Upper level winds blowing from the east over the top of Pali weakened the tropical storm on Saturday.  At 10:00 p.m. EST on Saturday the center of Tropical Storm Pali was located at latitude 7.7°N and longitude 174.5°W which put it about 1450 miles (2335 km) southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii.  Pali was moving toward the west at 2 m.p.h. (3 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 40 m.p.h. (65 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 50 m.p.h. (80 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 1000 mb.

A narrow upper level ridge is generating easterly winds that are blowing over the top of Tropical Storm Pali.  The vertical wind shear produced by those winds caused the structure of Pali to become asymmetrical on Saturday.  Most of the stronger thunderstorms formed west of the center of circulation.  There are rainbands east of the center, but they are not as tall as the bands in the western half of the circulation.  Occasionally, when the wind shear lessens, new thunderstorms form closer to the center of circulation.  At times the wind shear also causes the circulation to tilt toward the west with height.  Tropical Storm Pali is over water where the Sea Surface Temperature is near 28°C.  So, there is sufficient energy in the upper ocean to support intensification, if the wind shear decreases.  However, if the wind shear stays at its current magnitude, slow weakening will continue.

Tropical Storm Pali is embedded in a larger trough of low pressure.  As a result the steering winds are relatively weak.  The easterly winds are slowly pushing Pali toward the west.  That general motion is expected to continue for another day or two.  On its anticipated track Tropical Storm Pali could meander over the Central Pacific well southwest of Hawaii for a few more days.

A surface circulation organized quickly on Thursday in an area of thunderstorms southwest of Hawaii and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center designated the system as Tropical Storm Pali.  At 4:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday the center of Tropical Storm Pali was located at latitude 4.7°N and longitude 171.2°W which put it about 1450 miles (2335 km) southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii.  Pali was moving toward the north-northwest at 7 m.p.h. (11 km/h).  The maximum sustained wind speed was 50 m.p.h. (80 km/h) and there were wind gusts to 65 m.p.h. (105 km/h).  The minimum surface pressure was 1000 mb.

Several well formed spiral bands developed within a large area of thunderstorms and the system exhibited sufficient organization to be classified as a tropical storm.  Two of the inner spiral bands appear to be wrapping around the center of circulation and the inner core of Tropical Storm Pali is organizing quickly.  A partial eyewall may be forming around the southern and western sides of the center of circulation.  Thunderstorms near the core of Pali are generating upper level divergence, which is pumping out mass.

The environment surrounding Tropical Storm Pali is favorable for further intensification.  It is moving over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 29°C.  An upper level ridge east of Pali is generating southeasterly winds over the top of the tropical storm, but the vertical wind shear is not too strong.  Pali is likely to intensify further during the next 24 hours.  A period of rapid intensification may be possible, if the inner core consolidates around an eye.

A subtropical ridge east of Pali is steering the tropical storm toward the north-northwest and that general motion is expected to continue.  However, the winds steering the storm are not too strong, and it may not move much during the next several days.

Although the historical record of tropical storms over the Central Pacific is relatively short, it appears that Tropical Storm Pali may have reached tropical storm intensity at a lower latitude than any other tropical storm on record did in that region.