142  
AXNT20 KNHC 291033  
TWDAT  
 
TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION  
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL  
1215 UTC THU JAN 29 2026  
 
TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR NORTH AMERICA, CENTRAL AMERICA  
GULF OF AMERICA, 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  
1000 UTC.  
   
..SPECIAL FEATURES  
 
SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL EVENT: A WEAKENING STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDS  
FROM E CUBA TO THE SE COASTAL WATERS OF NICARAGUA. THIS BOUNDARY,  
ALONG WITH LOW LEVEL ONSHORE FLOW, WILL ALLOW FOR DEEP MOISTURE  
TO PREVAIL IN THE AREA. HEAVY RAINFALL IS EXPECTED THROUGH THU,  
WITH 2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAINFALL POSSIBLE PRIMARILY OVER NORTHERN  
HONDURAS, EASTERN GUATEMALA, AND COASTAL BELIZE, AND ISOLATED 4+  
INCHES POSSIBLE ALONG THE WINDWARD SLOPES AND NEAR THE NORTH COAST  
OF HONDURAS WHERE THE ONSHORE FLOW PERSISTS. MARINE INTERESTS IN  
THE GULF OF HONDURAS SHOULD ALSO BE AWARE AS SCATTERED SHOWERS AND  
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL PREVAIL IN THE AREA THROUGH TODAY.  
PLEASE FOLLOW YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE FOR MORE DETAILS.  
 
GULF OF AMERICA GALE WARNING: ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO  
MOVE OFF THE TEXAS COAST LATE TONIGHT. FRESH TO STRONG NW TO N  
WINDS AND BUILDING SEAS WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT AS IT REACHES FROM  
PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA TO JUST N OF VERACRUZ, MEXICO BY FRI EVENING.  
AN ASSOCIATED COMPLEX AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL RAPIDLY DEEPEN  
FRI THROUGH SAT AS IT MOVES FROM THE SE U.S. INTO THE WESTERN  
ATLANTIC. THIS WILL REINFORCE THE FRONT AS IT MOVES SOUTHEAST OF  
THE GULF BASIN ON SAT, AND USHER IN ANOTHER BLAST OF ARCTIC AIR  
ACROSS THE GULF. THIS WILL SUPPORT WINDS TO GALE-FORCE NEAR  
VERACRUZ EARLY SAT MORNING THROUGH MIDDAY SAT, AND ACROSS THE  
EASTERN GULF SAT THROUGH SAT EVENING. VERY LARGE SEAS ARE EXPECTED  
TO BUILD BEHIND THIS FRONT FRI NIGHT THROUGH SUN, REACHING 15 TO  
18 FT ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE BASIN AND INTO THE WESTERN  
FLORIDA COASTAL WATERS.  
   
..MONSOON TROUGH/ITCZ  
 
THE MONSOON TROUGH ENTERS THE ATLANTIC THROUGH THE COAST OF  
GUINEA NEAR 11N14.5W AND CONTINUES SOUTHWESTWARD TO 04.5N19W. THE  
ITCZ EXTENDS FROM 04.5N19W TO THE COAST OF BRAZIL NEAR 01S47W.  
SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS NOTED FROM 01.5S TO 05N BETWEEN  
19W AND 50W. SCATTERED MODERATE TO STRONG CONVECTION IS NOTED FROM  
01.5S TO 03N E OF 14W.  
 
GULF OF AMERICA...  
 
SEE THE SPECIAL FEATURES SECTION ABOVE FOR INFORMATION ON A GALE  
WARNING FOR THE SW GULF, EXPECTED TO BEGIN IN 48 HOURS.  
 
