649  
AXPZ20 KNHC 212015  
TWDEP  
 
TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION  
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL  
2205 UTC SAT DEC 21 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 1800 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH  
2000 UTC.  
   
..SPECIAL FEATURES  
 
GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC GALE WARNING: THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN  
HIGH PRESSURE OVER EASTERN MEXICO AND LOW PRESSURE WITHIN THE  
EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC MONSOON TROUGH WILL SUPPORT GALE-FORCE GAP  
WINDS IN THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC THROUGH SUN NIGHT. SEAS DURING  
THE WARNING EVENT WILL PEAK AT 12 TO 14 FT. THE HIGH PRESSURE  
WILL SHIFT EAST BY EARLY MON, WITH THE PRESSURE GRADIENT  
LOOSENING. THIS WILL DIMINISH WINDS BELOW GALE FORCE EARLY MON.  
PLEASE SEE THE LATEST NWS HIGH SEAS AND OFFSHORE WATERS FORECASTS  
ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT WEBSITE:  
HTTPS://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/TEXT/MIAHSFEP2.SHTML AND  
HTTPS://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/MARINE/OFFSHORES_EASTPAC.PHP FOR MORE  
DETAILS.  
 
SIGNIFICANT NW SWELL: A COMPLEX AND POWERFUL LOW PRESSURE NORTH  
OF THE AREA WILL GENERATE SEVERAL ROUNDS OF LARGE NW SWELL THAT  
WILL PROPAGATE INTO THE AREA THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS  
AFTERNOON, SEAS GREATER THAN 12 FT COVER THE WATERS NW OF A LINE  
FROM 30N128W TO 18N140W, WITH SEAS PEAKING IN EXCESS OF 20 FT  
OVER THE FAR NW WATERS. THE ROUGH TO VERY ROUGH SEAS WILL SPREAD  
SE, COVERING THE WATERS FROM WEST OF BAJA CALIFORNIA NEAR PUNTA  
EUGENIA TO 08N133W EARLY MON EVENING WHEN A REINFORCING SET OF NW  
SWELL ARRIVES WITH PEAK SEAS OF 21 FT NEAR 30N140W. NW SWELL  
WILL CONTINUE TO BE REINFORCED INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.  
PLEASE SEE THE LATEST NWS HIGH SEAS FORECAST ISSUED BY THE  
NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT WEBSITE:  
HTTPS://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/TEXT/MIAHSFEP2.SHTML FOR MORE DETAILS.  
   
..INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE/MONSOON TROUGH  
 
THE MONSOON TROUGH EXTENDS FROM 10N85W TO 07N103W. THE ITCZ  
EXTENDS FROM 07N103W TO 08N115W TO BEYOND 07N140W. SCATTERED  
MODERATE CONVECTION IS NOTED FROM 05N TO 09N E OF 81W, AND FROM  
04N TO 07N BETWEEN 92W AND 102W.  
   
..OFFSHORE WATERS WITHIN 250 NM OF MEXICO  
 
PLEASE READ THE SPECIAL FEATURES SECTION FOR INFORMATION ON A  
GALE WARNING IN THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC, AND ON A SIGNIFICANT NW  
SWELL EVENT THAT WILL IMPACT THE WATERS OFFSHORE BAJA  
CALIFORNIA.  
 
ASIDE FROM THE GALE WARNING AREA, HIGH PRESSURE PREVAILS OVER THE  
WATERS WEST OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA. THE PRESSURE  
GRADIENT BETWEEN THIS AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE AND A TROUGH OVER  
MEXICO IS SUPPORTING WITH GENTLE TO MODERATE WINDS ACROSS MUCH OF  
THE FORECAST WATERS. SEAS ARE IN THE 5 TO 7 FT OVER THE OPEN  
WATERS OFF MEXICO, AND 1 TO 3 FT OVER THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, OTHER THAN THE AFOREMENTIONED GALE WARNING IN  
THE TEHUANTEPEC REGION AND SIGNIFICANT NW SWELL, GENTLE TO  
MODERATE MAINLY N WINDS WILL INCREASE SLIGHTLY THIS WEEKEND AS A  
NE PACIFIC HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE BUILDS TOWARD THE REGION, AND  
WINDS WILL PULSE TO MODERATE TO FRESH AT TIMES OFFSHORE BAJA  
CALIFORNIA.  
 
