Update: Tropical Cyclone 08S (Funso) South Indian Ocean( Mozambique Channel)

260900Z POSITION NEAR 24.2S 39.2E.
TROPICAL CYCLONE (TC) 08S (FUNSO), LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 377 NM EAST-
NORTHEAST OF MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE, HAS TRACKED SOUTH-SOUTHEASTWARD AT 
04 KNOTS OVER THE PAST SIX HOURS. ANIMATED INFRARED (IR) SATELLITE 
IMAGERY CONTINUES TO DEPICT AN INTENSE SYSTEM WITH A 25-NM EYE, 
HOWEVER THE HORIZONTAL EXTENT HAS BEEN STEADILY DECREASING OVER THE 
PAST SIX HOURS WITH DECREASING OUTFLOW ALONG THE WESTERN SEMI-
CIRCLE. ANIMATED SATELLITE WATER VAPOR IMAGERY DEPICTS A RIDGE TO 
THE WEST OF THE SYSTEM IMPINGING ON THE OUTFLOW. DESIPITE THIS, TC 
08S STILL HAS EXCELLENT DUAL CHANNEL OUTFLOW. BASED ON A 260543Z 
SSMIS IMAGE, THE SYSTEM IS STILL GOING THROUGH AN EYEWALL 
REPLACEMENT CYCLE WITH CONCENTRIC EYEWALLS CLEARLY DEPICTED. THE 
CURRENT INTENSITY WAS DECREASED SLIGHTLY TO 100 KNOTS AND WAS BASED 
ON THE PGTW AND KNES DVORAK CURRENT INTENSITY ESTIMATES OF 102 
KNOTS. THE CURRENT POSITION IS BASED ON A WELL-DEFINED EYE WITH HIGH 
CONFIDENCE. TC 08S IS TRACKING SLOWLY SOUTH-SOUTHEASTWARD ALONG THE 
WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE DEEP SUBTROPICAL RIDGE (STR) AND IS 
FORECAST TO CONTINUE TRACKING SOUTHWARD TO SOUTH-SOUTHEASTWARD 
THROUGH TAU 48. AFTER TAU 48, TC 08S IS EXPECTED TO RE-CURVE INTO 
THE MIDLATITUDE WESTERLIES AND TO ACCELERATE. THE SYSTEM IS FORECAST 
TO GRADUALLY WEAKEN DUE TO THE DEGRADED UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT AND 
SHOULD WEAKEN MORE RAPIDLY AFTER TAU 48 AS IT ENCOUNTERS COOLER SEA 
SURFACE TEMPERATURES AND INCREASING VERTICAL WIND SHEAR. AT THIS 
TIME, TC 08S IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN EXTRA-TROPICAL TRANSITION (ETT) BY 
TAU 96 AND SHOULD COMPLETE ETT NEAR TAU 120. DYNAMIC MODEL GUIDANCE 
IS IN FAIR AGREEMENT WITH THE OUTLIER BEING GFS WHICH DEPICTS THE 
STEERING RIDGE BUILDING TO THE SOUTH OF THE SYSTEM CAUSING IT TO 
TRACK MORE SOUTHWESTWARDLY IN THE EARLY TAUS. THIS FORECAST IS 
SLIGHTLY FASTER THAN AND TO THE EAST OF CONSENSUS TO OFFSET THE GFS 
MODEL. MAXIMUM SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT AT 260600Z IS 30 FEET. NEXT 
WARNINGS AT 262100Z AND 270900Z. REFER TO TROPICAL CYCLONE 09S 
(IGGY) WARNINGS (WTXS32 PGTW) FOR TWELVE-HOURLY UPDATES.//
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- CIMSS Tropical Cyclone Team + Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC)