561  
AXNT20 KNHC 210339  
TWDAT  
 
TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION  
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL  
0615 UTC SAT FEB 21 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 0000 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH  
0335 UTC.  
   
..SPECIAL FEATURES  
 
GULF OF AMERICA GALE WARNING: A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE  
NORTHERN GULF SAT NIGHT AND SHIFT QUICKLY ACROSS THE BASIN THROUGH  
EARLY MON, BRINGING FRESH TO NEAR-GALE NORTHERLY WINDS AND ROUGH  
SEAS. GALE-FORCE WINDS AND VERY ROUGH SEAS ARE LIKELY OFFSHORE OF  
TAMPICO AND VERACRUZ SUN AND SUN NIGHT. WINDS AND SEAS SHOULD  
GRADUALLY SUBSIDE FROM NW TO SE MON THROUGH TUE IN THE WAKE OF THE  
FRONT.  
 
PLEASE READ THE LATEST NWS HIGH SEAS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL  
HURRICANE CENTER AT WEBSITE:  
HTTPS://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/TEXT/MIAHSFAT2.SHTML  
   
..MONSOON TROUGH/ITCZ  
 
THE MONSOON TROUGH REMAINS CONFINED TO THE AFRICAN CONTINENT. THE  
ITCZ EXTENDS FROM 05N14W TO 01S30W AND TO 01S47W. A FEW SHOWERS  
ARE NOTED NEAR THE ITCZ.  
   
..GULF OF AMERICA  
 
GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN AND SW GULF. PLEASE,  
SEE THE SPECIAL FEATURES SECTION FOR MORE INFORMATION.  
 
HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC EXTENDS A RIDGE WESTWARD  
OVER THE GULF REGION. THE TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE  
AFOREMENTIONED RIDGE AND LOWER PRESSURES IN WESTERN YUCATAN  
SUPPORT FRESH TO STRONG SE WINDS AND SEAS OF 5-8 FT SOUTH OF 26N  
AND BETWEEN 87W AND 91W, JUST NORTH OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA.  
ELSEWHERE, MODERATE OR WEAKER WINDS AND SLIGHT TO MODERATE SEAS  
PREVAIL.  
 
THE SOUTHERLY WIND FLOW IN THE WESTERN GULF WATERS IS LIFTING  
SMOKE FROM AGRICULTURAL FIRES IN SE MEXICO NORTHWARD, PRODUCING  
HAZY SKIES W OF 92W. IN ADDITION, THE WARMER SOUTHERLY WIND FLOW,  
MOVING ACROSS THE COOLER COASTAL WATERS WILL ALSO CAUSE THE  
DEVELOPMENT OF AREAS OF DENSE FOG WITH LOW VISIBILITIES, FROM THE  
NE MEXICAN COAST TO SE LOUISIANA TONIGHT INTO SAT MORNING. DENSE  
FOG ADVISORIES ARE ALREADY IN EFFECT FOR THESE COASTAL WATERS.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, AN ATLANTIC RIDGE EXTENDING WESTWARD ALONG 27N INTO  
THE CENTRAL GULF WILL MAINTAIN MODERATE TO LOCALLY FRESH SOUTHERLY  
WINDS AND MODERATE SEAS AT THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN GULF THROUGH  
SAT EVENING. LOCALLY STRONG E TO SE WINDS WILL PULSE NORTH OF THE  
YUCATAN PENINSULA, EACH AFTERNOON AND NIGHT AS A TROUGH DEVELOPS  
DAILY OVER THE REGION.  
   
