930  
AXNT20 KNHC 200013  
TWDAT  
 
TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION  
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL  
0015 UTC FRI DEC 20 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  
2230 UTC.  
   
.MONSOON TROUGH/ITCZ  
 
THE MONSOON TROUGH ENTERS THE ATLANTIC NEAR 03N10E AND EXTENDS TO  
04N02W. THE ITCZ CONTINUES FROM 04N02W TO 05N14W TO 00N50W.  
SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS OBSERVED FROM 03N TO 06N BETWEEN  
28W AND 45W.  
   
..GULF OF MEXICO  
 
A COLD FRONT EXTENDS FROM JUST N OF TAMPA BAY TO JUST SOUTH OF  
TAMPICO, MEXICO. A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDS JUST OFFSHORE THE  
MEXICAN COAST FROM S OF TAMPICO MEXICO TO THE CENTRAL BAY OF  
CAMPECHE. NO SIGNIFICANT CONVECTION IS NOTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH  
THESE FEATURES. MAINLY MODERATE NE TO N WINDS ENCOMPASS THE BASIN  
ON BOTH SIDES OF THE COLD FRONT. SEAS ARE 2 TO 5 FT, HIGHEST IN  
THE WESTERN GULF.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, THE AFOREMENTIONED COLD FRONT WILL PROGRESS  
SOUTHEASTWARD TONIGHT BEFORE WEAKENING ON FRI ACROSS THE SOUTHERN  
GULF THEN DISSIPATING ACROSS THE YUCATAN CHANNEL ON SAT. FRESH N  
TO NE WINDS WILL OCCUR ALONG AND BEHIND OF THE FRONT TONIGHT. A  
REINFORCING COLD FRONT WILL ENTER THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO FRI  
EVENING AND PROGRESS SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE WEEKEND BEFORE  
DISSIPATING OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF SUN. FRESH TO LOCALLY  
STRONG N WINDS AND A MODEST INCREASE IN SEAS WILL OCCUR BEHIND  
THIS FRONT FRI NIGHT IN THE NORTHERN GULF. MODERATE NE WINDS WILL  
THEN PREVAIL ACROSS THE BASIN ON SAT. LOOKING AHEAD, HIGH PRESSURE  
BUILDING ACROSS THE BASIN BEHIND THIS SECOND FRONT WILL SHIFT  
SLOWLY EASTWARD ACROSS THE EASTERN UNITED STATES LATE SAT THROUGH  
MON, LEADING TO MODERATE NE TO E WINDS ACROSS MOST OF THE GULF OF  
MEXICO INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
   
..CARIBBEAN SEA  
 
A SURFACE THROUGH THAT EXTENDS FROM BELIZE EASTWARD JUST OFFSHORE  
THE HONDURAS COAST IS INDUCING SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION.  
THE EASTERN EXTENSION OF THE EAST PACIFIC MONSOON TROUGH ALSO  
EXTENDS ACROSS THE SW CARIBBEAN AND IS SUPPORTING SCATTERED  
MODERATE CONVECTION NEAR THE COASTS OF NICARAGUA AND COSTA RICA. A  
TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THESE FEATURES AND HIGH PRESSURE  
IN THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC IS SUPPORTING FRESH E TO NE WINDS FROM  
THE SOUTHWESTERN THROUGH EASTERN CARIBBEAN, WITH LOCALLY STRONG  
ENE WINDS OFF THE COAST OF COLOMBIA AND IN THE GULF OF VENEZUELA.  
GENTLE TO MODERATE NE WINDS ARE OCCURRING IN THE NORTHWESTERN  
BASIN. MODERATE SEAS ARE NOTED ACROSS MUCH OF THE BASIN, WITH THE  
EXCEPTION OF THE NW CARIBBEAN WHERE SEAS OF 2 TO 4 FT ARE NOTED.  
LONG PERIOD NORTHERLY SWELL IS ENTERING THE NE CARIBBEAN THROUGH  
ATLANTIC PASSAGES, LEADING TO LOCALIZED SEAS OF 8 TO 9 FT.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, FRESH TRADE WINDS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE  
EASTERN, CENTRAL AND SOUTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN, AS WELL AS ATLANTIC  
PASSAGES THROUGH FRI MORNING, AS A STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT  
BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE IN THE NORTH CENTRAL ATLANTIC AND THE  
COLOMBIAN LOW PREVAILS. WINDS WILL PULSE TO STRONG SPEEDS OFFSHORE  
OF COLOMBIA AND VENEZUELA TONIGHT. ELSEWHERE, GENTLE TO MODERATE  
NE WINDS ARE EXPECTED IN THE NORTHWESTERN BASIN TONIGHT. HIGH  
PRESSURE BUILDING OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO FRI THROUGH THIS WEEKEND  
WILL LEAD TO GENERALLY MODERATE TO LOCALLY FRESH E TO NE WINDS  
ACROSS THE BASIN THROUGH THE WEEKEND, EXCEPT FOR N TO NE WINDS  
ACROSS NORTHWEST PORTIONS. LOOKING AHEAD, THE HIGH PRESSURE WILL  
SHIFT SLOWLY EASTWARD AND INTO THE WESTERN ATLANTIC EARLY NEXT  
WEEK TO PROMOTE FRESH TO LOCALLY STRONG NE TO E WINDS ACROSS MUCH  
OF THE CARIBBEAN.  
   