...OFFSHORE WATERS WITHIN 250 NM OF CENTRAL AMERICA, COLOMBIA,  
AND WITHIN 750 NM OF ECUADOR...  
 
THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN A SURFACE RIDGE OVER THE  
NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE EPAC MONSOON TROUGH IS  
SUPPORTING FRESH TO STRONG NE GAP WINDS AND SEAS OF 5 TO 7 FT IN  
THE GULF OF PAPAGAYO REGION. LIGHT TO GENTLE WINDS PREVAIL  
ELSEWHERE N OF THE MONSOON TROUGH, EXCEPT WELL OFFSHORE GUATEMALA  
WHERE MODERATE TO FRESH WINDS ARE DOWNWIND FROM A GULF OF  
TEHUANTEPEC GAP WIND EVENT. SOUTH OF THE MONSOON TROUGH, GENTLE  
TO MODERATE SOUTHERLY WINDS AND 4 TO 6 FT SEAS IN MODERATE S TO  
SW SWELL PREVAIL, MIXED WITH NW SWELL FROM THE GULF OF  
TEHUANTEPEC GAP WIND EVENT.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE  
BUILDING TOWARD THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN AND THE EASTERN NORTH  
PACIFIC MONSOON TROUGH WILL SUPPORT PULSING FRESH TO STRONG NE  
GAP WINDS IN THE PAPAGAYO REGION INTO EARLY WED. GALES IN THE  
TEHUANTEPEC REGION WILL SUPPORT NORTHERLY SWELL AND ROUGH SEAS  
WELL OFFSHORE GUATEMALA THROUGH THE WEEKEND. ELSEWHERE, WINDS  
WILL BE MODERATE OR WEAKER WITH MODERATE SEAS THROUGH EARLY NEXT  
WEEK, PULSING TO MODERATE TO FRESH IN THE GULF OF PANAMA AT  
TIMES. SEAS MAY BUILD MID-WEEK IN NW SWELL.  
   
..REMAINDER OF THE AREA  
 
PLEASE READ THE SPECIAL FEATURES SECTION ABOUT VERY ROUGH SEAS  
EXPECTED OVER NW WATERS THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT  
WEEK.  
 
A FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDS OVER THE FAR NW WATERS FROM 30N132W TO  
28N140W. HIGH PRESSURE OF 1025 MB IS CENTERED NEAR 26N124W. THE  
PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THESE FEATURES IS SUPPORTING MODERATE  
SW WINDS WITHIN 120 NM E OF THE COLD FRONT. LIGHT TO GENTLE WINDS  
ARE IN THE VICINITY OF THE HIGH CENTER. GENTLE TO MODERATE WINDS  
PREVAIL ELSEWHERE N OF 20N. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE  
AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE AND LOWER PRESSURE IN THE VICINITY OF THE  
ITCZ IS SUPPORTING MODERATE TO FRESH WINDS N OF THE ITCZ TO 20N  
AND W OF 118W. S OF THE ITCZ, GENTLE TO MODERATE TRADES PREVAIL.  
ASIDE FROM THE LARGE SWELL DISCUSSED ABOVE, SEAS ARE MAINLY IN  
THE 6-9 FT RANGE.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, OTHER THAN THE NW SWELL AND VERY ROUGH SEAS  
MENTIONED IN THE SPECIAL FEATURES SECTIONS, LITTLE CHANGE IN  
WINDS ARE FORECAST OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS WHILE SEAS OF 8 FT  
OR GREATER WILL COVER MOST OF THE WATERS WEST OF 110W BY EARLY  
NEXT WEEK, AND THEN WEST OF 100W BY MID-WEEK.  
 
 
AL  
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