555  
FXPQ50 PGUM 162016  
AFDGUM  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TIYAN GU  
616 AM CHST FRI OCT 17 2025  
   
MARIANAS UPDATE  
 
THE MARIANAS ARE BETWEEN 96W AND THE NEXT DISTURBANCE TODAY, SO FOR  
TODAY THE WEATHER SHOULD BE RATHER DRY. ONCE THAT NEXT DISTURBANCE  
HITS WE'LL BE HEADED BACK FOR SOME MOISTER WEATHER. THE INHERITED  
PACKAGE COVERED THIS WELL, SO NO CHANGES WERE MADE, OTHER THAN  
RECALCULATING SURF AND RIP CURRENT RISK, WHICH HADN'T BEEN TOUCHED IN  
OVER A DAY, SO I WAS JUST BRINGING THEM INTO FRESH AGREEMENT WITH THE  
LATEST WAVE HEIGHT AND SWELL GRIDS.  
 
 
   
TROPICAL SYSTEMS  
 
INVEST AREA 96W IS NOW LOCATED NEAR 14N AND 132E, NORTH-NORTHWEST OF  
KOROR PALAU. THE SOUTHERN EDGE IS CREATING SCATTERED SHOWERS FOR BOTH  
YAP ISLAND AND KOROR, PALAU. 96W IS NOW RATED AS HAVING A MEDIUM  
POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPING INTO A TROPICAL CYCLONE WITHIN THE NEXT 24  
HOURS. THIS USUALLY MEANS DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED, BUT PROBABLY NOT  
WITHIN THE 24 HOUR TIME FRAME. 96W IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING  
WEST-NORTHWEST OR NORTHWEST AND WILL SOON EXIT MICRONESIA, LIKELY  
BEFORE IT DEVELOPS INTO A TROPICAL CYCLONE. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON  
96W...REFER TO THE SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL WEATHER ADVISORY ISSUED BY  
THE JOINT TYPHOON WARNING CENTER UNDER WMO HEADER ABPW10 PGTW.  
 
 
   
EASTERN MICRONESIA UPDATE  
 
KOSRAE AND MAJURO ARE HIGH AND DRY TODAY. WHILE POHNPEI HAS SOME  
LINGERING SHOWERS, IT IS HEADED THE SAME DIRECTION. A DISTURBANCE  
JUST CROSSING THE DATE LINE IS MAJURO'S NEXT SHOT AT MOISTURE, THEN  
IT WILL GRADUALLY PROPAGATE OVER TO KOSRAE AND FINALLY POHNPEI. THIS  
WAS ALL COVERED IN THE INHERITED FORECAST, SO NO CHANGES WERE NEEDED.  
 
 
   
WESTERN MICRONESIA UPDATE  
 
CHUUK IS ON THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF A TROUGH THAT RUNS BETWEEN GUAM AND  
CHUUK. KOROR AND YAP ARE BOTH ON THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF 96W. AS A  
RESULT, ALL 3 LOCALES ARE GETTING SCATTERED SHOWERS TODAY, ALTHOUGH  
AS 96W MOVES AWAY, WE MIGHT BE HANGING ON TO THEM A LITTLE TOO LONG,  
ESPECIALLY AT YAP. FOR TODAY THOUGH, THE FORECAST WAS SPOT ON, SO NO  
CHANGES WERE NEEDED.  
 
 
   
PREV DISCUSSION  
/ISSUED 617 PM CHST THU OCT 16 2025/  
 
MARIANAS SYNOPSIS...  
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH A WEAK  
TROUGH THAT IS TRAILING BEHIND INVEST 96W, ARE STARTING TO DECREASE  
ACROSS THE ISLANDS AS THE AFOREMENTIONED TROUGH MOVES OFF TO THE  
WEST. DRIER WEATHER IS EXPECTED FRIDAY BEFORE THE NEXT SERIES OF  
TROUGHS MOVE INTO THE AREA. WINDS ARE GENTLE TO MODERATE, WITH  
ALTIMETRY AND BUOY DATA SHOWING SEAS AROUND 4 TO 6 FEET THIS EVENING.  
 
DISCUSSION...  
THE BLENDED TPW DATA SHOWS THAT DRIER AIR, WITH PW OF 1.5 TO 2.0  
INCHES IS FINALLY STARTING TO MOVE INTO THE EASTERN WATERS OF THE  
MARIANAS. THIS ALONG WITH A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH PULLING AWAY WILL  
LEAD TO A REDUCTION IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH FRIDAY.  
CURRENT CLOUD COVER WILL LIKELY LINGER THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS  
AS THE LOWER ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE IS MOSTLY ABOVE 700MB ACCORDING TO  
THE ADVECTED LAYER PRECIPITABLE WATER PRODUCT, SO LOW TO MID-LEVEL  
CLOUD COVER WILL LIKELY CONTINUE UNTIL THE CURRENT INSTABILITY THAT  
WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PASSING TROUGH STABILIZES. SHOWER AND  
THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL INCREASE SLIGHTLY SATURDAY NIGHT AS A  
TROUGH PASSES SOUTH OF THE MARIANAS, AND AGAIN SUNDAY NIGHT INTO THE  
BEGINNING OF THE WEEK AS MODELS SHOW ANOTHER TROUGH MOVING INTO THE  
REGION FROM THE EAST.  
 
