ZCZC MIATCDAT2 ALL TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM TROPICAL STORM OLGA DISCUSSION NUMBER 33 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 4 PM EST SUN DEC 02 2001 OLGA HAS CHANGED LITTLE DURING THE PAST 6 HOURS. THE SYSTEM LOOKS QUITE IMPRESSIVE IN VISIBLE IMAGERY AND HAS THE APPEARANCE OF A HURRICANE...COMPLETE WITH A BANDED-EYE FEATURE. HOWEVER...DEEP CONVECTION IS LACKING AROUND THE LOW-LEVEL CENTER AND A 02/1559Z TRMM OVERPASS ONLY INDICATED SURFACE WINDS OF 35 TO 40 KT AND... THEREFORE...THE INITIAL INTENSITY IS MAINTAINED AT 40 KT. UPPER- LEVEL OUTFLOW REMAINS SYMMETRICAL AND HAS IMPROVED SLIGHTLY. THE INITIAL MOTION IS 345/09. THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE TO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST TRACK OR REASONING. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SEVERAL DAYS...OLGA HAS ACTUALLY TRACKED IN A STRAIGHT LINE FOR MORE THAN 6 HOURS. HOWEVER...THIS RECENT STEADY MOTION WILL BE SHORT-LIVED SINCE A STRONG SHORTWAVE TROUGH CURRENTLY APPROACHING THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST AT 40 TO 50 KT WILL RAPIDLY BYPASS THE CYCLONE. THE RESULT WILL BE A RAPID WEAKENING/FILLING OF THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE LOCATED TO THE NORTH OF OLGA AND CREATE A WEAK STEERING FLOW PATTERN IN 24 TO 36 HOURS...IF NOT SOONER. OLGA IS FORECAST TO MAKE A SMALL ANTICYCLONIC LOOP...OR STALL AGAIN...AND THEN GRADUALLY TURN BACK TO THE WEST OR WEST-SOUTHWEST BY 48 HOURS. ONLY THE GENERAL TRENDS AND NOT THE SPECIFIC FORECAST TRACKS FROM ALL OF THE GLOBAL MODELS WERE USED SINCE THEY ALL APPEAR TO WEAKEN OLGA TOO QUICKLY. THE 12Z MODEL RUNS SHOULD HAVE BEEN INITIALIZED WITH A CENTRAL PRESSURE OF 1001 MB INSTEAD OF 1010 MB BY THE AVN...1011 MB BY THE UKMET...AND 1008 MB BY NOGAPS. THE HIGHER INITIAL PRESSURE HAS RESULTED IN A RAPID DECAY OF THE CYCLONE BY ALL OF THE MODELS IN 12 TO 24 HOURS...WHICH CAUSES OLGA TO BE INFLUENCED MORE BY THE LOW-LEVEL STEERING FLOW. THE OFFICIAL FORECAST TRACK IS CLOSE TO THE PREVIOUS TRACK AND THE AVN-NOGAPS-GFDN CONSENSUS SINCE THE UKMET AND GFDL MODELS DISSIPATE OLGA IN ABOUT 24 AND 48 HOURS...RESPECTIVELY. THE INTENSITY FORECAST REMAINS AS COMPLICATED AS THE TRACK FORECAST. DUE TO THE HIGHER THAN ACTUAL CENTRAL PRESSURE...ALL OF THE GLOBAL MODELS RAPIDLY WEAKEN OLGA. HOWEVER...INSPITE OF THE POOR MODEL INITIALIZATION...THE AVN AND GFDN MODELS KEEP OLGA AT OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH. THIS SEEMS REASONABLE WHETHER OR NOT OLGA WILL BE A TROPICAL OR SUBTROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE FORECAST PERIOD. HOWEVER...GIVEN THE OVERALL IMPRESSIVE STRUCTURE AND THE CLOUD PATTERN NOTED IN VISIBLE AND MICROWAVE IMAGERY...IT WOULD NOT TAKE MUCH CONVECTION TO DEVELOP NEAR THE CENTER TO GET OLGA INTO A RAPID INTENSIFICATION MODE. IN FACT...SOME MODERATE CONVECTION HAS ALREADY FILLED IN THE DRY SLOT IN THE EASTERN SEMICIRCLE AND WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SUGGESTS THAT THE DRY SLOT IS BEGINNING TO THIN OUT TO THE WEST OF THE CENTER. OF EQUAL CONCERN IN THE LONG TERM IS THE 200 MB ANTICYCLONE NOW FORECAST TO DEVELOP EAST OF FLORIDA NEAR 29N75W BY ALL THREE OF THE GLOBAL MODELS. SHOULD OLGA SURVIVE THE NEXT 48 HOURS TRACK BENEATH THAT UPPER-LEVEL ANTICYCLONE...THEN THE DECREASING VERTICAL SHEAR AND FAVORABLE OUTFLOW PATTERN COULD RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT RE-STRENGTHENING...POSSIBLY TO NEAR HURRICANE STRENGTH AGAIN. FORECASTER STEWART FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS INITIAL 02/2100Z 26.8N 69.6W 40 KTS 12HR VT 03/0600Z 27.8N 69.9W 45 KTS 24HR VT 03/1800Z 29.0N 69.7W 45 KTS 36HR VT 04/0600Z 29.4N 68.9W 40 KTS 48HR VT 04/1800Z 28.8N 69.0W 40 KTS 72HR VT 05/1800Z 28.0N 72.0W 35 KTS NNNN