Guam, 2023

Tropical Storm in Guam, May 17 to 21, 2023

May 17 to 21, 2023 · NWS GUM · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Mawar developed into a Super typhoon during the end of May. It crossed parts of Micronesia, Guam, and the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS GUM wrote it up.

Mawar developed into a Super typhoon during the end of May. It crossed parts of Micronesia, Guam, and the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Guam wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 16, 12:14 PM UTC, 1 hour 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 16, 12:14 PM UTC, 1 hour 46 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion...CORRECTED
National Weather Service Tiyan GU
1014 PM ChST Tue May 16 2023

CORRECTED TYPO IN TROPICAL SYSTEMS SECTION

.Marianas Synopsis...
Very isolated showers and moderate trade winds are seen across the
Mariana Islands as the dry pattern maintains through tonight.

&&

.Discussion...
Forecast remains the same, dry tonight and tomorrow. It is expected
to be less dry the remainder of the week but still isolated showers
for most of the week. Late tomorrow and Thursday, there is a chance
of a slight uptick in showers from a pocket of moisture, but still
don't think it's enough for scattered showers.

&&

.Marine...
Combined seas are expected to remain in the 3 to 5 ft range, then
starting around Thursday, background trade swell and north swell
increases through Friday to build seas up to 6 ft for Guam and Rota
and up to 7 ft for Tinian and Saipan coastal waters. Latest Ritidian
buoy indicated north swell turning north-northeast. Models show swell
direction turning north again around Friday.

&&

.Tropical systems...
A broad, monsoon-like pattern remains anchored across western
Micronesia. Models remain persistent with the development of a
circulation over this pattern, somewhere from southern Yap State to
south of Weno, Chuuk. The latest run of the GFS and ECMWF show this
feature developing and moving toward the northwest, with both models
being within about 60 miles of each other at he 210 hour point. The
GFS remains the most aggressive with the feature, showing a strong
TC developing over the weekend while the ECMWF remains a bit weaker.
However, this time frame is a bit too far out to rely on these
deterministic models. The ensembles show the same feature developing
over the the same region with the main difference being the timing.
Both the NBM and GEFS show the system strengthening a bit later than
the GFS and ECMWF. This scenario will continue to be monitored
closely over the coming days, while we watch for any indication of a
change in patterns or timing.

A weak circulation, now JTWC Invest 96W, is centered near 7N137E. 96W
is not expected to become a significant tropical cyclone until it
moves well west of Palau. Latest model guidance shows 96W moving
west-northwest with little or no development over the next several
days. What 96W will do is maintain a wet pattern over Yap through the
end of the week and over Palau through the weekend. Invest 96W will
continue to be monitored over the next few days for any changes.

&&

.Eastern Micronesia...
A band of convergence is now seen to the southwest to south of
Pohnpei, with most of the convection associated with the band seen
near and west of Pohnpei. This feature is expected to maintain
convection across Pohnpei through the next couple of days as it
drifts north. Showers are developing a bit farther north of the
convergence band, near Kosrae. As the band of convergence remains
active, a series of trade-wind troughs are expected to move through
the region. This will keep shower coverage elevated through the
first part of next week at Pohnpei. However, the convergence is
expected to decrease near Kosrae, which will allow showers to
decrease there over the weekend. Pohnpei should see the greatest
shower coverage Friday night into Saturday night as a circulation
develops near Chuuk, resulting in stronger convergence over the
island.

Farther east, Majuro is currently in a dry pattern, with only partly
cloudy skies and spotty showers. Another band of convergence is seen
well south of Majuro, near 1N to 3N from 165E to beyond the Date
Line. The strongest convergence is seen just east of the Date
Line near 3N to 4N. An approaching trade-wind trough east of the
Date Line will help pull the maximum convergence far enough north to
increase convection across the Marshall Islands, resulting in
scattered showers at Majuro Thursday night into the weekend. By
Sunday, these features will farther west and south, allowing a dry
pattern to return to Majuro.

Little change expected in marine conditions, with a fairly benign
marine pattern continuing for the next several days.

&&

.Western Micronesia...
A monsoon-like trough stretches southeastward from near 10N130E to a
weak circulation, Invest 96W, centered near 7N137E, then continues
southeastward to end near the equator at 150E. 96W is expected to
slowly drift west-northwestward, while the trough drifts north, over
the next several days. A band of stronger convergence is seen north
of the trough and 96W, near Yap, as well as south of the features,
near 2N. As the trough drifts north, the convergent band over yap
will move away from Yap, allowing a drier pattern to move in there
around Friday morning. The trough, 96W and the southern band of
convergence are expected to maintain a wet pattern across Palau
through the weekend.

For Chuuk, the western end of a band of convergence is seen across
the state. Farther east, a series of weak trade-wind troughs are
making their way west into Chuuk. These features will produce
convection across Weno through the next couple of days. later in the
week, near the weekend, models continue to indicate the development
of a circulation somewhere in the area of southern Yap State to south
of Weno, Chuuk. This looks likely to occur, though the intensity of
this circulation remains questionable. Either way, it looks likely
that showers and thunderstorms will continue across the region into
next week, with showers likely beginning Sunday. For more information
on this scenario, see the Tropical systems section, above.

Little change expected in the marine conditions over the coming week.
This could change if Invest 96W develops unexpectedly or if a
circulation develops earlier than expected near Chuuk.

&&

.GUM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GU...None.
MP...None.
Marianas Waters...None.
&&

Marianas: Hong
Micronesia: Kleeschulte

Event by event

1 tropical storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Tropical Storm, Micronesia

When
May 17, 12:00 AM GST to May 21, 12:00 AM GST
Where
Micronesia forecast zone
Reported by
Official NWS Observations

On May 17th a circulation that had been over the area for a few days was classified as Invest 97W by JTWC. 97W was located to the west-southwest of Chuuk at that time. Scatterometer data showed a west-wind burst south of the circulation with winds up to 30 knots. On the morning of May 18th, 97W was located near 6N147E. At this time strong convection was located to the southeast of the center with cloud-top temperatures down to -83C. These temperatures correspond to cloud tops up|to 56k feet. The circulation continued to organize over the next few days. |Scatterometer satellite imagery shows a well-defined circulation center surrounded by 20 to 25-knot winds by the 20th of May. On the afternoon of May 20th, the circulation was classified as Tropical Depression 02W. The tropical depression was located near 5.6N 149.0E or about 235 miles west-southwest of Chuuk with maximum sustained |winds of 30 mph. 02W continued to intensify and by the morning of the 21st of May it became Tropical Storm Mawar. Mawar was located near 5.9N 149.2E at about 185 miles west-southwest of Chuuk. Winds were up to 40 mph.

On May 21st the center Tropical Storm passed just west of Polowat in Chuuk State. At this time Mawar was intensifying and had winds near the center at 40 mph in the early morning increasing to 60 mph in the afternoon. By the afternoon of May 21st Mawar passed 75 miles of Satawal.

Across Satawal, and Polowat, few reports have been received, but damage was generally light from the low-end to moderate tropical storm Mawar as it passed by. Impacts were largely limited to fleshier vegetation with a number of banana trees downed, as well as some breadfruit trees and coconut palms. While no significant structural damage was reported, the sea wall in Satawal had damage in a few areas, as well as 2 main dwelling houses.

What these are

Tropical Storm
A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph).

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Guam in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Guam, May 2023The 2023 hurricane season

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1119907.