE TRACKING ERRATICALLY AND IS NOW TRACKING NORTHWARD OVER THE PAST TWO HOURS. DEEP CONVECTION HAS REMAINED PRIMARILY OVER THE NORTHERN SEMI-CIRCLE DUE TO MODERATE (20 KNOTS), SOUTHERLY VERTICAL WIND SHEAR. THERE IS HIGH CONFIDENCE IN THE CURRENT POSITION BASED ON THE MSI. THE INITIAL INTENSITY REMAINS ASSESSED AT 35 KNOTS BASED ON DVORAK CURRENT INTENSITY ESTIMATES OF 35 KNOTS FROM PGTW. TS 03W IS UNDER COMPETING STEERING INFLUENCES, NAMELY, THE WEAK SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) POSITIONED TO THE NORTHEAST AND THE NEAR-EQUATORIAL RIDGE (NER) POSITIONED TO THE SOUTH. THEREFORE, THE SYSTEM IS TRACKING SLOWLY AND THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL FOR A QUASI-STATIONARY, ERRATIC TRACK. 3. FORECAST REASONING. A. THERE IS NO CHANGE IN THE FORECAST PHILOSOPHY FROM THE PREVIOUS PROGNOSTIC REASONING BULLETIN. B. TS 03W IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN THIS WEAK STEERING ENVIRONMENT FOR THE NEXT 36 HOURS WITH CONTINUED QUASI-STATIONARY, ERRATIC MOTION. DYNAMIC MODEL GUIDANCE REFLECTS THIS SHORT-TERM UNCERTAINTY WITH A 245-NM SPREAD IN SOLUTIONS AT TAU 48. THE JTWC FORECAST FAVORS A GENERALLY NORTHWARD, SLOW TRACK CLOSE TO THE MULTI-MODEL CONSENSUS, HOWEVER, A TRACK FURTHER WEST, CLOSER TO GUAM IS POSSIBLE. AFTER TAU 36, THE STR IS FORECAST TO BUILD EAST OF THE SYSTEM PROVIDING A POLEWARD STEERING INFLUENCE. THE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY THROUGH TAU 72 TO A PEAK INTENSITY OF 60 KNOTS AS VWS WEAKENS AND POLEWARD OUTFLOW CONTINUES. C. IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD, TS FAXAI WILL BEGIN TO ACCELERATE NORTHEASTWARD AS IT ROUNDS THE NORTHWESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE STR AND BEGINS TO INTERACT WITH THE MIDLATITUDE WESTERLIES. TS 03W SHOULD BEGIN EXTRA-TROPICAL TRANSITION (ETT) NEAR TAU 96 AND SHOULD COMPLETE ETT BY TAU 120 AS IT BECOMES EMBEDDED WITHIN THE MIDLATITUDE WESTERLIES. NUMERIC MODEL GUIDANCE REMAINS IN POOR AGREEMENT DUE, PRIMARILY, TO UNCERTAINTY IN THE SHORT-TERM MOTION. THEREFORE, FORECAST CONFIDENCE REMAINS LOW.// NNNN