867  
WTNT45 KNHC 230850  
TCDAT5  
 
HURRICANE TAMMY DISCUSSION NUMBER 20  
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL202023  
500 AM AST MON OCT 23 2023  
 
TAMMY'S STRUCTURE OVERNIGHT APPEARS TO HAVE UNDERGONE AN EVOLUTION.  
AFTER MAINTAINING A SMALL COMPACT PRESENTATION FOR SEVERAL DAYS,  
TAMMY'S CONVECTIVE STRUCTURE HAS BROADENED OUT, WITH CONVECTIVE  
BANDS TAKING ON A MORE FRAGMENTED APPEARANCE AROUND THE CENTER. SOME  
OF THIS CHANGE COULD BE RELATED TO SOME DRY AIR THAT MAY HAVE BEEN  
ENTRAINED INTO THE CIRCULATION EARLIER TONIGHT. ON THE OTHER HAND,  
THE UPPER-LEVEL OUTFLOW HAS EXPANDED SOME TO THE SOUTH AND WEST,  
SUGGESTING A BRIEF RESPITE IN THE SHEAR THAT HAS BEEN AFFECTING  
TAMMY. DATA FROM THE LAST PASS OF THE NOAA-P3 RECONNAISSANCE MISSION  
SUGGESTED THE WINDS WERE PERHAPS A BIT LOWER, WHILE BOTH SUBJECTIVE  
AND OBJECTIVE SATELLITE ESTIMATES WERE ALSO SOMEWHAT LOWER THAN  
EARLIER. THE INITIAL INTENSITY WAS NUDGED DOWNWARD TO 70 KT THIS  
ADVISORY.  
 
TAMMY HAS MADE THE LONG AWAITED TURN NORTHWARD, WITH THE ESTIMATED  
MOTION NOW AT 355/9 KT. A CONTINUED TURN TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST AND  
NORTHEAST IS ANTICIPATED OVER THE NEXT 24-36 HOURS AS THE HURRICANE  
BRIEFLY BECOMES STEERED IN BETWEEN A MID-LATITUDE TROUGH PASSING BY  
TO ITS NORTH, AND AN ESTABLISHED MID-LEVEL RIDGE LOCATED TO ITS  
EAST. THE TRACK GUIDANCE IS AT LEAST IN GOOD AGREEMENT ON THIS TRACK  
EVOLUTION FOR THE FIRST 48-60 H. AFTER THAT TIME, A PIECE OF THE  
AFOREMENTIONED TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO CUTOFF AND DIG SOUTHWARD TO THE  
WEST OF TAMMY. HOW THE TROPICAL CYCLONE REACTS TO THIS SYNOPTIC  
FEATURE WILL LIKELY BE DEPENDENT ON ITS VERTICAL DEPTH, AND ITS  
LOCATION WHEN THE TROUGH INTERACTS WITH IT. IF ANYTHING, THE TRACK  
GUIDANCE SPREAD IS EVEN LARGER THAN IT WAS A FEW CYCLES AGO, WITH A  
RANGE OF SOLUTIONS FROM A QUICK PIVOT BACK WEST (THE HAFS-A/B RUNS)  
AFTER 60 H VERSUS A CONTINUED NORTHEASTWARD TRACK WITHOUT MUCH OF A  
LEFTWARD TURN AT ALL (THE LATEST GFS FORECAST). OVERALL THE TRACK  
CONSENSUS AIDS HAVE SHIFTED A BIT MORE POLEWARD BEFORE TAMMY TURNS  
WESTWARD, AND THE NHC TRACK WAS SHIFTED A LITTLE FURTHER EAST AND  
NORTH COMPARED TO THE PRIOR ONE. HOWEVER, THIS TRACK FORECAST  
REMAINS OF LOW CONFIDENCE AND IS HIGHLY UNCERTAIN, WHICH IS BEST  
EXEMPLIFIED BY THE 00 UTC ECMWF ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE, WHICH SHOWS MORE  
THAN A 1500 MILE SOUTHWEST-TO-NORTHEAST SPREAD IN THE VARIOUS MEMBER  
SOLUTIONS IN 5 DAYS.  
 
