SAIPAN — A shear line sitting just north of Saipan is producing strong, gusty winds across the northern CNMI, with occasional strong gusts expected over Tinian and Saipan as the shear line fragments and weakens over the next couple of days, the National Weather Service in Guam said Tuesday.
As the shear line shifts toward Rota and Guam, moderate to fresh gusts are possible for those areas. Overall, a dry trade-wind pattern is expected to continue across the Marianas through the weekend, with a slight uptick in showers and winds over the weekend as a trade-wind surge develops over the region.
No tropical cyclone development is currently forecast within the NWS Guam Area of Responsibility, though forecasters noted a higher probability of tropical cyclone formation in the Marianas and central FSM vicinity in early April, according to the Climate Prediction Center’s 2-3 week outlook.
Elsewhere in the region, a weak tropical disturbance remains south of Yap Proper within the near-equatorial trough, producing locally heavy showers over Palau and scattered showers over portions of Yap State. That disturbance is expected to drift west over the coming days, allowing a drier pattern to develop over Yap and Palau through the weekend.
Fair weather with light to gentle trade winds is forecast for Pohnpei and Kosrae. Active conditions continue south of 10 degrees north latitude in the Marshall Islands, where scattered to numerous locally heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms are possible through the weekend.
On drought, extreme drought conditions persist for Utirik and nearby islands and atolls in the northern Marshall Islands, with severe drought across Wotje and nearby areas. The Marianas and Micronesia remain drought-free, with near- to above-normal rainfall expected in coming weeks.
