933  
AXNT20 KNHC 211057  
TWDAT  
 
TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION  
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL  
1215 UTC SAT DEC 21 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 0600 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH  
1030 UTC.  
   
.MONSOON TROUGH/ITCZ  
 
THE MONSOON TROUGH ENTERS THE ATLANTIC NEAR 01N09E AND EXTENDS TO  
02N01W. THE ITCZ CONTINUES FROM 02N01W TO 03N51W. WIDELY  
SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS OBSERVED FROM 03N TO 07N BETWEEN  
24W AND 41W.  
   
..GULF OF MEXICO  
 
A WEAK COLD FRONT EXTENDS ACROSS THE FLORIDA STRAITS THROUGH THE  
YUCATAN CHANNEL INTO THE NORTHERN YUCATAN PENINSULA. A FEW  
SHOWERS ARE SEEN IN THE WESTERN GULF WEST OF 92W. A STRONG RIDGE  
OVER THE NORTHERN US EXTENDS INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO, FORCING  
FRESH TO LOCALLY STRONG N WINDS IN THE NORTHERN GULF WATERS,  
ESPECIALLY NORTH OF 28N. SEAS IN THESE WATERS ARE 4-6 FT.  
ELSEWHERE, MODERATE TO LOCALLY FRESH N WINDS AND MODERATE SEAS ARE  
PREVALENT.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, FRESH TO LOCALLY STRONG N TO NE WINDS WILL  
OCCUR THIS MORNING IN THE WAKE OF A DISSIPATED COLD FRONT NORTH OF  
28N. OTHERWISE, MODERATE TO LOCALLY FRESH N TO NE WINDS WILL  
PREVAIL OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF TODAY IN THE WAKE OF A COLD  
FRONT MOVING INTO THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN. HIGH PRESSURE WILL  
BUILD OVER THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES THIS WEEKEND AND DRIFT SLOWLY  
EASTWARD, AND RIDGING WILL EXTEND INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO,  
RESULTING INTO MODERATE NE TO E WINDS THIS WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK.  
   
..CARIBBEAN SEA  
 
A WEAKENING FRONT EXTENDS FROM CENTRAL CUBA TO NE YUCATAN, BUT NO  
SIGNIFICANT CONVECTION IS NOTED WITH THIS BOUNDARY. FARTHER EAST,  
A SURFACE TROUGH AND DIVERGENCE ALOFT SUPPORT SCATTERED MODERATE  
TO LOCALLY STRONG CONVECTION IN THE NORTH-CENTRAL CARIBBEAN,  
AFFECTING PORTIONS OF HISPANIOLA, PUERTO RICO AND THE US VIRGIN  
ISLANDS. LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OCCUR, RESULTING IN FLASH  
FLOODING. SCATTERED MODERATE TO STRONG CONVECTION IS ALSO NOTED IN  
THE SW CARIBBEAN WATERS, IMPACTING SE NICARAGUA, COSTA RICA AND  
PANAMA. ELSEWHERE, GENERALLY DRY CONDITIONS ARE PRESENT. MODERATE  
TO LOCALLY FRESH NE-E WINDS AND MODERATE SEAS ARE NOTED THROUGH  
THE BASIN. HOWEVER, DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF THE SURFACE TROUGH,  
WEAKER WINDS ARE NOTED IN THE NORTH-CENTRAL CARIBBEAN WATERS.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, MODERATE TO LOCALLY FRESH NE WINDS WILL OCCUR  
ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CARIBBEAN THROUGH SUN AS A SERIES  
OF WEAKENING COLD FRONTS DRIFT SOUTHWARD AND DISSIPATE THIS  
WEEKEND. ELSEWHERE, MODERATE TO LOCALLY FRESH TRADES WILL PREVAIL  
OVER THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN CARIBBEAN. SLIGHT TO MODERATE SEAS  
WILL DOMINATE THE BASIN THIS WEEKEND. LOOKING AHEAD, HIGH PRESSURE  
WILL BUILD OVER THE EASTERN UNITED STATES AND WESTERN ATLANTIC  
EARLY NEXT WEEK IN THE WAKE OF MULTIPLE COLD FRONTS MOVING OFF THE  
EAST COAST. A STRENGTHENING PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THESE  
FEATURES WILL LEAD TO FRESH TO LOCALLY STRONG NE TO E WINDS ACROSS  
MUCH OF THE CARIBBEAN SUN NIGHT THROUGH WED, PARTICULARLY THROUGH  
THE WINDWARD PASSAGE.  
   
