681  
AXNT20 KNHC 182206  
TWDAT  
 
TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION  
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL  
0005 UTC FRI APR 19 2024  
 
TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR NORTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA  
GULF OF MEXICO, CARIBBEAN SEA, NORTHERN SECTIONS OF SOUTH  
AMERICA, AND ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE AFRICAN COAST FROM THE  
EQUATOR TO 31N. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS BASED ON SATELLITE  
IMAGERY, WEATHER OBSERVATIONS, RADAR AND METEOROLOGICAL ANALYSIS.  
 
BASED ON 1800 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH  
2100 UTC.  
   
..MONSOON TROUGH/ITCZ
 
 
THE MONSOON TROUGH IS NEAR THE COAST OF SIERRA LEONE TO 08N13W.  
THE ITCZ EXTENDS FROM 06N14W TO 05N22W TO 00N45W. SCATTERED  
MODERATE TO STRONG CONVECTION IS OBSERVED SOUTH OF 02N AND W OF  
35W.  
   
..GULF OF MEXICO
 
 
A SUBTROPICAL RIDGE OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC EXTENDS WESTWARD  
INTO THE NE BASIN, WITH THE ASSOCIATED RIDGE DOMINATING THE GULF  
OF MEXICO. THIS PATTERN SUPPORTS MODERATE TO FRESH E TO SE WINDS  
OVER THE SW HALF OF THE BASIN, WITH THE STRONG WINDS OCCURRING  
OFF W YUCATAN. GENTLE TO MODERATE WINDS DOMINATE THE NE BASIN.  
SEAS ARE 3 TO 5 FT IN THE SW GULF AND 1 TO 3 FT IN THE NE. NO  
SIGNIFICANT CONVECTION IS PRESENT.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDING WESTWARD FROM THE  
WESTERN ATLANTIC TO THE CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO WILL BE IN CONTROL  
OF THE WIND FLOW PATTERN OVER MOST OF THE AREA THROUGH LATE SAT. A  
MOIST RETURN FLOW ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF IS LIKELY TO LEAD TO  
PATCHY AREAS OF FOG AT NIGHT THROUGH SAT. FRESH TO STRONG WINDS  
NORTHEAST TO EAST WINDS WILL CONTINUE PULSING OFF THE NW YUCATAN  
PENINSULA AND SOUTH-CENTRAL GULF AT NIGHT THROUGH SAT NIGHT, THEN  
PULSE AT MOSTLY FRESH SPEEDS THROUGH TUE NIGHT. LOOKING AHEAD, A  
COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE FAR NW GULF SUN MORNING,  
REACH FROM NORTHERN FLORIDA TO NEAR 27N90W AND TO NORTHEAST MEXICO  
SUN EVENING, THEN STALL FROM WEST-CENTRAL FLORIDA TO 26N90W AND  
TO NORTHEAST MEXICO EARLY ON MON. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO  
GRADUALLY BECOME DIFFUSE INTO TUE NIGHT. MODERATE TO FRESH  
NORTHEAST WINDS WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT, EXCEPT BRIEFLY REACHING  
STRONG SPEEDS OVER THE WATERS EAST OF SOUTHERN TEXAS SUN NIGHT.  
   
..CARIBBEAN SEA
 
 
THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC CONTINUES TO FORCE  
FRESH TO LOCALLY STRONG TRADE WINDS IN THE WINDWARD PASSAGE AND  
SOUTH OF HISPANIOLA. SEAS IN THESE WATERS ARE 4-7 FT. FRESH TO  
LOCALLY STRONG TRADES HAVE ALSO DEVELOPED THIS AFTERNOON OFFSHORE  
COLOMBIA. MAINLY MODERATE TRADES AND SEAS OF 3 TO 5 FT DOMINATE  
THE REMAINDER OF THE BASIN. NO SIGNIFICANT CONVECTION IS OCCURRING  
AT THIS TIME.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, BROAD HIGH PRESSURE LOCATED BETWEEN BERMUDA AND  
THE BAHAMAS WILL SUPPORT FRESH TO LOCALLY STRONG TRADE WINDS IN  
THE LEE OF CUBA AND WINDWARD PASSAGE AT NIGHT DURING THE NEXT FEW  
DAYS. THESE WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY  
NEXT WEEK AS A COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE WESTERN ATLANTIC AND  
THE PRESSURE GRADIENT RELAXES. HIGH PRESSURE THAT WILL BUILD IN  
BEHIND THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO SUPPORT FRESH TO LOCALLY STRONG  
TRADE WINDS IN THE SOUTH-CENTRAL CARIBBEAN STARTING MON.  
   
