000WTPZ42 KNHC 200852TCDEP2TROPICAL STORM BEATRIZ DISCUSSION NUMBER 4NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL EP022011200 AM PDT MON JUN 20 2011A SIGNIFICANT BURST OF VERY COLD TOPPED CONVECTION HAS DEVELOPEDOVER THE LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER AND THE CONVECTIVE PATTERNHAS TAKEN ON A CDO-LIKE APPEARANCE. HOWEVER...THE LOW-LEVEL CENTEROF BEATRIZ IS NOT LOCATED DIRECTLY IN THE CENTER OF THE CLOUDMASS...BUT INSTEAD IS LOCATED IN THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE CDONEAR SOME VERY COLD OVERSHOOTING CLOUD TOPS OF -85 TO -88C. THISMORE EASTWARD ADVISORY POSITION IS SUPPORTED BY EARLIER MICROWAVESATELLITE DATA. THE INITIAL INTENSITY OF 50 KT IS BASED ON A BLENDOF SATELLITE ESTIMATES OF T3.5/55 KT FROM TAFB...T3.1/47 KT FROMUW-CIMSS ADT...AND AN INCREASED ORGANIZATION OF THE INNER CORECONVECTION.THE INITIAL MOTION ESTIMATE IS AN UNCERTAIN 315/9. ALL OF THE MODELSMOVE A SHORTWAVE TROUGH ACROSS THE SOUTHERN U.S. PLAINS STATES ANDNORTHERN MEXICO DURING THE NEXT 24-36 HOURS..WHICH BRIEFLY WEAKENSTHE RIDGE TO THE NORTH OF BEATRIZ AND ALLOWS THE CYCLONE TO SLOWDOWN AND MOVE CLOSER TO THE COAST OF MEXICO. THERE IS...HOWEVER...A SLIGHT BIFURCATION IN THE MODEL GUIDANCE. THE NOGAPS AND UKMETMODELS KEEP THE CYCLONE MOVING NORTHWESTWARD JUST OFFSHORE OF THECOAST OF MEXICO...AND THEN TURN IT WESTWARD BY 72 HOURS AS THEMID-LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS BACK IN TO THE NORTH OF THE CYCLONE. THEECMWF...GFS...GFDL...AND HWRF MODELS...HOWEVER...TAKE BEATRIZ JUSTINLAND ALONG THE SOUTHWESTERN COAST OF MEXICO IN ABOUT 36 HOURS.ALTHOUGH THE LATTER MODELS MOVE THE CENTER JUST INLAND ALONG THECOAST AND RAPIDLY WEAKEN THE CYCLONE...ALL OF THE MODELS TAKE THEMID-LEVEL CIRCULATION WESTWARD AFTER 48 HOURS. THE OFFICIALFORECAST IS SIMILAR TO THE PREVIOUS TRACK AND KEEPS BEATRIZ JUSTOFFSHORE THROUGH 48 HOURS AND THEN TURNS THE CYCLONE WESTWARD AFTERTHAT AS THE MID-LEVEL RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO BUILD BACK IN TO THENORTH OF THE CYCLONE BY 48 HOURS. THIS IS BASED ON THE ASSUMPTIONTHAT BEATRIZ WILL MAINTAIN ITS VERTICAL CONTINUITY AND NOT DECOUPLEDUE TO LAND INTERACTION. HOWEVER...ONLY A SLIGHT DEVIATION TO THERIGHT OF THE FORECAST TRACK IS NEEDED TO BRING THE CYCLONE NEAR ORINLAND ALONG THE SOUTHWESTERN COAST OF MEXICO. FOR THIS REASON...WATCHES AND WARNINGS HAVE BEEN EXTENDED NORTHWARD ALONG THE COAST.THE INNER CORE CONVECTION AND UPPER-LEVEL OUTFLOW PATTERNS HAVEIMPROVED CONSIDERABLY DURING THE PAST 6 HOURS. WITH AN ALREADYEXPANSIVE EQUATORWARD OUTFLOW PATTERN PRESENT...AND THE POLEWARDOUTFLOW EXPECTED TO IMPROVE BY 24 HOURS...THERE APPEARS TO BE NOPHYSICAL REASONS WHY BEATRIZ SHOULD NOT CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY FORTHE NEXT 48 HOURS OR SO...AND POSSIBLY EVEN RAPIDLY INTENSIFYDURING THAT TIME. THE OFFICIAL INTENSITY FORECAST IS HIGHER THANTHE AVAILABLE MODEL GUIDANCE AND INDICATES A SLIGHTLY FASTER THANNORMAL RATE OF INTENSIFICATION FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS SINCE