..ATLANTIC OCEAN  
 
FRESH EASTERLY TRADEWINDS DOMINATE WATERS S OF 25N, WITH SOME  
STRONG EASTERLY WINDS FROM 20N TO 25N BETWEEN 50W AND 60W  
RESULTING FROM THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE N OF  
THE AREA AND THE LOWER PRESSURE OF THE TROPICS. A MIXTURE OF WIND  
WAVES AND SLOWLY DECAYING NORTHERLY SWELL IS LEADING TO WIDESPREAD  
SEAS OF 5 TO 8 IN THE TRADEWIND BELT, WITH A ZONE OF 8 TO 11 FT  
SEAS IN THE REGION OF STRONG EASTERLIES AS WELL AS ATLANTIC WATERS  
APPROACHING THE ANTILLES W OF 50W.  
 
A 1016 MB LOW PRESSURE CENTER NEAR 31N40W IS INDUCING GALES N OF  
THE AREA, WITH A TRAILING STATIONARY FRONT ALONG 40W TO ABOUT 24N.  
SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS NOTED AHEAD OF THE FRONT TO ABOUT  
30W, WHERE STRONG SE WINDS ARE ALSO OCCURRING. SEAS OF 8 TO 11 FT  
AREA ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM AND EXTEND EASTWARD TO THE CANARY  
ISLANDS. VERY ROUGH SEAS, PEAKING NEAR 14 FT ARE BEING GENERATED  
BY THE GALES TO THE NORTH, AND ARE IMPACTING WATERS N OF 29N  
BETWEEN 40W AND 45W. TO THE WEST, A SURFACE TROUGH, AHEAD OF A  
COLD FRONT WEST OF THE AREA, EXTENDS SOUTHWARD TO THE NW BAHAMAS.  
SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS NOTED WITHIN ABOUT 60 NM EITHER  
SIDE OF THIS TROUGH AXIS.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST W OF 55W, A BROAD FETCH OF FRESH NE TO E WINDS  
WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT NORTH OF 15N AND BETWEEN THE SE BAHAMAS AND  
55W, AS A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT PREVAILS BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE  
IN THE NORTH-CENTRAL ATLANTIC AND THE COLOMBIAN LOW. VERY ROUGH  
SEAS TO 11 FT WILL OCCUR THROUGH EARLY TONIGHT FROM 18N TO 24N  
EAST OF 68W. ROUGH SEAS NORTH OF 15N THIS EVENING WILL BEGIN TO  
SLOWLY SUBSIDE FROM NORTH TO SOUTH LATE TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY SAT.  
SOUTH OF 15N, MODERATE TO LOCALLY FRESH TRADES AND ROUGH SEAS  
WILL DIMINISH TO MODERATE SPEEDS ON FRI. A COLD FRONT WILL STALL  
OFF THE COAST OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES TONIGHT, THEN  
ENTER THE NW ZONES OFF OF FLORIDA ON FRI, AND REACH FROM 31N68W TO  
WESTERN CUBA BY SAT MORNING, THEN WEAKEN FROM 31N59W TO NEAR THE  
WINDWARD PASSAGE SUN MORNING. FRESH TO STRONG W TO NW WINDS WILL  
OCCUR BEHIND THE FRONT N OF 28N. LOOKING AHEAD, WIDESPREAD FRESH  
TO LOCALLY STRONG NE WINDS AND ROUGH SEAS WILL REDEVELOP ACROSS  
AREAS NORTH OF 20N SUN NIGHT THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK AS STRONG  
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS THE REGION BEHIND THE WEAKENING FRONT.  
 
 
KONARIK  
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