703  
AXPZ20 KNHC 150933  
TWDEP  
 
TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION  
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL  
1005 UTC SUN DEC 15 2024  
 
TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN FROM  
03.4S TO 30N, EAST OF 120W INCLUDING THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA, AND  
FROM THE EQUATOR TO 30N, BETWEEN 120W AND 140W. THE FOLLOWING  
INFORMATION IS BASED ON SATELLITE IMAGERY, WEATHER OBSERVATIONS,  
RADAR, AND METEOROLOGICAL ANALYSIS.  
 
BASED ON 0600 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH  
0900 UTC.  
   
..SPECIAL FEATURES  
 
GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC GALE WARNING: A STRONG RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE  
EXTENDING FROM THE EASTERN U.S. TO THE SOUTHWESTERN GULF OF  
MEXICO AND EASTERN MEXICO IS SUPPORTING STRONG TO GALE FORCE  
WINDS IN THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC TONIGHT, WITH GALES OCCURRING  
NORTH OF 14.5N. PEAK SEAS NEAR 11 FT ARE LIKELY OCCURRING IN THE  
AREA OF STRONGEST WINDS. THIS RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN VERY  
SLOWLY SUN THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF THE WEEK, WHICH WILL PROMPT  
A SLOW WEAKENING OF THIS NORTHERLY GAP WIND FLOW ACROSS  
TEHUANTEPEC. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH BELOW GALE FORCE SUN  
MORNING, THEN EXPECT N WINDS TO PULSE TO STRONG AT NIGHT ACROSS  
THE GULF REGION THROUGH THE END OF NEXT WEEK, WITH SIGNIFICANT  
WINDS AND SEAS GENERALLY REMAINING N OF 13N. LOOKING AHEAD, THERE  
IS A CHANCE FOR GALES TO RETURN TO TEHUANTEPEC THU NIGHT AS A  
NEW FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVES SOUTHWARD INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO.  
   
..INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE/MONSOON TROUGH  
 
THE MONSOON TROUGH AXIS EXTENDS FROM 09N74W TO 08.5N84W TO  
04.5N92W. THE ITCZ THEN CONTINUES FROM 04.5N92W TO 05.5N110W TO  
BEYOND 06.5N140W. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS OCCURRING  
FROM 07N TO 12N WEST OF 132W.  
   
..OFFSHORE WATERS WITHIN 250 NM OF MEXICO  
 
PLEASE REFER TO THE SPECIAL FEATURES SECTION FOR INFORMATION  
REGARDING THE GALE WARNING IN THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC.  
 
A WEAK AND ILL DEFINED COLD FRONT IS MOVING INTO THE BAJA NORTE  
WATERS TONIGHT, AND EXTENDS FROM BAJA NORTE TO NEAR 29N120W. 1030  
MB HIGH PRESSURE BEHIND THE FRONT HAS BEGUN TO BUILD ACROSS THE  
REGIONAL WATERS TONIGHT, LEADING TO A FRESHENING IN WINDS. RECENT  
SATELLITE SCATTEROMETER WINDS SHOWED MODERATE TO LOCALLY FRESH  
NORTHERLY WINDS ACROSS THE BAJA WATERS NORTH OF CABO SAN LAZARO  
BECOMING MODERATE N TO NE WINDS FARTHER SOUTH THROUGH THE  
REVILLAGIGEDO ISLANDS. MODERATE TO FRESH NORTHERLY WINDS ARE  
ASSUMED TO BE OCCURRING THROUGH THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PORTIONS  
OF THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA. SEAS IN THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA HAVE  
BUILT TO 3 TO 5 FT. SEAS OF 6 TO 8 FT PREVAIL ACROSS THE WATERS  
FROM PUNTA EUGENIA TO THE REVILLAGIGEDO ISLANDS, WHILE NEW NW  
SWELL ENTERING THE REGIONAL WATERS TONIGHT IS PRODUCING SEAS 8 TO  
10 FT NORTH OF PUNTA EUGENIA. FARTHER SOUTH AND OFFSHORE OF  
SOUTHWESTERN MEXICO, LIGHT TO GENTLE WINDS AND MODERATE SEAS  
PREVAIL.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, AWAY FROM GALE FORCE WINDS IN THE GULF OF  
TEHUANTEPEC, THE APPROACHING FRONT WILL DISSIPATE TODAY AND ALLOW  
HIGH PRESSURE OFFSHORE OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO BUILD MODESTLY  
ACROSS THE WATERS WEST OF CABO CORRIENTES THROUGH MON. A SERIES  
OF COLD FRONTS WILL SWEEP EASTWARD ACROSS THE PACIFIC WATERS TO  
THE NORTH OF THE REGION THROUGHOUT THE UPCOMING WEEK, WHILE  
TROUGHING PREVAILS OVER NORTHWESTERN MEXICO. THE PRESSURE  
GRADIENT BETWEEN THE RIDGE AND THE TROUGH OVER MEXICO WILL TO  
SUPPORT FRESH N-NW WINDS THROUGH THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA TODAY  
THROUGH MON. FRESH WINDS OFFSHORE OF BAJA WILL CONTINUE INTO TUE  
MORNING. LOCALLY STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED SURROUNDING PUNTA  
EUGENIA AND IN THE CENTRAL GULF OF CALIFORNIA SUN AFTERNOON AND  
NIGHT AS THE HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTS SOUTH OF 30N. NW SWELL ENTERING  
THE BAJA NORTE WATERS TONIGHT WILL PROPAGATE SOUTHWARD THROUGH  
LATE MON, PRODUCING SEAS 9 TO 11 FT ACROSS THE BAJA NORTE WATERS  
THROUGH SUN NIGHT, AND BUILDING 7 TO 10 FT ACROSS THE REMAINING  
BAJA WATERS TODAY AND TONIGHT. SEAS WILL SUBSIDE TO LESS THAN 8  
FT BY TUE, BEFORE THE NEXT NW SWELL MOVES INTO THE AREA WATERS  
EARLY WED.  
 
