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Tropical Storm RICHARD (Text)

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TROPICAL STORM RICHARD DISCUSSION NUMBER   6
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL   AL192010
500 AM EDT FRI OCT 22 2010
 
THE CLOUD PATTERN APPEARS TO BE A LITTLE BETTER ORGANIZED WITH VERY
DEEP CONVECTION NEAR THE CENTER. THE UPPER-LEVEL OUTFLOW HAS BECOME
ESTABLISHED IN ALL QUADRANTS...SUGGESTING THAT THE SHEAR HAS
RELAXED A LITTLE BIT MORE. DVORAK T-NUMBERS HAVE INCREASED TO 3.0
AND 2.5 FROM TAFB AND SAB RESPECTIVELY. HOWEVER...GIVEN THAT THE
LAST RECON A FEW HOURS AGO FOUND A WEAK CYCLONE...MICROWAVE DATA
DOES NOT SHOW AN INNER CORE...AND FURTHERMORE...ASCAT DATA SHOW
MAXIMUM WINDS OF 30 KNOTS...THE INITIAL INTENSITY IS KEPT
GENEROUSLY AT 35 KNOTS. ANOTHER PLANE WILL CHECK RICHARD ABOUT 12
UTC.0.

NOW THAT THE SHEAR HAS RELAXED AND MOISTURE SHOULD INCREASE IN THE
AREA...STRENGTHENING SHOULD BEGIN.  RICHARD IS FORECAST TO BE A
HURRICANE AS IT APPROACHES THE YUCATAN PENINSULA IN ABOUT 3 DAYS.
ONCE OVER YUCATAN THE EFFECT OF LAND AND INCREASING SHEAR WOULD
RESULT IN WEAKENING. MODELS...PRIMARILY THE GFDL/HWRF PAIR...ARE
NOT AS AGGRESSIVE IN INTENSIFYING RICHARD AS THEY WERE IN PREVIOUS
RUNS. THIS IS PERHAPS BECAUSE THE MODELS ARE FORECASTING THE CYCLONE
TO BE CLOSER TO LAND INSTEAD OF OVER THE OPEN NORTHWESTERN
CARIBBEAN SEA LIKE IN PREVIOUS RUNS.

RICHARD HAS BARELY MOVED DURING THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS WHILE IT IS
STILL EMBEDDED WITHIN LIGHT STEERING CURRENTS. THIS STEERING
PATTERN IS ABOUT TO CHANGE AS THE CURRENT TROUGH TO THE NORTH LIFTS
OUT AND BECOMES REPLACED BY A STRONG RIDGE.  THE FLOW ON THE SOUTH
SIDE OF THE RIDGE WILL FORCE RICHARD ON A WEST TO WEST-NORTHWEST
TRACK WITH A GRADUAL INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED THROUGH THE FORECAST
PERIOD. IT SEEMS THAT GLOBAL MODELS ARE DEVELOPING A STRONGER RIDGE
THAN IN EARLIER RUNS...AND CONSEQUENTLY THE GUIDANCE ENVELOPE HAS
SHIFTED SOUTHWARD A LITTLE BIT. NONE OF THE MODELS TURN THE CYCLONE
NORTHWARD AND ARE FOLLOWING THE WESTWARD TREND INITIATED BY THE
GFS. THE OFFICIAL FORECAST HAS ALSO BEEN ADJUSTED SOUTHWARD. 
 
 
FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS
 
INITIAL      22/0900Z 16.0N  80.3W    35 KT
 12HR VT     22/1800Z 15.9N  80.8W    40 KT
 24HR VT     23/0600Z 15.9N  81.5W    45 KT
 36HR VT     23/1800Z 16.0N  83.0W    50 KT
 48HR VT     24/0600Z 16.5N  84.5W    60 KT
 72HR VT     25/0600Z 17.5N  87.5W    70 KT
 96HR VT     26/0600Z 19.0N  90.0W    35 KT...INLAND
120HR VT     27/0600Z 21.0N  91.5W    30 KT...OVER WATER
 
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FORECASTER AVILA
 
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