Tropical Storm Hagupit passed north of Palau on Saturday.  At 11:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday the center of Tropical Storm Hagupit was located at latitude 10.4°N and longitude 132.9°E which put the center about 220 miles (355 km) north-northwest of Koror, Palau.  Hagupit was moving toward the northwest at 10 m.p.h. (16 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 1004 mb.

Tropical Storm Hagupit maintained its intensity while it passed north of Palau on Saturday.  Even though Tropical Storm Hagupit maintained its maximum wind speed, some of the thunderstorms in Hagupit’s circulation dissipated.  Thunderstorms were still occurring in bands in the eastern side of Tropical Storm Hagupit.  Bands in the western side of Hagupit’s circulation consisted primarily of showers and lower clouds.  Thunderstorms near the center of Hagupit generated less upper level divergence that pumped less mass away from the tropical storm.  The removal of less mass caused the surface pressure to increase.

Tropical Storm Hagupit will move into an environment that will be unfavorable for intensification during the next 24 hours.  Hagupit will move over water where the Sea Surface Temperatures are near 29°C.  It will move under the southern end of an upper level trough that is south of Japan.  The upper level trough will produce westerly winds that will blow toward the top of Hagupit’s circulation.  Those winds will cause more vertical wind shear.  Tropical Storm Hagupit is likely to weaken to a tropical depression on Sunday.

Tropical Storm Hagupit will move around the southwestern part of a high pressure system over the Western North Pacific Ocean.   The high pressure system will steer Hagupit toward the northwest during the next 24 hours.  On its anticipated track, Tropical Storm Hagupit will move farther away from Palau.