SAIPAN — Saipan and Tinian get a partly sunny Thursday with scattered showers and one more mostly quiet day Friday before the weather turns Friday night, according to the National Weather Service 6 a.m. forecast, which now names Tropical Storm Saudel directly as the reason seas and winds build into the weekend.
Today brings a 40 percent chance of showers with isolated thunderstorms, northeast winds of 10 to 15 mph and highs around 87, easing to 30 percent tonight with lows around 78. Friday holds partly sunny with isolated morning showers and afternoon island effect showers at 30 percent — the last stretch of ordinary weather on the board.
Friday night into Saturday turns breezy and mostly cloudy, with west winds of 15 to 25 mph, locally heavy showers possible and shower chances at 50 percent.
The marine synopsis carries the direct language: combined seas of 4 to 5 feet persist through the rest of the week and begin building ahead of Tropical Storm Saudel, with the weather service warning that a wetter weekend with elevated winds, locally heavy showers and potentially hazardous seas may be in store depending on Saudel’s development, particularly for Tinian and Saipan. Saipan and Tinian waters climb to 6 to 8 feet Friday night with northwest winds gusting to 25 knots, then 7 to 9 feet Saturday through Sunday with southwest winds gusting to 30 knots, easing only slightly Monday. Rota waters build to 6 to 8 feet through the weekend.
Rota’s land forecast stays a touch drier into Friday before southwest winds of 10 to 20 mph arrive Saturday.
At Tanapag Harbor, this morning’s low tide of 0.3 feet comes at 7:43 a.m. with a 1.6-foot high at 3:26 p.m. The weather service has urged residents to plan and prepare now while conditions remain fair, with Saudel forecast to reach typhoon strength Friday and pass closest to the islands over the weekend.