..ATLANTIC OCEAN  
 
A COLD FRONT EXTENDS FROM A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OFF NEW ENGLAND TO  
THE NW BAHAMAS AND THE FLORIDA STRAITS. ANOTHER FRONTAL BOUNDARY  
IS ANALYZED AHEAD, EXTENDING FROM NEAR 31N69W TO THE CENTRAL  
BAHAMAS. A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDS FROM 30N67W TO A 1013 MB LOW  
PRESSURE JUST NORTH OF THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS AND CONTINUING  
TO HAITI. DIVERGENCE ALOFT IS SUSTAINING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND  
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS EAST OF THE SURFACE TOUGH TO 57W. FRESH TO  
STRONG W-NW WINDS AND SEAS OF 6-9 FT ARE OCCURRING BEHIND THE  
FRONTAL BOUNDARIES AND NORTH OF THE BAHAMAS. MEANWHILE, FRESH TO  
LOCALLY STRONG SE-S WINDS ARE NOTED BETWEEN 55W AND 63W. SEAS IN  
THE AREA DESCRIBED ARE ALSO 6-9 FT. ELSEWHERE IN THE SW NORTH  
ATLANTIC (WEST OF 55W), MODERATE OR WEAKER WINDS AND MODERATE SEAS  
ARE PREVALENT.  
 
FARTHER EAST, A 1010 MB LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CENTERED NEAR 32N43W  
EXTENDS A STATIONARY FRONT SOUTHWARD FROM A TRIPLE POINT AXIS NEAR  
31N45W TO 17N50W. SCATTERED MODERATE TO ISOLATED STRONG  
CONVECTION IS FOUND AHEAD OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO 30W AND NORTH  
OF 22N. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN A 1041 MB RIDGE JUST NORTH  
OF THE AZORES AND THE AFOREMENTIONED LOW, FRONT AND LOWER  
PRESSURES IN THE DEEP TROPICS RESULT IN FRESH TO STRONG NE-E  
WINDS EAST OF THE FRONT AND NORTH OF 18N. SEAS IN THESE WATERS ARE  
MODERATE TO ROUGH, PEAKING NEAR 10 FT OFF MOROCCO AND 31N37W.  
MARINERS ARE ADVISED THAT GALE-FORCE WINDS ARE LIKELY OCCURRING IN  
ASSOCIATION WITH THE STRONGEST CONVECTION. MODERATE OR WEAKER  
WINDS AND MODERATE SEAS ARE PREVALENT ELSEWHERE.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST W OF 55W, A SERIES OF COLD FRONTS MOVING OFF THE  
SOUTHEASTERN COAST OF THE UNITED STATES WILL PROGRESS SLOWLY  
EASTWARD THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. FRESH TO STRONG NW  
WINDS WILL OCCUR BEHIND THESE FRONTS NORTH OF 27.5N THIS MORNING,  
WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS OCCURRING NORTH OF 29.5N AND WEST OF 72W.  
ROUGH SEAS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE FRONTS WILL SPREAD SOUTH AND  
EAST, WITH SEAS IN EXCESS OF 8 FT OCCURRING NORTH OF 27N. FARTHER  
EAST, RIDGING WILL DRIFT EASTWARD, AND FRESH S TO SE WINDS WILL  
OCCUR THROUGH THIS MORNING ALONG THE PERIPHERY OF THE RIDGE,  
GENERALLY NORTH OF 20N AND EAST OF 65W. SOUTH OF 20N, MODERATE TO  
AT TIMES FRESH TRADES WILL PREVAIL INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.  
LOOKING AHEAD, WIDESPREAD FRESH TO LOCALLY STRONG NE WINDS AND  
ROUGH SEAS WILL REDEVELOP NORTH OF 20N BY EARLY NEXT WEEK AS  
STRONG HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS THE WESTERN ATLANTIC AND INTO  
THE LOCAL REGION, BEHIND A WEAKENING COLD FRONT.  
 
 
ADAMS  
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab TPC Page
Main Text Page