THEVERTICAL SHEAR IS EXPECTED TO DECREASE TO NEAR 10 KT WHILE THECYCLONE REMAINS OVER SSTS ABOVE 29C. BEYOND 48 HOURS...BEATRIZ ISEXPECTED TO ENCOUNTER SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES OF 22-24C AND ALSOMOVE INTO A MORE STABLE AIR MASS...WHICH SHOULD RESULT IN THECYCLONE WEAKENING INTO A REMNANT LOW BY DAY 5...IF NOT SOONER.FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDSINIT 20/0900Z 15.7N 102.6W 50 KT 60 MPH 12H 20/1800Z 16.6N 103.2W 60 KT 70 MPH 24H 21/0600Z 17.6N 104.0W 75 KT 85 MPH 36H 21/1800Z 18.7N 104.7W 80 KT 90 MPH 48H 22/0600Z 19.4N 105.8W 80 KT 90 MPH 72H 23/0600Z 20.2N 109.1W 60 KT 70 MPH 96H 24/0600Z 20.2N 112.5W 35 KT 40 MPH120H 25/0600Z 20.2N 116.5W 25 KT 30 MPH...POST-TROP/REMNT LOW$$FORECASTER STEWART
000WTPZ42 KNHC 210240TCDEP2HURRICANE BEATRIZ DISCUSSION NUMBER 7NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL EP022011800 PM PDT MON JUN 20 2011RECENT SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS THAT BEATRIZ HAS BECOME SIGNIFICANTLYBETTER ORGANIZED OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS...WITH AWELL-DEFINED CURVED BAND WRAPPING MORE THAN 360 DEGREES AROUND THEESTIMATED CENTER. GIVEN THAT THE AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTERS FOUNDTHAT THE TROPICAL CYCLONE WAS VERY NEAR HURRICANE STRENGTH THISAFTERNOON...THIS INCREASE IN ORGANIZATION WARRANTS AN UPGRADE TOHURRICANE STATUS. IF THE CENTER DOES NOT CROSS THE COAST...THEATMOSPHERIC AND OCEANIC ENVIRONMENT SHOULD PERMIT SOME ADDITIONALINTENSIFICATION. AN ALTERNATE SCENARIO...HOWEVER...IS FOR BEATRIZTO MOVE INLAND...IN WHICH CASE CONSIDERABLE WEAKENING OVER THEMOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN OF MEXICO WOULD BE LIKELY. THE OFFICIAL WINDSPEED FORECAST PRESUMES THE FORMER SCENARIO AND IS ONLY SLIGHTLYABOVE THE SHIPS/LGEM GUIDANCE. IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE FORECASTPERIOD...SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES COOL SUBSTANTIALLY SO RAPIDWEAKENING IS INDICATED BEYOND A COUPLE OF DAYS.BEATRIZ HAS MOVED A LITTLE FASTER THIS EVENING AND THE INITIALMOTION ESTIMATE IS 340/10. THE TRACK FORECAST REASONING ISBASICALLY UNCHANGED. A WEAKNESS IN THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE TO THENORTH AND NORTHEAST OF BEATRIZ IS FORECAST TO GRADUALLY FILL. ASTHE RIDGE BUILDS TO THE NORTH OF THE TROPICAL CYCLONE OVER THE NEXTFEW DAYS...THE TRACK SHOULD GRADUALLY TURN TOWARD THE LEFT. BY DAY4...THE WEAKENED CYCLONE WILL LIKELY MOVE WESTWARD FOLLOWING THELOW-LEVEL EASTERLIES. THE OFFICIAL FORECAST IS FAIRLY CLOSE TO ACONSENSUS OF DYNAMICAL MODEL FORECAST TRACKS...AND THE PREVIOUS NHCTRACK.FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDSINIT 21/0300Z 18.0N 103.5W 65 KT 75 MPH 12H 21/1200Z 18.6N 104.5W 70 KT 80 MPH 24H 22/0000Z 19.5N 105.8W 75 KT 85 MPH 36H 22/1200Z 20.0N 107.1W 75 KT 85 MPH 48H 23/0000Z 20.2N 108.5W 70 KT 80 MPH 72H 24/0000Z 20.5N 111.0W 50 KT 60 MPH 96H 25/0000Z 20.5N 114.5W 30 KT 35 MPH120H 26/0000Z 20.5N 118.0W 20 KT 25 MPH...POST-TROP/REMNT LOW$$FORECASTER PASCH/LANDSEA