...OFFSHORE WATERS WITHIN 250 NM OF CENTRAL AMERICA, COLOMBIA,  
AND WITHIN 750 NM OF ECUADOR...  
 
FRESH NE WINDS ARE OCCURRING ACROSS THE PAPAGAYO REGION AS A  
STRONG HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE PREVAILS OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED  
STATES AND EXTENDS INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN GULF OF MEXICO. SEAS 6  
TO 7 FT ARE LIKELY IN THIS AREA. MODERATE TO LOCALLY FRESH N  
WINDS ARE OCCURRING ACROSS THE GULF OF PANAMA AND EXTEND  
SOUTHWARDTO 06N. ELSEWHERE NORTH OF THE MONSOON TROUGH, AWAY  
FROM THE PULSING GAP WINDS, GENTLE TO MODERATE N TO NE WINDS AND  
SEAS OF 4 TO 6 FT PREVAIL. SOUTH OF THE MONSOON TROUGH, GENTLE TO  
MODERATE S TO SW WINDS AND MODERATE SEAS OF 4 TO 6 FT ARE NOTED.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, FRESH TO STRONG NE WINDS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS  
THE PAPAGAYO REGION THROUGH THIS MORNING. WINDS WILL THEN  
DIMINISH DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS, BUT PULSE TO FRESH SPEEDS  
EACH NIGHT SUN NIGHT THROUGH AT LEAST THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.  
MODERATE N WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO PULSE TO FRESH IN THE GULF OF  
PANAMA EACH NIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK AS LOW PRESSURE  
PERSISTS NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA. OTHERWISE, GENTLE TO  
MODERATE S TO SW WINDS AND MODERATE SEAS WILL PREVAIL SOUTH OF  
THE MONSOON TROUGH, WITH GENTLE WINDS AND SLIGHT SEAS OCCURRING  
NORTH OF THE TROUGH, AWAY FROM THE GAP WINDS.  
   
..REMAINDER OF THE AREA  
 
A WEAK COLD FRONT CAN BE SEEN IN SATELLITE IMAGERY MOVING INTO  
THE NORTHERN WATERS TONIGHT, EXTENDING FROM BAJA CALIFORNIA  
NORTE TO 29N120W TO 28N127W. 1030 MB HIGH PRESSURE IS NORTH OF  
THE FRONT AND OFFSHORE OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. THE PRESSURE  
GRADIENT SOUTH OF THE FRONT IS PRODUCING GENTLE TO MODERATE NE TO  
E WINDS TO 22N AND W OF 120W, WHERE SEAS ARE 9 TO 12 FT IN NEW  
NW SWELL N OF 26N AND 8 TO 9 FT ELSEWHERE TO 22N. SOUTH OF THE  
RIDGE, BETWEEN 22N AND THE ITCZ, FRESH NE TRADE WINDS PREVAIL W  
OF 120W, WHILE MODERATE N TO NE WINDS ARE BETWEEN 110W AND 120W.  
SEAS THERE ARE 8 TO 10 FT IN NW SWELL, EXCEPT TO AROUND 11 FT W  
OF 132W IN THE AREA OF STRONGEST TRADES. SOUTH OF THE ITCZ,  
MODERATE SE WINDS PREVAIL, WITH SEAS OF 6 TO 8 FT IN MIXED SWELL.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, A MODEST HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL CONTINUE FROM  
THE NE WATERS WEST AND SOUTHWESTWARD THROUGH TUE TO MAINTAIN A  
ZONE OF FRESH TO OCCASIONALLY STRONG TRADE WINDS BETWEEN THE ITCZ  
AND 20N. SEAS OF 8 TO 10 FT WILL GENERALLY PREVAIL ACROSS THE  
TRADE WIND ZONE, EXCEPT TO 11 OR 12 FT W OF 125W IN THE AREA OF  
STRONGEST TRADES. NEW NW SWELL ENTERING THE NORTHERN WATERS  
TONIGHT WILL DOMINATE THE WATERS EAST OF 130W THROUGH MON.  
ANOTHER ROUND OF NW SWELL IS EXPECTED TO ENTER THE NW WATERS MON  
NIGHT AND SPREAD TO THE WATERS E OF 120W BY WED. HIGH PRESSURE  
WILL WEAKEN TUE AND WED, AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING STRONG FRONTAL  
SYSTEM. THIS FRONT IS EXPECTED TO BRING LARGE NW SWELL INTO THE  
NORTHWESTERN WATERS LATE WED, AND STRONG S TO SW WINDS NORTH OF  
25N AND WEST OF 132W WED NIGHT INTO THU. FARTHER EAST, MODERATE  
TRADE WINDS WILL CONTINUE NORTH OF THE ITCZ TO AROUND 15N BETWEEN  
105W AND 120W THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK.  
 
 
STRIPLING  
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