A center of circulation consolidated within a large area of thunderstorms centered about 900 miles east of Guam and the system was designated as Tropical Storm Higos.  At 10:00 p.m. EST on Saturday the center of Tropical Storm Higos was located at latitude 12.1°N and longitude 157.4°E which put it about 480 miles northeast of Fananu and about 850 miles east of Guam.  Higos was moving toward the north-northwest at 7 m.p.h.  The maximum sustained wind speed was 45 m.p.h. and there were wind gusts to 60 m.p.h.  The minimum surface pressure was 993 mb.

Higos was moving over warm Sea Surface Temperatures.  Satellite imagery indicated that upper level divergence was well developed and there appeared to be an outflow channel to the northeast.  As the divergence pumped out mass, the surface pressure decreased and the wind speeds increased.  A spiral band of thunderstorms wrapped around the center of circulation and the system displayed increased organization.  Higos has the potential to intensify during the next 24 to 48 hours and it could possible become a typhoon.  Later in the week stronger upper level winds are expected to increase the vertical wind shear and weaken Higos.

Higos was near the western end of a subtropical ridge of high pressure which was steering it toward the northwest.  The subtropical ridge is expected to continue to steer the storm toward the northwest in the short term.  Over the longer term the track of Higos will depend to some extent on how strong it becomes.  If it intensifies more, Higos will be affected more strongly by upper level westerly winds located farther north.  Those winds would cause Higos to take a more northerly track.  If Higos remains weaker, then it could be less affected by the upper level westerlies and it might take a track farther south.  Guidance from numerical models is split between a more northerly and a more westerly track.