966  
WTNT45 KNHC 220856  
TCDAT5  
 
HURRICANE TAMMY DISCUSSION NUMBER 16  
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL202023  
500 AM AST SUN OCT 22 2023  
 
TAMMY IS BEGINNING TO PULL AWAY FORM THE NORTHERNMOST LEEWARD  
ISLANDS THIS MORNING. THE FINAL FIX OF THE PRIOR AIR FORCE  
RECONNAISSANCE MISSION SUGGESTED THE PRESSURE WAS HOLDING STEADY  
WITH AN EYEWALL THAT REMAINED OPEN TO THE SOUTHWEST. THIS STRUCTURE  
WAS ALSO CONSISTENT WITH THE LAST FEW RADAR IMAGES OUT OF GUADELOUPE  
AS THE TAMMY MOVED OUT OF ITS RANGE. ON SATELLITE, THE STORM  
CONTINUES TO PRODUCE A COMPACT CENTRAL DENSE OVERCAST (CDO) OF DEEP  
CONVECTION WITH OVERSHOOTING CLOUD TOPS AS COLD AS -85 TO -90 C.  
HOWEVER MODERATE SOUTHWESTERLY VERTICAL WIND SHEAR STILL APPEARS TO  
BE KEEPING THE SMALL HURRICANE IN CHECK WITH A SHARP EDGE TO ITS CDO  
ON THE WEST SIDE. THE INITIAL INTENSITY IS HELD AT 75 KT THIS  
ADVISORY, WHICH IS A LITTLE UNDER THE SUBJECTIVE DVORAK  
CLASSIFICATIONS FORM TAFB AND SAB GIVEN THE EARLIER AIRCRAFT DATA.  
ANOTHER SET OF AIR FORCE RESERVE C-130 AND NOAA-P3 AIRCRAFT ARE SET  
TO SAMPLE THE HURRICANE AGAIN LATER THIS MORNING.  
 
THE LAST CENTER FIX FROM THE OVERNIGHT AIR FORCE MISSION SUGGESTED  
THAT, AFTER A BRIEF WEST-NORTHWEST JOG, TAMMY HAD RESUMED A MORE  
NORTH-NORTHWEST MOTION, AT 335/9 KT. TAMMY SHOULD MAINTAIN THIS  
MOTION OR TURN MORE NORTHWARD DURING THE REMAINDER OF TODAY AS IT  
MOVES ALONG THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF A LARGE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE. A  
MID-LATITUDE TROUGH PASSING TO THE NORTH OF TAMMY SHOULD THEN  
POSITION THIS RIDGE A BIT SOUTHEAST OF THE HURRICANE, AND THE  
GUIDANCE SHOWS TAMMY RESPONDING BY MOVING SLOWLY NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD  
ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY. HOWEVER, MOST OF THE MID-LATITUDE TROUGH IS  
FORECAST TO BYPASS THE SYSTEM, AND THIS IS WHERE THE GUIDANCE SHOWS  
DRAMATICALLY INCREASING TRACK SPREAD. MOST OF THE DETERMINISTIC  
MODELS NOW SHOW A DEEP-LAYER CUTOFF LOW BREAKING OFF FROM THE  
MID-LATITUDE TROUGH AND DROPPING DOWN TO THE WEST OF TAMMY, AND THE  
VERTICAL DEPTH OF THE TROPICAL CYCLONE WILL LIKELY DICTATE HOW MUCH  
INFLUENCE THE CUTOFF LOW HAS ON IT. MUCH OF THE DETERMINISTIC  
GUIDANCE SHOWS TAMMY SWINGING AROUND THIS CUTOFF AND PIVOTING BACK  
TO THE NORTH OR NORTHWEST BY THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. THE NHC  
TRACK FORECAST HAS BEEN SHIFTED A BIT EAST AND NORTH OF THE PRIOR  
ONE, TOWARDS THE CONSENSUS AIDS TVCN AND HCCA. HOWEVER THE LEFTWARD  
TURN AT THE END OF THE FORECAST HAPPENS AT A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT  
LATITUDES IN THE GFS AND ECMWF ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE. THUS, THE TRACK  
FORECAST TOWARDS THE END OF THE PERIOD IS HIGHLY UNCERTAIN AND OF  
LOW CONFIDENCE.  
 
AS HAS BEEN THE CASE FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS, TAMMY REMAINS IN  
AN ENVIRONMENT OF MODERATE 15-20 KT OF SOUTHWESTERLY SHEAR BUT  
REMAINS OVER WARM 29-30 C SEA-SURFACE TEMPERATURES. THAT HAS NOT  
PREVENTED GRADUAL INTENSIFICATION OF THE HURRICANE THUS FAR, AND SO  
SOME ADDITIONAL INTENSIFICATION IS FORECAST OVER THE NEXT DAY OR SO.  
AFTERWARDS AS THE SHEAR BEGINS TO GRADUALLY INCREASE, THERE WILL  
LIKELY BE SOME INNER CORE FLUCTUATIONS AND THE NHC INTENSITY  
FORECAST SHOWS A LEVELING OFF OF TAMMY DURING THIS PERIOD. AFTER 72  
H, THE SHEAR IS LIKELY TO BECOME PROHIBITIVELY STRONG AND WEAKENING  
IS FORECAST TO BEGIN BY THAT TIME, WITH TAMMY LIKELY DROPPING UNDER  
HURRICANE INTENSITY SOMETIME IN THE DAY 4-5 PERIOD. THE SIGNIFICANT  
SHEAR FORECAST HOWEVER MAY BE OFFSET BY SOME BAROCLINIC FORCING OF  
THE UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH INTERACTING WITH TAMMY AT THE END OF THE  
PERIOD. HOWEVER, LIKE THE TRACK FORECAST, THERE IS A RANGE OF  
INTENSITY SOLUTIONS AT THESE LATTER TIME PERIODS, WITH THE NHC  
INTENSITY FORECAST MOST CLOSELY FOLLOWING THE CONSENSUS AIDS HCCA  
AND IVCN.  
 
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
1. HURRICANE CONDITIONS AND COASTAL FLOODING IN PORTIONS OF THE  
NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS WITHIN THE WARNING AREA SHOULD CONTINUE  
FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS.  
 
2. THE HEAVIEST RAINS FROM TAMMY WILL CONTINUE OVER THE LEEWARD  
ISLANDS THROUGH TODAY. THIS RAINFALL MAY PRODUCE ISOLATED FLASH AND  
URBAN FLOODING, ALONG WITH ISOLATED MUDSLIDES IN AREAS OF HIGHER  
TERRAIN.  
 
 
FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS  
 
INIT 22/0900Z 18.5N 62.3W 75 KT 85 MPH  
12H 22/1800Z 19.5N 62.9W 80 KT 90 MPH  
24H 23/0600Z 20.8N 63.5W 85 KT 100 MPH  
36H 23/1800Z 21.9N 63.5W 85 KT 100 MPH  
48H 24/0600Z 22.7N 63.1W 80 KT 90 MPH  
60H 24/1800Z 23.2N 62.5W 80 KT 90 MPH  
72H 25/0600Z 23.8N 61.9W 80 KT 90 MPH  
96H 26/0600Z 26.0N 61.4W 70 KT 80 MPH  
120H 27/0600Z 29.0N 62.5W 60 KT 70 MPH  
 

 
FORECASTER PAPIN  
 
 
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