TAMMY'S SOMEWHAT BROADER STRUCTURE COULD DELAY SOME INTENSIFICATION  
IN THE IMMEDIATE SHORT-TERM, BUT MOST OF THE INTENSITY GUIDANCE  
REMAINS ADAMANT ABOUT SOME STRENGTHENING OCCURING IN THE NEXT 24-36  
H AS THE HURRICANE REMAINS OVER 28-29 C SEA-SURFACE-TEMPERATURES AND  
MODERATE WIND SHEAR BETWEEN 15-20 KT. HOWEVER AFTER 48 HOURS,  
VERTICAL WIND SHEAR IS EXPECTED TO RAPIDLY INCREASE OUT OF THE  
SOUTHWEST WHICH SHOULD BEGIN TO WEAKEN THE TROPICAL CYCLONE. THIS  
FORECAST REMAINS NEAR OR JUST A BIT BELOW THE CONSENSUS AIDS HCCA  
AND IVCN DURING THIS TIME FRAME. AFTER 72 H, THE CUTOFF TROUGH  
DIGGING IN TO THE WEST OF TAMMY WILL LIKELY IMPART SOME COOL AND  
VERY DRY MID-LATITUDE AIR INTO THE STORM'S CORE, INITIATING  
EXTRATROPICAL TRANSITION AS DEEP CENTRAL CONVECTION IS ALSO STRIPPED  
AWAY BY THE INCREASED SHEAR. THIS PROCESS COULD BE COMPLETED IN 96  
H, ESPECIALLY IF TAMMY MOVES FURTHER NORTH LIKE THE GFS AND ECMWF  
MODELS ARE FORECASTING. HOWEVER, THERE ALSO REMAINS SOME UNCERTAINTY  
ABOUT THIS EVOLUTION, AS A FURTHER SOUTH TRACK BEFORE THE STORM  
PIVOTS WEST COULD ALLOW IT TO REMAIN OVER WARMER SEA-SURFACE  
TEMPERATURES AND POTENTIALLY PREVENT EXTRATROPICAL TRANSITION FROM  
COMPLETING, AS SUGGESTED BY THE HAFS-A/B RUNS.  
 
EVEN AS TAMMY MOVES AWAY FROM THE LEEWARD ISLANDS, A PROMINENT  
FEEDER BAND HAS FORMED OVER THESE ISLANDS, LIKELY PROLONGING THE  
HEAVY RAIN THREAT FOR THESE AREAS THROUGH THIS MORNING.  
 
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
1. HEAVY RAIN FROM TAMMY WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE OVER THE BRITISH  
VIRGIN ISLANDS, LEEWARD ISLANDS, AND NORTHERN WINDWARD ISLANDS  
THROUGH THIS MORNING. THIS RAINFALL MAY PRODUCE ISOLATED FLASH AND  
URBAN FLOODING, ALONG WITH ISOLATED MUDSLIDES IN AREAS OF HIGHER  
TERRAIN.  
 
 
FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS  
 
INIT 23/0900Z 21.4N 64.0W 70 KT 80 MPH  
12H 23/1800Z 22.2N 63.7W 70 KT 80 MPH  
24H 24/0600Z 23.2N 62.9W 75 KT 85 MPH  
36H 24/1800Z 24.1N 61.7W 80 KT 90 MPH  
48H 25/0600Z 25.1N 60.5W 80 KT 90 MPH  
60H 25/1800Z 26.5N 59.3W 75 KT 85 MPH  
72H 26/0600Z 28.0N 58.7W 65 KT 75 MPH  
96H 27/0600Z 30.4N 59.4W 55 KT 65 MPH...POST-TROP/EXTRATROP  
120H 28/0600Z 32.0N 62.9W 45 KT 50 MPH...POST-TROP/EXTRATROP  
 

 
FORECASTER PAPIN  
 
 
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