THE AREA OF CONVECTION (INVEST 90P) PREVIOUSLY LOCATED
NEAR 15.8S 126.8E, IS NOW LOCATED NEAR 17.1S 121.9E, APPROXIMATELY
540 NM NORTHEAST OF LEARMONTH, AUSTRALIA. ANIMATED ENHANCED INFRARED
SATELLITE IMAGERY AND A 261032Z SSMIS 91GHZ PARTIAL MICROWAVE PASS
SHOW A WELL DEFINED LOW LEVEL CIRCULATION CENTER ASSOCIATED WITH A
LARGE AREA OF CONVECTION MOVING OVER LAND TOWARDS THE WEST COAST OF
AUSTRALIA. THE DISTURBANCE IS CURRENTLY LOCATED IN A FAVORABLE
ENVIRONMENT WITH SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES NEAR 31 DEGREES CELSIUS,
LOW VERTICAL WIND SHEAR (10 KNOTS), AND GOOD UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE.
GLOBAL MODALS ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT THE DISTURBANCE WILL TRACK TO
THE WEST-SOUTHWEST WITH CONTINUED CONSOLIDATION AND INTENSIFICATION
OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED SURFACE WINDS ARE
ESTIMATED AT 25 TO 30 KNOTS. MINIMUM SEA LEVEL PRESSURE IS ESTIMATED
TO BE NEAR 998 MB. THE POTENTIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A
SIGNIFICANT TROPICAL CYCLONE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS IS UPGRADED TO
HIGH.