MARINE...  
MODERATE EAST WINDS WILL CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK, INCREASING  
BRIEFLY TO MODERATE TO FRESH SATURDAY NIGHT AS A TROUGH PASSES  
NEAR OR JUST SOUTH OF THE MARIANAS AND INCREASING THE PRESSURE  
GRADIENT SLIGHTLY. SEAS HAVE BRIEFLY DROPPED TO 4 TO 6 FEET BASED ON  
LATEST BUOY AND ALTIMETRY DATA, BUT WILL REBUILD TO 5 TO 7 FEET AS  
THE EAST SWELL BUILDS ABOUT A FOOT. THE NORTH SWELL IS EXPECTED TO  
DROP BY 1 TO 2 FEET OVER THE NEXT 2 TO 3 DAYS, BUT WAVE MODEL  
GUIDANCE SHOWS A PULSE OF NORTHERLY SWELL ENTERING THE REGION NEXT  
WEEK, GENERATED BY DISTANT MID-LATITUDE SYSTEMS. LINGERING SCATTERED  
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DECREASE  
OVERNIGHT AS DRIER AIR CONTINUES TO MOVE IN. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORM  
CHANCES WILL INCREASE AGAIN THIS WEEKEND AS A COUPLE OF WEAK SURFACE  
TROUGHS PASS NEAR THE MARIANAS.  
 
TROPICAL SYSTEMS...  
INVEST 96W CONTINUES TO MOVE WESTWARD ACROSS THE OPEN WATERS OF THE  
PHILIPPINE SEA, PASSING NORTH OF YAP AND PALAU. THERE IS STILL NO  
DISCERNIBLE LOW-LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER, JUST A AREA OF CONVECTION  
DEVELOPING OVER A OPEN TROUGH, CENTERED 14N137E. SOME PERIPHERAL  
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL AFFECTING PALAU AND YAP THE  
EVENING AND WILL LIKELY CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AS 96W  
MOVES AWAY. THE JOINT TYPHOON WARNING CENTER CONTINUES TO KEEP  
INVEST 96W'S POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT RATED AS LOW, MEANING  
DEVELOPMENT INTO A TROPICAL CYCLONE IS UNLIKELY WITHIN 24 HOURS. FOR  
UPDATED INFORMATION ON 96W, PLEASE REFER TO THE SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL  
WEATHER ADVISORY, ISSUED BY THE JOINT TYPHOON WARNING CENTER, UNDER  
WMO HEADER ABPW10 PGTW.  
 
LOOKING JUST EAST OF THE DATE LINE, SCATTEROMETER SHOWS A BROAD  
TRADE-WIND DISTURBANCE, WITH AN EMBEDDED CIRCULATION NEAR 10N177W.  
SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS EXTENDED ALONG THE TRADE-WIND  
DISTURBANCE, WITH SOME GUSTY WINDS AROUND 20 TO 30 KT NOTED ON THE  
NORTHWEST EDGE OF THE EMBEDDED CIRCULATION. CURRENT MODEL GUIDANCE  
KEEPS THIS TRADE-WIND DISTURBANCE BROAD, AND EVEN OPENING BACK INTO  
A TROUGH AS IT MOVES TOWARDS THE MARSHALL ISLANDS OVER THE NEXT FEW  
DAYS.  
 
EASTERN MICRONESIA...  
THE TROPICAL DISTURBANCE THAT HAS BEEN MOVING ACROSS EASTERN  
MICRONESIA HAS FINALLY DEGRADED INTO AN BROAD SURFACE TROUGH, AND IS  
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE BRINGING ON-AND-OFF SHOWERS AND SOME  
THUNDERSTORMS TO POHNPEI, WHILE A NEWLY FORMED RIDGE IN ITS WAKE  
BRINGS A QUIETER PATTERN TO KOSRAE AND MAJURO, BOTH THROUGH FRIDAY.  
AN ANOMALOUS TRADE-WIND DISTURBANCE, NOW LOCATED EAST OF THE DATE  
LINE, WILL SLOWLY MAKE ITS WAY INTO EASTERN MICRONESIA AND BRING  
ELEVATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO MAJURO FRIDAY NIGHT AND  
SATURDAY, BEFORE SHIFTING SLIGHTLY NORTHWARD AND DODGING KOSRAE AND  
POHNPEI, WITH ONLY LOW-END SCATTERED SHOWERS EXPECTED THERE THROUGH  
THE WEEKEND. LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WINDS ARE THEN EXPECTED TO INCREASE  
AT ALL THREE FORECAST LOCATIONS IN THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK, AS  
THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE TROPICS AND THE MID-LATITUDES  
INCREASES, SIGNALING A STRENGTHENING SUBTROPICAL HIGH INDUCED BY  
SEASONAL COOLING.  
 
