845  
FXCA20 KWBC 201838  
PMDCA  
 
TROPICAL DISCUSSION - INTERNATIONAL DESKS  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
238 PM EDT THU AUG 20 2026  
 
FORECAST BULLETIN 20 AUGUST 2026 AT 1840 UTC:  
 
ACROSS MEXICO...  
ACROSS THE WESTERN PACIFIC COAST, STARTING ON FRIDAY, THE NORTHERN  
PERIPHERY OF AN UPPER RIDGE WILL BEGIN TO SEE AN INCREASE IN WIND  
SPEEDS. THE NORTH-EXIT REGION OF THE RIDGE WILL BE INTERACTING  
WITH A PREEXISTING UPPER TROUGH, WHICH WILL BE LOCATED ACROSS  
NORTHEAST MEXICO FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS. THIS INTERACTION WILL  
LEAD TO A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN UPPER WIND DIFFLUENCE ACROSS THE  
WESTERN PACIFIC COAST OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL MEXICO FOR FRIDAY AND  
SATURDAY. THE DYNAMIC NATURE OF THE UPPER LEVELS WILL SUPPORT THE  
MOISTENING TREND ACROSS THE REGION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF  
MID-LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGHS.  
 
WITH RESPECT TO PRECIPITATION IMPACTS, CONDITIONS WILL BE DRIVEN  
BY LOCAL AND OROGRAPHIC EFFECTS ON THURSDAY FOR NORTHWEST MEXICO.  
EXPECT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT WILL  
BRING ISOLATED MODERATE TOTAL PRECIPITATION MAXIMA. BY THURSDAY,  
THERE WILL BE A GRADUAL INCREASE IN PRECIPITABLE WATER ACROSS THE  
REGION IN RESPONSE TO THE UPPER LEVELS, FROM NORTHWEST MEXICO AND  
ALONG THE NORTH AND CENTRAL PACIFIC COAST OF MEXICO. THUS,  
ANTICIPATE MORE WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE COASTLINE AND  
ALONG THE HIGH TERRAIN FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, WHERE MODERATE TO  
ENHANCED PRECIPITATION MAXIMA IS LIKELY.  
 
ACROSS CENTRAL AMERICA AND SOUTH AMERICA...  
A SERIES OF TROPICAL WAVES WILL BE TRAVERSING THE CENTRAL AMERICA  
ISTHMUS THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST CYCLE. THE FIRST TROPICAL WAVE OF  
INTEREST IS CURRENTLY TRAVERSING COSTA RICA AND SOUTH NICARAGUA.  
THIS TROPICAL WAVE IS BEING ACCOMPANIED BY HIGH PRECIPITABLE WATER  
VALUES AND HIGH INSTABILITY. INSTABILITY WILL DECREASE SUBTLY AS  
THE TROPICAL WAVE MOVES INTO THE PACIFIC ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON.  
REGARDLESS, THE ENVIRONMENT WILL STILL BE CONDUCIVE TO SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. ON FRIDAY, ANOTHER TROPICAL  
WAVE WILL BE APPROACHING THE REGION AND THE ENVIRONMENT WILL  
REMAIN MOIST AND UNSTABLE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST  
CYCLE. ADDITIONALLY, THE CARIBBEAN LOW LEVEL JET (CLLJ) WILL BE  
CONVERGING INTO THE REGION AND FAVORING ENHANCED LOW LEVEL  
CYCLONIC ROTATION ACROSS COSTA RICA AND PANAMA, REINFORCING ASCENT  
IN THE REGION. DAILY MODERATE TO ENHANCE TOTAL PRECIPITATION  
MAXIMA IS EXPECTED ACROSS NICARAGUA AND COSTA RICA.  
 
WITH THE PASSAGE OF THESE TROPICAL WAVES, EXPECT A MOISTENING  
TREND ACROSS THE PACIFIC COASTS OF COLOMBIA AND ECUADOR. DAILY  
DIURNAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY ACROSS ECUADOR AND  
THE SOUTH COLOMBIAN COAST. ACROSS THE NORTH-CENTRAL COASTLINE,  
THERE WILL BE PERIODS WHERE THE LOW LEVEL WIND FLOW WILL BE  
ORTHOGONAL TO THE LOCAL OROGRAPHY, LEADING TO ELEVATED  
CONVERGENCE. OVERALL, DAILY ENHANCED TOTAL PRECIPITATION MAXIMA IS  
LIKELY IN THIS REGION THROUGH THE FORECAST CYCLE.  
 
ACROSS THE AMAZON AND NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA, SEASONAL CONDITIONS  
WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE MAJORITY OF THE REGION. AN AREA OF  
INTEREST IS NORTHEAST COLOMBIA AND VENEZUELA, WHICH WILL BE  
INFLUENCED BY THE PASSAGE OF TROPICAL WAVES. AT THE SAME TIME,  
EXPECT THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL SURFACE TO LOW LEVEL TROUGHS THAT  
WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS.  
 
ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN...  
 
AN UPPER-LEVEL LOW NORTH OF PUERTO RICO, IN COMBINATION WITH AN  
UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH OVER PANAMA, IS SUPPORTING UPPER-LEVEL  
DIVERGENCE OVER THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN TODAY, THURSDAY. THE  
UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH WILL MOVE WEST-NORTHWESTWARD OVER THE NEXT FEW  
DAYS, SUPPORTING UPPER-LEVEL VENTILATION OVER THE CENTRAL AND  
WESTERN CARIBBEAN.  
 
A TROPICAL WAVE OVER THE LESSER ANTILLES, EMBEDDED IN LIMITED  
MOISTURE, IS PRODUCING ISOLATED SHOWERS, WITH MAXIMA AROUND 10 MM  
OVER THE SOUTHERNMOST ISLANDS FOR TODAY. AS THE WAVE ADVANCES INTO  
THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN ON FRIDAY, ISOLATED CONVECTION IS EXPECTED  
ACROSS THE LEEWARD ANTILLES, WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS BECOMING MORE LIKELY OVER HISPANIOLA. BY SATURDAY,  
INCREASING LOW-TO-MID-LEVEL MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE WAVE  
SHOULD FAVOR A MORE ACTIVE CONVECTIVE PATTERN, WITH SCATTERED  
SHOWERS AND DEEPER CONVECTION DEVELOPING AS THE WAVE CROSSES  
JAMAICA AND EASTERN CUBA.  
 
TROPICAL WAVES INITIALIZED AT 12 UTC:  
TYP SOF INIT 21/00 21/12 22/00 22/12 23/00 23/12 24/00  
24/12  
TW 20N 42W 44W 47W 50W 53W 56W 59W 61W 64W  
TW 20N 52W 55W 58W 61W 64W 67W 70W 74W 78W  
TW 15N 58W 63W 66W 70W 74W 77W 80W 83W 86W  
TW 15N 75W 77W 80W 83W 86W 88W 90W 93W 95W  
TW 11N 98W 100W 102W 104W 106W 109W 112W 115W  
116W  
TW 12N 111W 112W 114W 116W 117W EXIT --- --- ---  
 
TINOCO-MORALES...(WPC)  
SANCHEZ-PEREZ...(WPC)  
LUCIANO...(MDC)  
 

 
 
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