SAIPAN — Surging trade winds are pushing scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms across the CNMI Tuesday, but forecasters with the National Weather Service in Guam say drier conditions are on the way later in the week.
Meteorologist Landon Aydlett, who prepared the weekly Regional Weather Outlook issued Tuesday, said a showery pattern will persist another day or two as breezy trades continue to surge across the region. A weak disturbance south of Guam is expected to remain to the south, allowing for gradual improvement.
Beachgoers and mariners should take note of current conditions. The Small Craft Advisory has ended, with seas now below 10 feet, but a high risk of rip currents remains in effect along east-facing reefs and beaches across both the CNMI and Guam. Seas and surf are expected to continue subsiding through the week.
The longer-range forecast carries some uncertainty. Aydlett noted the pattern will not follow a typical dry season setup with steady moderate to fresh trades. Instead, a persistent near-equatorial trough to the south and the potential for a couple of weak circulations or disturbances to pass near the Marianas add variability to the outlook for the coming week. Near-normal rainfall is expected for the Marianas in the weeks ahead.
On tropical cyclone activity, there are no areas of concern within the NWS Guam area of responsibility at this time. However, the Climate Prediction Center’s two- to three-week tropical hazards outlook indicates a higher probability for tropical cyclone formation in the Marianas and central Federated States of Micronesia vicinity in early April.
Elsewhere in the region, a weak tropical disturbance near Yap Proper is generating showers and thunderstorms across western Yap State, while Palau is seeing fair weather. Conditions across Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae and the Marshall Islands remain variable, with light winds and brief periods of showers expected through the week. Severe drought conditions persist across Utirik, Wotje and nearby atolls in the northern Marshall Islands, though a surface trough was generating showers there Tuesday that may provide some short-term relief.
