WTIO30 FMEE 310022 RSMC / TROPICAL CYCLONE CENTER / LA REUNION TROPICAL CYCLONE FORECAST WARNING (SOUTH-WEST INDIAN OCEAN) 0.A WARNING NUMBER: 16/5/20172018 1.A TROPICAL CYCLONE 5 (CEBILE) 2.A POSITION 2018/01/31 AT 0000 UTC: WITHIN 20 NM RADIUS OF POINT 15.9 S / 78.4 E (FIFTEEN DECIMAL NINE DEGREES SOUTH AND SEVENTY EIGHT DECIMAL FOUR DEGREES EAST) MOVEMENT : WEST 5 KT 3.A DVORAK ANALYSIS: 5.0/5.0/S 0.0/6 H 4.A CENTRAL PRESSURE: 960 HPA 5.A MAX AVERAGE WIND SPEED (10 MN): 80 KT RADIUS OF MAXIMUM WINDS (RMW) :59 KM 6.A EXTENSION OF WIND BY QUADRANTS (KM): 28 KT NE: 260 SE: 350 SW: 390 NW: 220 34 KT NE: 150 SE: 200 SW: 200 NW: 150 48 KT NE: 110 SE: 150 SW: 150 NW: 110 64 KT NE: 90 SE: 100 SW: 100 NW: 90 7.A FIRST CLOSED ISOBAR (PRESSURE / AVERAGE DIAM): 1007 HPA / 1100 KM 8.A VERTICAL EXTENSION OF CYCLONE CIRCULATION : DEEP 1.B FORECASTS: 12H: 2018/01/31 12 UTC: 15.8 S / 77.4 E, MAX WIND=085 KT, TROPICAL CYCLONE 24H: 2018/02/01 00 UTC: 16.0 S / 76.5 E, MAX WIND=090 KT, INTENSE TROPICAL CYCLONE 36H: 2018/02/01 12 UTC: 16.4 S / 75.9 E, MAX WIND=095 KT, INTENSE TROPICAL CYCLONE 48H: 2018/02/02 00 UTC: 17.0 S / 75.6 E, MAX WIND=095 KT, INTENSE TROPICAL CYCLONE 60H: 2018/02/02 12 UTC: 17.7 S / 75.7 E, MAX WIND=090 KT, INTENSE TROPICAL CYCLONE 72H: 2018/02/03 00 UTC: 18.3 S / 76.3 E, MAX WIND=080 KT, TROPICAL CYCLONE 2.B LONGER-RANGE OUTLOOK : 96H: 2018/02/04 00 UTC: 20.5 S / 78.9 E, MAX WIND=055 KT, SEVERE TROPICAL STORM 120H: 2018/02/05 00 UTC: 24.3 S / 81.3 E, MAX WIND=045 KT, POST-TROPICAL DEPRESSION 2.C ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: T=CI=5.0 OVER THE LAST 6 HOURS, CEBILE WIDE EYE PATTERN HAS REMAINED VERY STABLE. THE DVORAK ESTIMATES HAS NOT MUCH FLUCTUATED. NEVERTHELESS CEBILE'S EYE HAS BEGUN TO SHRINK THAT COULD INDICATE A RESUMPTION OF INTENSIFICATION DUE TO THE VERY GOOD ENVIRONNEMENTAL CONDITIONS. CEBILE IS STILL TRACKING WESTWARDS. THE SYSTEM IS CAUGHT BETWEEN A SUBTROPICAL RIDGE IN THE SOUTH-WEST AND THE NEAR-EQUATORIAL RIDGE IN THE NORTH-EAST. THESE TWO SYNOPTIC STRUCTURES ARE DRIVING OPPOSITE STEERING FLOWS. THE AVAILABLE MODELS SUGGEST A SLOW WESTWARD TRACK OVER THE NEXT DAYS, SUGGESTING THAT THE SUBTROPICAL INFLUENCE IS SLIGHTLY STRONGER. OVER THE NEXT DAYS, THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE IS WEAKENING BEFORE THE NEAR-EQUATORIAL RIDGE BECOMES THE MAIN STEERING FLOW FRIDAY. THIS DRIVES A SHARP SOUTH-EASTWARD TURN FOLLOWED BY A GRADUAL ACCELERATION. THE GUIDANCE DISPERSION REMAINS HIGH BECAUSE OF THE UNCERTAINTY OVER THE EXACT COURSE OF THE SYSTEM OVER THE NEXT DAYS, BETWEEN A NORTH-WESTWARD TRACK SUGGESTED BY IFS AND A SOUTH-WESTWARD MOTION FOR GFS. HOWEVER, THE AGREEMENT OVER THE TIMING OF THE TURN IS GOOD. UNTIL WEDNESDAY NIGHT, CEBILE SHOULD TRACK WITHIN QUASI-PERFECT CONDITIONS CONCERNING WIND SHEAR, UPPER DIVERGENCE AND OCEANIC HEAT CONTENT, WHICH IS EVEN INCREASING WEST OF 80E. FROM THURSDAY, EQUATORWARD UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN BUT THIS DECREASE SHOULD BE OFFSET BY AN INCREASING POLERWARD CHANNEL OUTFLOW. HOWEVER, IF THE MOTION IS SLOWER THAN EXPECTED WHEN IT SHOULD CURVE SOUTHEASTWARD, THE SST SELF-INDUCED COOLING COULD SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASE CEBILE'S INTENSITY. FROM FRIDAY EVENING, A ROSSBY WAVE BREAKING LOCATED WEST OF THE SYSTEM WILL INCREASE QUICKLY THE NORTHWESTWARD VERTICAL WINDSHEAR AND CEBILE'S INTENSITY IS FORECASTED TO QUICKLY DECREASE AS IT WILL MOVE OVER COOLER SURFACE SEA TEMPERATURE.=