SAIPAN — The Marianas open Wednesday under mostly cloudy skies with scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms, the wettest day of the week so far before a brief drying trend Thursday, as attention turns to newly formed Tropical Depression 17W to the southeast.
Saipan, Tinian and Rota can expect a 50 percent chance of showers Wednesday with north winds of 10 to 15 mph and highs around 86, the National Weather Service said in its 6 a.m. forecast from Tiyan, Guam. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms continue Wednesday night with a 40 percent chance of rain and lows around 78 as winds turn northeast.
Thursday brings a modest break, with partly sunny skies, a 30 percent chance of showers and highs around 87. Thursday night trends quieter still, mostly cloudy with isolated showers, a 20 percent chance of rain and winds going light.
On the water, light and variable winds become northerly and increase to moderate through the morning, with north winds of 10 to 15 knots and seas of 4 to 5 feet Wednesday, easing to northeast at 5 to 10 knots Thursday with seas of 4 to 6 feet. The marine synopsis, written before the overnight upgrade, said seas will persist at 4 to 6 feet through the week and possibly build over the weekend, with a wetter weekend in store depending on the development of the system, and that the situation will continue to be monitored closely.
That system is now Tropical Depression 17W, declared by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday east of Chuuk. Forecast tracks have kept the depression east of Guam and Saipan, though the weather service has said the passage will be uncomfortably close later this week and urged residents to plan and prepare now while local conditions remain fair. No tropical cyclone watches or warnings are in effect for the Marianas.
At Tanapag Harbor, Wednesday’s tides run from a low of 0.4 feet at 6:50 a.m. to a high of 1.6 feet at 1:32 p.m., with an evening low of 1.3 feet at 6:12 p.m. and an overnight high of 2.0 feet at 12:06 a.m. Thursday. Tinian sees a high of 1.5 feet at 1:12 p.m. and Rota a high of 1.8 feet at 1:11 p.m., with Rota’s overnight high reaching 2.1 feet at 11:45 p.m.
