237  
AXNT20 KNHC 180507  
TWDAT  
 
TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION  
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL  
0615 UTC SAT JAN 18 2025  
 
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 0000 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH  
0505 UTC.  
   
..MONSOON TROUGH/ITCZ  
 
 
THE MONSOON TROUGH ENTERS THE ATLANTIC THROUGH THE COAST OF GUINEA  
NEAR 10N13W AND CONTINUES SOUTHWESTWARD TO 00N25W. THE ITCZ  
EXTENDS FROM 00N25W TO 00N50W. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS  
OBSERVED SOUTH OF 03N AND BETWEEN 31W AND 37W AND ALSO SOUTH OF  
04N AND WEST OF 44W.  
   
..GULF OF MEXICO  
 
A WEAK LOW PRESSURE NEAR THE LOWER KEYS OF FLORIDA CONTINUES TO  
LOSE STRENGTH AND NO DEEP CONVECTION IS NOTED ACROSS THE GULF OF  
MEXICO. HOWEVER, A FEW SHOWERS ARE NOTED OFF THE COASTS OF TEXAS  
AND LOUISIANA. FRESH TO LOCALLY STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE FOUND  
IN THE WESTERN AND NORTHERN GULF WATERS, ESPECIALLY WEST OF A LINE  
FROM PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA, TO VERACRUZ, MEXICO. SEAS IN THESE WATERS  
ARE 4-6 FT. A RECENT SCATTEROMETER SATELLITE PASS ALSO CAPTURED  
FRESH TO LOCALLY STRONG SE WINDS IN THE FLORIDA STRAITS. ELSEWHERE,  
MODERATE OR WEAKER WINDS AND SLIGHT TO MODERATE SEAS PREVAIL.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, FRESH, TO AT TIMES STRONG, SOUTHWEST WINDS OVER THE  
NORTHERN AND WESTERN GULF WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SAT AS A WARM  
FRONT LIFTS NORTHWARD AHEAD OF DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE IN THE  
SOUTH-CENTRAL UNITED STATES. A RATHER SHARP COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED  
WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED LOW IS EXPECTED TO ENTER THE NW GULF SAT  
MORNING, FOLLOWED BY FRESH NORTHWEST TO NORTH WINDS WILL INITIALLY  
FOLLOW THE FRONT. THESE WINDS ARE FORECAST TO INCREASE TO STRONG  
SPEEDS BY EARLY SUN AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS BETWEEN THE  
FRONT AND BUILDING STRONG HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE CENTRAL U.S. NEAR  
GALE TO GALE-FORCE WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE ON SUN OVER THE  
SOUTHWESTERN GULF OFFSHORE OF TAMPICO AND OFFSHORE VERACRUZ. ROUGH  
SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO ACCOMPANY THE WINDS. LOOKING AHEAD, LOW  
PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO FORM OVER THE NW GULF EARLY NEXT WEEK,  
WITH AN ATTENDANT POTENT COLD FRONT. THE LOW WILL TRACK EASTWARD  
THROUGH MID-WEEK DRAGGING THE COLD FRONT ACROSS THE ENTIRE BASIN.  
NEAR GALE TO GALE FORCE NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO  
MOVE INTO MOST OF THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN GULF EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
ROUGH TO VERY ROUGH SEAS ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE WINDS. MARINERS  
ARE URGED TO EXERCISE CAUTION ACROSS THE BASIN, INCLUDING OUTSIDE  
OF THE GALE CONDITION AFFECTED ZONES, DUE TO THE EXPANSIVE AREA OF  
STRONG TO NEAR-GALE FORCE WINDS AND ROUGH SEAS ASSOCIATED WITH  
SUCCESSIVE FRONTAL SYSTEMS.  
   
..CARIBBEAN SEA  
 
POCKETS OF LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE MOVING ACROSS THE EASTERN AND  
CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA RESULT IN A FEW SHOWERS AND ISOLATED  
THUNDERSTORMS, WITH THE STRONGEST CONVECTION OCCURRING NEAR THE  
SAN ANDRES AND PROVIDENCIA ISLANDS AND THE COASTS OF SE NICARAGUA  
AND NE COSTA RICA. A 1026 MB HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM CENTERED BETWEEN  
PUERTO RICO AND BERMUDA FORCES FRESH TO STRONG EASTERLY TRADE  
WINDS OVER MUCH OF THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN CARIBBEAN, INCLUDING  
THE WINDWARD PASSAGE. THIS WAS CAPTURED BY RECENT SATELLITE-  
DERIVED WIND DATA. SEAS IN THESE WATERS ARE 5-9 FT. THE STRONGEST  
WINDS AND HIGHEST SEAS ARE FOUND OFF NW COLOMBIA. IN THE  
REMAINDER OF THE BASIN, MODERATE OR WEAKER WINDS AND SLIGHT TO  
MODERATE SEAS ARE PREVALENT.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, WIDESPREAD MODERATE TO FRESH E TO NE WINDS WILL  
PREVAIL ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN, CENTRAL AND EASTERN CARIBBEAN  
THROUGH THIS WEEKEND, WITH LOCALLY STRONG WINDS DEVELOPING EACH  
NIGHT OFFSHORE OF COLOMBIA, THROUGH THE ATLANTIC PASSAGES AND  
DOWNWIND OF HISPANIOLA. LOCALLY ROUGH SEAS ARE EXPECTED NEAR  
STRONG WINDS. LONG-PERIOD EAST SWELL WILL PROMOTE ROUGH SEAS  
THROUGH THE ATLANTIC PASSAGES TONIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT  
WEEK. FRESH TO LOCALLY STRONG EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL DEVELOP  
SAT NIGHT IN THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT  
MOVING SOUTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE GULF OF MEXICO. LOOKING AHEAD,  
FRESH TO STRONG EAST WINDS AND BUILDING SEAS WILL OCCUR OVER MUCH  
OF THE BASIN EARLY NEXT WEEK AHEAD OF THE AFOREMENTIONED COLD  
FRONT APPROACHING THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN.  
   
