February 28, 2016 
NWPAC outlook, 29 FEB
As we add an extra day to February this leap year, we find changing conditions across much of the north region, as the central and the south keep heating up. The tropics are still mostly quiet, but are starting to show some signs of life.
NORTH
A mix of air masses will affect the north region today, with cooler air sliding through the eastern half of the region. Shanghai will see the biggest drop in temperatures today, as the mercury falls about 11C (20F) from yesterday’s reading. Tokyo will see much warmer temperatures this afternoon, compared to previous days, as mild air gets pulled up ahead of the next frontal system. The storm system responsible for the warm-up will slide across northern portions of the archipelago today, bringing windy conditions with a few clouds and showers, and high elevation snow showers, to parts of Hokkaido, and drag the cold air boundary across the entire nation by tomorrow morning. Most locations across the north region will see a pleasant day ahead, with lots of sunshine and just a few scattered clouds.
| City | High Temp C (F) | Low Temp C (F) | Conditions |
| Ulaanbaatar | -1 (30) | -15 (5) | Partly Cloudy |
| Vladivostok | -6 (21) | -19 (-2) | Ptly Cloudy & Windy |
| Beijing | 6 (43) | -3 (27) | Fair |
| Seoul | 1 (45) | -7 (27) | Fair |
| Tokyo | 18 (64) | 2 (34) | Partly Cloudy |
| Xi’an | 17 (63) | 2 (36) | Fair |
| Shanghai | 11 (52) | -1 (30) | Fair |
CENTRAL
The storm system to the north of the central region will also help pull in more warm air across the eastern portions of the region today, bringing the warmest temperatures of the year to many locations. Aside from a few clouds in Taiwan, and a few showers far to the east at Iwo To, the central region will see pretty nice weather today with just a few clouds around.
| City | High Temp C (F) | Low Temp C (F) | Conditions |
| Kunming | 13 (55) | 4 (39) | Cloudy |
| Hong Kong | 21 (70) | 13 (55) | Cloudy |
| Taipei | 16 (61) | 10 (50) | Rain |
| Iwo To | 12 (54) | 0 (32) | Fair |
| Hanoi | 27 (81) | 12 (54) | Cloudy |
SOUTH
The heat continues across much of the south region as we kick off the new work week, but temperatures will be a bit cooler than recent weeks. General cloudiness with a few showers are possible in the northern portions of the Philippines, as moisture interacts with a washed out frontal boundary, or trough, draped over the archipelago. Thunderstorms will be on tap for Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia today, as tropical moisture increases over the area and gets a good lift from the hot afternoon sun.
| City | High Temp C (F) | Low Temp C (F) | Conditions |
| Siem Reap | 33 (91) | 19 (66) | Fair |
| Ho Chi Minh | 35 (95) | 23 (73) | Fair |
| Manila | 31 (88) | 24 (75) | Showers |
| Davao City | 34 (93) | 24 (75) | Partly Cloudy |
| Brunei | 30 (86) | 26 (79) | Thunderstorms |
| Singapore | 31 (88) | 26 (79) | Thunderstorms |
TROPICS
The tropics are still very quiet as we end the month of February, but there is increased convection within the I.T.C.Z. (Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone) which could be loosely interpreted as signs of life from the trouble-making region. For now, however, showers and thunderstorms are quite scattered, with no signs of future development on the horizon. Most of the showers activity will be confined to the eastern islands of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, and will be quite scattered in nature. Continental energy is once again lashing out at the Mariana Islands, bringing some showers and gusty winds to the group. Wake Island will also see a few showers pop up as a result of energy from the temperate latitudes encroaching on the area.
| City | High Temp C (F) | Low Temp C (F) | Conditions |
| Guam | 26 (79) | 22 (72) | AM Showers |
| Yap | 31 (88) | 25 (77) | Fair |
| Palau | 31 (88) | 25 (77) | Partly Cloudy |
| Chuuk | 29 (84) | 27 (81) | Partly Cloudy |
| Pohnpei | 30 (86) | 26 (79) | Cloudy |
| Majuro | 29 (84) | 26 (79) | PM Showers |
| Wake | 27 (81) | 23 (73) | PM Showers |
Have a marvelous Monday!
Courtesy: CIMSS, HKO, Tropical Tidbits, Intellicast, Weather.com, MeteoEarth
