Daily update- Tuesday, February 9, 2016

NWPAC outlook, 09 FEB

Temperatures continue a general warming trend in the north and central regions of eastern Asia and the NWPAC, as parts of the south continue to get some drought relief, and the tropics remain quiet. 

NORTH

A general warming trend will proceed today across much of the north region as high pressure stays locked in and the air mass continues to moderate a bit. One reinforcing shot of cool air is making its way through northeastern China and Korea, accompanied by a vigorous, but rather compact, storm system in the Sea of Japan. This storm system will pass to the north-northeast, parallel to the west coast of Japan, bringing strong winds to western prefectures of Honshu and Hokkaido, and all of the southern islands. Snowfall is also likely in the higher elevations of western Honshu, and southwestern Hokkaido by Wednesday morning. Tokyo will be relatively unaffected by this storm, other than some cloudiness, as it remains west of the Japanese Alps through the day. The rest of the entire north region will see sunny skies and a beautiful day ahead.

CENTRAL

Temperatures are also warming up across continental locales of the central region, and in a big way. The cold air will stay to the north of the region for the time being, allowing the sunshine to really warm things up across the entire area. Far to the east, Iwo To is still dealing with the last push of cool air to roll through, and so their recovery will be a bit delayed compared to more westerly locations of the region. A few clouds will stream over central China, masking the sunshine a bit, but the remainder of the region will see just a few scattered clouds and lots of bright, warm sunshine.

 SOUTH

Temperatures remain warm in the south region, especially over portions of southern Vietnam and Cambodia. Moisture is damming up against the mountains of the eastern Philippines as the seasonal northeast monsoon, boosted by a recent pass of cooler air, keeps the winds brisk and the moisture pumping into the archipelago. A weak wave of low pressure is also passing through southern Malaysia, bringing steady rainfall to Singapore. The remainder of the region will see a great day ahead, with widely scattered clouds and intense sunshine.

TROPICS 

The I.T.C.Z. (Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone) remains devoid of any significant activity throughout the entire NWPAC.  A few clouds are drifting along near eastern Micronesia and the western Marshall Islands, but rainfall is scarce with this area. Another weak wave is passing through Malaysia and western Indonesia, bringing a bit of rainfall to those areas. The remainder of the tropics will enjoy a beautiful day, with just a few clouds mixed in with the sun this afternoon.

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Courtesy: CIMSS, HKO, Tropical Tidbits, Intellicast, Weather.com, MeteoEarth