1028 MB HIGH PRESSURE HAS DRIFTED SOUTHEASTWARD INTO THE NW GULF  
TONIGHT, CENTERED OFFSHORE THE LOUISIANA COAST NEAR 29N92.5W. A  
SURFACE TROUGH IN THE CENTRAL GULF TO NEAR THE YUCATAN COAST, AND  
A COASTAL TROUGH IN THE SW GULF SUPPORT SOME CLOUDINESS IN THE  
BASIN, ALTHOUGH ANY SHOWER ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH THIS  
CONVECTION IS VERY LIGHT. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE HIGH,  
THE CENTRAL GULF TROUGH, AND A LINGERING FRONT IN THE NW CARIBBEAN  
IS PRODUCING MOSTLY FRESH N WINDS ACROSS THE SE GULF AND INTO THE  
NW CARIBBEAN THIS MORNING, WHERE SEAS ARE 4 TO 7 FT, HIGHEST IN  
THE YUCATAN CHANNEL. MODERATE NE WINDS PREVAIL ACROSS THE BAY OF  
CAMPECHE TO THE WEST OF THE COASTAL TROUGH, WITH SEAS OF 4 TO 5  
FT. ELSEWHERE, MODERATE OR LIGHTER WINDS AND SLIGHT TO MODERATE  
SEAS PREVAIL.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, THE FRESH N WINDS ACROSS THE SE GULF WILL  
GRADUALLY DIMINISH THROUGH MORNING, AS THE FRONT IN THE NW  
CARIBBEAN DRIFTS SOUTHWARD. HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE SOUTHERN  
PLAINS WILL SHIFT EAST TODAY AHEAD OF A LOW PRESSURE AREA MOVING  
INTO THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, WITH A TRAILING COLD FRONT  
MOVING OFF THE TEXAS COAST LATE TONIGHT. FRESH TO STRONG NW TO N  
WINDS AND BUILDING SEAS WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT AS IT REACHES FROM  
PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA TO JUST N OF VERACRUZ, MEXICO BY FRI EVENING.  
THE LOW WILL RAPIDLY DEEPEN FRI THROUGH SAT AS IT MOVES INTO THE  
WESTERN ATLANTIC. THIS WILL REINFORCE THE FRONT AS IT MOVES  
SOUTHEAST OF BASIN SAT, AND USHER IN ANOTHER BLAST OF ARCTIC AIR  
ACROSS THE GULF. THIS WILL SUPPORT WINDS TO GALE-FORCE NEAR  
VERACRUZ EARLY SAT MORNING, AND ACROSS THE EASTERN GULF SAT  
THROUGH SAT EVENING, WITH ROUGH TO VERY ROUGH SEAS ACROSS THE  
BASIN. LOOKING AHEAD, WINDS AND SEAS WILL DIMINISH FROM WEST TO  
EAST ACROSS THE GULF SUN THROUGH MON AS HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTS SE  
INTO THE NORTHERN GULF FOLLOWING THE FRONT.  
 
CARIBBEAN SEA...  
 
REFER TO THE SECTION ABOVE FOR DETAILS ON THE SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL  
EVEN EXPECTED OVER THE HONDURAS/NICARAGUA AREA THROUGH THU.  
 
A LINGERING FRONT REMAINS NEARLY STATIONARY FROM THE EAST COAST OF CUBA  
TO THE SE COASTAL WATERS OF NICARAGUA, WHERE IT HAS BEEN DRIFTING  
SOUTHWARD OVERNIGHT. STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS AND LIGHT SHOWERS COVER  
MUCH OF THE NW CARIBBEAN BEHIND THE FRONT. THE TIGHT PRESSURE  
GRADIENT BETWEEN THIS FRONT AND THE RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHERN  
UNITED STATES AND GULF OF AMERICA SUPPORTS FRESH TO STRONG  
NORTHERLY WINDS AND MODERATE TO ROUGH SEAS BEHIND THE BOUNDARY.  
SEAS REMAIN 7 TO 10 FT ACROSS MUCH OF THIS AREA. IN THE SOUTH-  
CENTRAL CARIBBEAN, RECENT SATELLITE SCATTEROMETER DATA CAPTURED  
FRESH TO STRONG NE WINDS S OF 13.5N TO THE COAST OF COLOMBIA.  
SEAS IN THESE WATERS ARE 6-8 FT. ELSEWHERE, MODERATE OR WEAKER  
WINDS AND SLIGHT TO MODERATE SEAS ARE PREVALENT.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, THE AFOREMENTIONED FRONT HAS BEGUN TO DRIFT  
SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN, AS HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS  
THE NW GULF OF AMERICA IS STARTING TO SHIFT EASTWARD. FRESH TO  
STRONG N WINDS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS NW PORTIONS BEHIND THE FRONT  
THROUGH THIS EVENING, AND FORCE IT SLOWLY SOUTHWARD, REACHING E  
CUBA TO NEAR THE NICARAGUA-COSTA RICA BORDER, WHERE IT WILL STALL  
AND BEGIN TO WEAKEN THIS EVENING THROUGH FRI. AN UNUSUALLY STRONG  
COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE NW BASIN SAT MORNING AND MOVE  
SOUTHEASTWARD, MERGING WITH THE OLD LINGERING FRONT FROM E CUBA TO  
WESTERN PANAMA SAT EVENING, FROM EASTERN HISPANIOLA TO THE NW  
COAST OF COLOMBIA SUN EVENING, THEN BEGIN TO STALL FROM EASTERN  
PUERTO RICO TO NW COLOMBIA MON EVENING. STRONG TO NEAR GALE-FORCE  
N WINDS ARE EXPECTED BEHIND THIS FRONT, GENERATING VERY ROUGH SEAS.  
 