COMBINED SEAS OF 5 TO 7 FEET NEAR POHNPEI AND MAJURO, AND 4 TO 6  
FEET NEAR KOSRAE, ARE COMPRISED OF A DOMINANT NORTHERLY SWELL  
GENERATED BY DISTANT CYCLONES, AND A SECONDARY TRADE SWELL. THIS  
NORTHERLY SWELL IS PRODUCING ELEVATED SURF ALONG NORTH FACING REEFS  
OF ALL THREE FORECAST POINTS, TO THEN BEGIN TO SLOWLY DIMINISH FOR  
THE REST OF THE WEEK THEREAFTER. THIS NORTHERLY SWELL IS EXPECTED TO  
TAPER DOWN ENOUGH TO BE OVERTAKEN BY THE EAST SWELL SOMETIME EARLY  
NEXT WEEK. AS THESE SWELLS DECREASE, SO WILL THE SEAS, WHICH ARE  
EXPECTED TO DROP 2 TO 3 FEET ACROSS THE REGION BY THE WEEKEND.  
 
WESTERN MICRONESIA...  
AN AREA OF CONVERGENT INFLOW INTO INVEST 96W SITS JUST OVER AND  
EXTENDING NORTH OF YAP AND PALAU, PRODUCING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND  
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS FAR WESTERN MICRONESIA. SHOWERS FOR  
TONIGHT WILL REMAIN MAINLY FOCUSED NEAR YAP, INCREASING FOR PALAU  
THROUGH FRIDAY AS 96W AND THE ATTENDANT SURFACE TROUGH SHIFTS  
WESTWARD ACROSS THE PHILIPPINE SEA. PALAU WILL THEN SEE DIMINISHING  
SHOWERS THROUGH THE WEEKEND, EXPERIENCING A BRIEF SURFACE RIDGE. YAP  
WILL CONTINUE TO SEE PERIODS OF SCATTERED SHOWERS THROUGH EARLY NEXT  
WEEK AS A SERIES OF WEAK SURFACE TROUGHS CROSS THE AREA. PALAU WILL  
STAY SOUTH OF THE HIGHER SHOWER COVERAGE THIS WEEKEND, BUT  
APPROACHING TROUGHS WILL EVENTUALLY BRING MORE SHOWERS THERE EARLY  
NEXT WEEK.  
 
TO THE EAST, CHUUK SITS WITHIN AN AREA OF CONVERGENCE ALONG A BROAD,  
WEST-SOUTHWEST TO EAST-NORTHEAST ORIENTED TRADE-WIND TROUGH, WHICH IS  
BRINGING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE  
REGION. THIS WILL MAINTAIN A WET PATTERN FOR CHUUK OVERNIGHT, BUT  
SHOWER CHANCES WILL FALL OFF FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AS A SURFACE  
RIDGE BUILDS IN BEHIND THE TRANSITING TROUGH. SHOWERS THEN REBUILD  
LATE IN THE WEEKEND THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK AS A SIMILARLY BROAD,  
ROBUST SURFACE TROUGH CROSSES THE AREA.  
 
LATEST ALTIMETRY DATA INDICATES COMBINED SEAS AROUND 3 TO 5 FEET  
NEAR PALAU AND YAP AND AROUND 4 TO 6 FEET NEAR CHUUK, COMPRISED OF A  
PRIMARY NORTHEAST SWELL. SIMILAR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL FOR MUCH OF  
THE FORECAST PERIOD, WITH SEAS INCREASING A FOOT OR SO THIS WEEKEND  
FOR YAP AND CHUUK AS A SLIGHTLY HIGHER PULSE OF NORTHEAST SWELL  
ENTERS THE REGION. LIGHT TO MODERATE WINDS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE  
REGION FOR MUCH OF THE FORECAST PERIOD.  
 
 
   
GUM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
GU...NONE.  
MP...NONE.  
MARIANAS WATERS...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
MARIANAS/EAST AND WEST MICRONESIA/TROPICAL UPDATE: STANKO  
MARIANAS: SCHANK  
EAST MICRONESIA: MONTVILA  
WEST MICRONESIA: DECOU  
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