Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Tiyan, Guam
Issued by NWS Tiyan, Guam
828 FXPQ50 PGUM 170724 AFDGUM Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tiyan GU 524 PM ChST Mon Nov 17 2025 .Marianas Synopsis... Satellite imagery shows partly cloudy skies over the Marianas and a few isolated showers moving into the waters of Guam and Saipan. Altimetry shows combined seas of 5 to 6 feet, while buoy data also shows 5 to 6 feet sea heights. && .Discussion... A pleasant week is in store for the Marianas. The time heights show a deep dry pocket is expected to remain over the area through about Thursday. This will inhibit showers from forming. Winds are expected to be around 15 to 20 mph over the week, just below breezy conditions. Around the weekend a passing trade-wind trough is anticipated to move through bringing a slightly higher chance of showers to the islands. To reflect this low-end scattered showers are anticipated for Friday. Once this trough passes pleasant weather is anticipated to return. && .Marine... Moderate to fresh trade winds are expected throughout the week. Combined seas of 5 to 7 feet will remain steady through tonight, then begin to gradually increase as the trade swell builds, potentially reaching 7 to 9 feet by Thursday night. Seas and winds could increase further on Friday and into the weekend as a trade- wind surge builds across the region. This surge may become hazardous to small craft, with seas nearing 10 feet and winds nearing 22 knots. There will be a moderate risk of rip currents along north and east facing reefs of the Marianas through at least Wednesday night. Then, the trade swell is expected to build for the rest of the week. This will allow the risk of rip currents to increased to high. && .Eastern Micronesia... A mostly dry pattern is currently in place across eastern Micronesia. The only exception is Pohnpei. A weak trade-wind trough moving through the state will result in low-end scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms across the island through tonight. By Tuesday morning, isolated showers will return to the state. Currently, a weak Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is seen to the east of the Marshall Islands, with most of the convection east of the Date Line. Models are adamant that the ITCZ will strengthen and move across eastern Micronesia through the middle of the week, bringing increased convection to the region. For now, maintained POPs (Probability of Precipitation) in the scattered range, that is 30 to 50%. If the ITCZ does develop a bit closer to the forecast points, POPs could increase a bit more. Late in the week and into the weekend, the ITCZ looks to fragment again, with a corresponding decrease in convection across the region. Combined seas still look to increase over the next few days across the region. Seas are expected to reach up to 6 feet at Kosrae and Majuro and up to 7 feet at Pohnpei. Gentle to moderate winds are expected at Kosrae into the weekend. Gentle to moderate winds look to become moderate to fresh Friday at Pohnpei and Thursday at Majuro and continue into the weekend. && .Western Micronesia... The overall weather pattern is evolving as expected, with the Near Equatorial Trough (NET) continuing to extend across the region mainly between 3N and 5N from near 155E to beyond 130E and towards the Philippines. The embedded circulation has shifted westward and is located near 4N142E, along with the passing trade-wind trough which is just starting to push into Yap this evening, and will move into Palau Tuesday. This trough is supporting scattered to numerous showers and isolated thunderstorms slightly further north than what models were suggesting, so increased showers from scattered to numerous at Yap for tonight, and at Palau for Tuesday. Then as the trough and embedded circulation continue westward, weather at Yap will dry out fairly quickly starting Tuesday, while the wetter pattern will slowly decrease through Wednesday at Palau, due to being closer to the trough axis of the NET. Further east, weather has dried out for Chuuk Lagoon are areas northward as the Blended Total Precipitable Water (TPW) satellite product shows drier air with TPW values around 1.6 to 1.9 inches filtering in from the north, but a weak zone of convergence north of the NET is producing some spotty showers to the south of Chuuk Lagoon and near the islands of Losap and Namoluk, and extending westward towards Polowat, with in an band of moisture with TPW values around 2.2 to 2.4 inches. The drier air will continue to filter into Chuuk until about Wednesday night as the next series of troughs move into the region from eastern Micronesia as the ITCZ redevelops and then fragments again later in the week. These troughs will bring scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms back to Chuuk for the latter half of the week. Altimetry data shows combined seas of 4 to 6 feet across the region, with ASCAT showing winds around 10 to 15 kt, with pockets of 20 kt winds south of 8N and increasing more towards 15 to 20 kt between 8N and 17N. With convection occasionally producing gusts of 25 kt, and a trade-wind surge expected to develop east of the Marianas and mainly north 8N later this week, sustained winds will push up to 20 kt at times, especially around Yap and Chuuk, before decreasing to back towards 5 to 15 kt this week. the trade-wind surge will also lead to an increase of the primary trade swell for the latter half of the week. While surf is expected remain below hazardous levels of 12 feet along east facing reefs, likely peaking at around 8 to 9 feet Friday and Saturday, swell wrap-around will push surf along north facing reefs up towards 6 to 8 feet, nearing hazardous levels of 9 feet. Seas will also build in response to the swell, building to 6 to 8 feet Wednesday through Saturday, especially across Chuuk State and eastern Yap State. && .GUM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GU...None. MP...None. Marianas Waters...None. && $$ Marianas: Bowsher East Micronesia: Kleeschulte West Micronesia: Schank