ATLANTIC OCEAN...  
 
AN ATLANTIC FRONT IS STATIONARY FROM 31N48W TO 1014 MB LOW  
PRESSURE NEAR 25N67W TO THE EAST COAST OF CUBA. SCATTERED LIGHT TO  
MODERATE SHOWERS ARE EVIDENT ALONG THE FRONT AND E THROUGH NE OF  
THE LOW. MODERATE TO FRESH NORTHERLY WINDS AND SEAS OF 5-8 FT ARE  
OCCURRING BEHIND THE BOUNDARY AND SOUTH OF 27N, EXCEPT SEAS OF 9  
TO 10 FT WITHIN 120 NM N OF THE FRONT DUE TO FRESH WINDS. MODERATE  
TO FRESH SW WINDS AND SEAS OF 8-14 FT IN NW SWELL ARE FOUND NORTH  
OF 27N AND EAST OF THE FRONT TO 35W. NORTH OF THE STALLED FRONT,  
A REINFORCING FRONT IS MOVING SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA, WITH FRESH TO  
LOCALLY STRONG WESTERLY WINDS AND MODERATE TO ROUGH SEAS TO 9 FT  
IN W-NW SWELL OCCURRING NORTH OF 30N AND WEST OF 65W.  
 
THE REMAINDER OF THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC IS DOMINATED BY A 1025 MB  
HIGH PRESSURE NEAR 27N27W THAT EXTENDS WEST-SOUTHWESTWARD TO  
HISPANIOLA. MODERATE TO FRESH EASTERLY WINDS AND MODERATE TO  
LOCALLY VERY ROUGH SEAS IN MIXED N AND E SWELL ARE FOUND SOUTH OF  
24N AND EAST OF 60W. THE STRONGEST WINDS AND HIGHEST SEAS ARE  
FOUND IN THE EASTERN ATLANTIC. LARGE NORTHERLY SWELL SPREADS  
ACROSS THE EASTERN ATLANTIC DUE TO A STRONG LOW PRESSURE WELL  
NORTH OF THE AREA. ROUGH TO VERY ROUGH SEAS OF 12 TO 15 FT ARE  
FOUND NORTH OF 24N AND EAST OF 40W. ELSEWHERE, MODERATE OR WEAKER  
WINDS AND MODERATE SEAS PREVAIL.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST WEST OF 55W, THE AFOREMENTIONED FRONT WILL  
MEANDER ACROSS THIS AREA THROUGH TONIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS  
THE GULF OF AMERICA WILL BUILD EASTWARD INTO THE W ATLANTIC AND  
FRESHEN WINDS BEHIND THE LINGERING FRONT TODAY AND TONIGHT, AND  
NUDGE THE FRONT SOUTHWARD TO NEAR THE ATLANTIC APPROACH TO THE  
WINDWARD PASSAGE. AN UNUSUALLY STRONG COLD FRONT WILL ENTER THE  
WESTERN ATLANTIC WATERS SAT MORNING. ASSOCIATED COMPLEX LOW  
PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO DEEPEN RAPIDLY ACROSS THE NW ATLANTIC SAT  
THROUGH SUN, INDUCING A VERY LARGE AREA OF WESTERLY GALE-FORCE  
WINDS COVERING THE LOCAL WATERS N OF 23.5N, AND THE CENTRAL  
BAHAMAS, SAT THROUGH SUN EVENING, BEFORE LIFTING N OF THE AREA SUN  
NIGHT. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO REACH FROM 31N73W TO EASTERN CUBA  
SAT EVENING, FROM 31N60W TO EASTERN HISPANIOLA SUN EVENING, THEN  
BEGIN TO WEAKEN AND STALL FROM 27N55W TO EASTERN PUERTO RICO MON  
EVENING.  
 
 
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