..CARIBBEAN SEA  
 
 
AN EXPANSIVE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE LOCATED NORTH OF THE ISLANDS  
SUPPORTS STRONG TO NEAR GALE-FORCE EASTERLY WINDS AND ROUGH SEAS  
IN THE SOUTH-CENTRAL CARIBBEAN. A PARTIAL SCATTEROMETER SATELLITE  
PASS CAPTURED PEAK WINDS TO 30 KT IN THE GULF OF VENEZUELA. FRESH  
TO STRONG E-SE WINDS AND SEAS OF 5-7 FT ARE FOUND IN THE GULF OF  
HONDURAS. MODERATE TO FRESH EASTERLY WINDS AND MODERATE SEAS ARE  
OCCURRING IN THE NORTH-CENTRAL AND EASTERN CARIBBEAN AND MUCH OF  
THE NW CARIBBEAN. LIGHT TO GENTLE WINDS AND SLIGHT SEAS ARE  
EVIDENT IN THE LEE OF CUBA AND BETWEEN CUBA AND JAMAICA. SHALLOW  
MOISTURE EMBEDDED IN THE TRADE WIND FLOW IS NOTED ACROSS THE  
BASIN.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN AN ATLANTIC RIDGE  
ALONG 27N AND THE COLOMBIAN LOW, WILL SUPPORT FRESH TO STRONG  
TRADE WINDS IN THE EASTERN GULF OF HONDURAS THROUGH SAT NIGHT, AND  
ACROSS THE SOUTH-CENTRAL CARIBBEAN THROUGH SUN. THESE WINDS WILL  
REACH NEAR- GALE FORCE EACH NIGHT OFFSHORE OF COLOMBIA. MODERATE  
TO OCCASIONALLY FRESH TRADE WINDS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE REST OF THE  
CARIBBEAN THROUGH SUN NIGHT. FARTHER EAST, ROUGH SEAS WILL LINGER  
E OF THE LESSER ANTILLES THROUGH SAT NIGHT AS N SWELL PROGRESSES  
ACROSS THE CENTRAL TROPICAL ATLANTIC. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL  
MOVE THROUGH THE GULF OF AMERICA THIS WEEKEND AND ENTER THE  
NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN EARLY MON, REACHING FROM NEAR HAITI TO NEAR  
THE NICARAGUA-COSTA RICA BORDER TUE MORNING. EXPECT STRONG N  
WINDS AND RAPIDLY BUILDING SEAS BEHIND THIS FRONT.  
   
..ATLANTIC OCEAN  
 
HIGH PRESSURE DOMINATES THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC, SUPPORTING MODERATE  
TO LOCALLY FRESH WESTERLY WINDS AND SEAS OF 5-10 FT NORTH OF 28N  
AND WEST OF 45W. MODERATE TO LOCALLY FRESH EASTERLY WINDS AND  
SEAS OF 6-8 FT ARE NOTED SOUTH OF 20N AND WEST OF 30W. DECAYING NW  
SWELL IS PRODUCING ROUGH SEAS NORTH OF 20N AND EAST OF 35W. IN  
THE FAR EASTERN ATLANTIC, MODERATE TO FRESH NE WINDS AND ROUGH  
SEAS ARE OCCURRING NORTH OF 20N AND EAST OF 25W. ELSEWHERE,  
MODERATE OR WEAKER WINDS AND MODERATE SEAS ARE PREVALENT.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST WEST OF 55W, A NARROW RIDGE EXTENDS FROM THE  
CENTRAL ATLANTIC ALONG 27N TO THE NW BAHAMAS THIS EVENING, AND  
WILL SHIFT SLOWLY EASTWARD THROUGH THE WEEKEND, PRODUCING MODERATE  
TO LOCALLY FRESH S TO SW WINDS OFFSHORE OF NORTHERN FLORIDA  
TONIGHT THROUGH SAT EVENING. MODERATE OR WEAKER WINDS ARE EXPECTED  
ELSEWHERE THROUGH SAT. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL PUSH OFFSHORE OF  
THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S. ON SUN, WITH STRONG TO NEAR-GALE NW WINDS  
AND RAPIDLY BUILDING SEAS BEHIND THE FRONT THROUGH EARLY NEXT  
WEEK. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO REACH FROM NEAR BERMUDA TO CENTRAL  
CUBA MON MORNING, AND FROM 31N60W TO THE NW COAST OF THE DOMINICAN  
REPUBLIC TUE MORNING, WHILE WEAKENING. THE FRONT WILL STALL AND  
WEAKEN QUICKLY FROM 30N55W TO THE CENTRAL DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ON  
WED.  
 
 
DELGADO  
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