..ATLANTIC OCEAN
 
 
A DEEP LAYER TROUGH IS REFLECTED AT THE SURFACE FROM NEAR 30N51W  
TO 23N57W TO 19N62W. THIS TROUGH IS PRODUCING SCATTERED MODERATE  
TO ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTION FROM 23N TO 30N BETWEEN 45W AND 56W.  
FRESH WINDS AND SEAS TO 8 FT ARE PRESENT IN THE VICINITY OF THIS  
CONVECTION, WITH LOCALLY HIGHER WINDS AND SEAS POSSIBLE IN THE  
STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS.  
 
HIGH PRESSURE OF 1020 MB IS CENTERED ACROSS THE NW WATERS NEAR  
30N72W. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE HIGH AND THE LOW  
PRESSURE TROUGH IS LEADING TO MODERATE TO FRESH WINDS AND SEAS OF  
5-7 FT S OF 27N AND BETWEEN THE BAHAMAS AND THE SURFACE TROUGH.  
ELSEWHERE WEST OF 55W, MODERATE OR WEAKER WINDS AND MODERATE SEAS  
ARE PREVALENT.  
 
TO THE EAST OF THE SURFACE TROUGH, THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN  
ATLANTIC ARE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A 1019 MB HIGH PRESSURE  
SYSTEM POSITIONED NEAR 27N38W. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THIS  
RIDGE AND LOWER PRESSURES IN THE DEEP TROPICS SUPPORTS MODERATE TO  
LOCALLY FRESH NE TO E TRADE WINDS SOUTH OF 20N AND E OF 55W. WAVE  
HEIGHTS ARE 6 TO 8 FT IN THIS AREA. SATELLITE IMAGERY SUGGESTS  
THAN SAHARAN AIR DOMINATES THIS AREA S OF 20N BETWEEN AFRICA AND  
45W. SLIGHT TO GENTLE WINDS AND MODERATE SEAS PREVAIL IN THE REST  
OF THE BASIN.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST W OF 55W, THE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE  
NORTHEAST OF THE FORECAST WATERS TONIGHT. THE REMAINDER OF THE SW  
N ATLANTIC IS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF HIGH PRESSURE THAT SUPPORTS  
MODERATE TO FRESH EASTERLY WINDS SOUTH OF 27N. WINDS WILL DIMINISH  
AND SEAS WILL SUBSIDE OVER THESE WATERS AS THE TROUGH CONTINUES  
TO PULL AWAY ALLOWING FOR THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TO RELAX. LOOKING  
AHEAD, MODERATE TO FRESH SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE  
FLORIDA OFFSHORE WATERS N OF THE NW BAHAMAS STARTING SUN AFTERNOON  
AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT FORECAST TO MOVE OFF NE FLORIDA SUN NIGHT.  
THESE WINDS WILL REACH STRONG SPEEDS SUN NIGHT AND DIMINISH TO  
MODERATE TO FRESH SPEEDS MON. ON TUE AND TUE NIGHT, WEAK HIGH  
PRESSURE WILL SETTLE IN OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE AREA  
PROVIDING FOR LIGHT TO GENTLE WINDS OVER MOST OF THE AREA, EXCEPT  
EAST OF 65W WHERE WINDS WILL BE GENTLE TO MODERATE.  
 

 
KONARIK  
 
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