..ATLANTIC OCEAN  
 
A BROAD RIDGE LOCATED BETWEEN PUERTO RICO AND BERMUDA DOMINATES  
THE SW NORTH ATLANTIC, FORCING MODERATE TO FRESH EASTERLY WINDS  
SOUTH OF 23N AND BETWEEN 55W AND 70W AND SIMILAR STRENGTH BUT SE  
WINDS WEST OF 70W, ESPECIALLY IN THE BAHAMIAN AND OFF NE FLORIDA  
WATERS. SEAS IN THESE WATERS ARE 4-7 FT.  
 
A RECENT SCATTEROMETER SATELLITE PASS CAPTURED FRESH TO STRONG  
WESTERLY WINDS NORTH OF 29N AND BETWEEN 45W AND 63W. SEAS IN THE  
WATERS DESCRIBED ARE 8-12 FT. A COLD FRONT ENTERS THE TROPICAL  
ATLANTIC NEAR 31N34W AND CONTINUES SOUTHWESTWARD TO 24N47W,  
FOLLOWED BY A SHEAR LINE TO THE LEEWARD ISLANDS. MODERATE SW WINDS  
AND SEAS OF 8-10 FT ARE NOTED NORTH OF 27N AND BETWEEN 30W AND  
43W.  
 
THE REST OF THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC IS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A 1031  
MB HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM CENTERED OVER THE IBERIAN PENINSULA. THE  
PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THIS RIDGE AND LOWER PRESSURES IN THE  
DEEP TROPICS RESULT IN FRESH TO LOCALLY STRONG EASTERLY TRADE  
WINDS SOUTH OF 22N. SEAS IN THE AREA DESCRIBED ARE 6-9 FT.  
ELSEWHERE, MODERATE OR WEAKER WINDS AND MODERATE SEAS ARE EVIDENT.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST W OF 55W, ROUGH TO VERY ROUGH SEAS, ASSOCIATED  
WITH A PAIR OF COLD FRONTS IN THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC, WILL PREVAIL  
NORTH OF 20N AND EAST OF 65W TONIGHT, AND ROUGH SEAS WILL BE  
REINFORCED NORTH OF 28N AND EAST OF 75W BY SWELL FROM COMPLEX  
STORM SYSTEMS NORTH OF THE AREA. FRESH TO STRONG WEST TO NORTHWEST  
WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH A TROUGH EXTENDING FROM THE AFOREMENTIONED  
LOWS WILL OCCUR NORTH OF 28N AND EAST OF 72W TONIGHT, WITH WINDS  
EXPANDING FARTHER EAST AS THE SYSTEM TREKS EASTWARD. ELSEWHERE  
SOUTH OF 22N, MODERATE TO FRESH TRADE WINDS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH  
EARLY NEXT WEEK, WITH WINDS PULSING TO STRONG SPEEDS EAST OF THE  
WINDWARD ISLANDS AT TIMES. FRESH TO LOCALLY STRONG SOUTH WINDS AND  
ROUGH SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OFF THE COAST OF FLORIDA AND  
THROUGH THE NORTHERN BAHAMAS LATE TONIGHT AS LOW PRESSURE FORMS  
OFF THE COAST OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES BEFORE THE LOW  
MOVES NORTHEASTWARD THIS WEEKEND. ANOTHER COLD FRONT THAT IS  
EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE NORTHWESTERN WATERS ON SUN WILL PROMOTE  
FRESH TO STRONG SOUTHWEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS AND ROUGH SEAS NORTH  
OF 27N. LOOKING AHEAD, A VERY STRONG COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO  
MOVE OFF THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S. COAST EARLY NEXT WEEK, FOLLOWED BY  
STRONG TO NEAR-GALE FORCE NORTH WINDS AND BUILDING SEAS NORTH OF  
CUBA AND WEST OF 70W.  
 
 
DELGADO  
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