SAIPAN – Fair weather and moderate trades will prevail across the Marianas through the end of the week, with a surface trough possibly bringing more showers this weekend, the National Weather Service Guam said in its weekly Regional Weather Outlook issued Tuesday.
The outlook, prepared by Warning Coordination Meteorologist Landon Aydlett, said moderate to fresh trades of 15 to 20 mph will continue through Friday with a mix of spotty showers and abundant sun across the Marianas. Combined seas of 6 to 8 feet are expected to subside about a foot by the weekend, and a high risk of rip currents in effect for Guam and the CNMI will moderate by Wednesday.
A weak subtropical disturbance labeled Invest 98W by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center is centered along the edge of the NWS Guam Area of Responsibility near 24 degrees north and 129 degrees east. The disturbance is rated low for development and is expected to have a limited lifespan as it moves north-northwest into a hostile environment, according to the outlook.
NWS Guam said no other suspect areas for tropical cyclone development are present in the region but noted that one or two tropical disturbances could emanate from within central or western Micronesia this weekend and next week. The Climate Prediction Center’s two- to three-week Global Tropics Hazards Outlook also indicates a heightened potential for tropical cyclone activity in the region.
Outside the Marianas, a showery and unsettled pattern will persist across Yap and Palau, with a broad surface trough generating southwest to west winds to the south and trades to the north. A similar showery pattern persists across Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae and Majuro, with surface troughs generating showers and thunderstorms. An upper-level disturbance is providing some support for localized heavier shower potential. Drier trades prevail north of 10 degrees north latitude, but troughs to the south will keep the unsettled pattern in place through the week. Combined seas in the southern region will be around 4 to 7 feet through the weekend.
No drought concerns are present in the region at this time, NWS Guam said. Regional rainfall has been sufficient to meet needs, and rainfall over the next few weeks is expected to be near or above normal for most locations.
The Regional Weather Outlook is issued weekly on Tuesdays for the NWS Guam Area of Responsibility, covering the western North Pacific from the Equator to 25 degrees north latitude and from 130 degrees east longitude to the International Date Line.
