234  
AXNT20 KNHC 161549  
TWDAT  
 
TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION  
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL  
1815 UTC THU JUL 16 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 1200 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH  
1530 UTC.  
   
..SPECIAL FEATURE  
 
CARIBBEAN GALE WARNING: A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN HIGH  
PRESSURE NORTH OF THE BASIN AND THE COLOMBIAN LOW WILL SUPPORT  
FRESH TO STRONG NE-E WINDS IN THE SOUTH-CENTRAL CARIBBEAN DURING  
THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. WINDS WILL PULSE TO GALE-FORCE ACROSS THE  
WATERS N OF COLOMBIA EACH NIGHT THROUGH SAT NIGHT. ROUGH TO VERY  
ROUGH SEAS WILL PREVAIL WITH THESE WINDS.  
 
PLEASE READ THE LATEST HIGH SEAS FORECAST  
ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT WEBSITE -  
HTTPS://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/TEXT/MIAHSFAT2.SHTML FOR MORE DETAILS.  
   
..TROPICAL WAVES  
 
AN EASTERN ATLANTIC TROPICAL WAVE IS ANALYZED ALONG 22W, SOUTH OF  
16N, MOVING WESTWARD AT 5-10 KT. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS  
PRESENT FROM 11N TO 13N AND BETWEEN 20W AND 23W AND REMAINS  
DISORGANIZED. SOME SLOW DEVELOPMENT IS POSSIBLE DURING THE NEXT  
COUPLE OF DAYS WHILE THE SYSTEM MOVES GENERALLY WEST-NORTHWESTWARD  
AT ABOUT 10 MPH. BY THIS WEEKEND, THE SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO MOVE  
INTO A LESS CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT, AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENT IS NOT  
EXPECTED. THE DISTURBANCE HAS A LOW CHANCE OF DEVELOPMENT OVER THE  
NEXT 7 DAYS.  
 
AN EASTERN ATLANTIC TROPICAL WAVE IS ALONG 35W, SOUTH OF 18N,  
MOVING WESTWARD AT 15-20 KT. NO SIGNIFICANT CONVECTION IS NOTED  
WITH THIS WAVE AT THIS TIME.  
   
..MONSOON TROUGH/ITCZ  
 
THE MONSOON TROUGH ENTERS THE ATLANTIC THROUGH THE COAST OF  
AFRICA NEAR 21N17W AND CONTINUES SOUTHWESTWARD TO A 1012 MB LOW  
PRES NEAR 11N22W TO 09N33W. THE ITCZ EXTENDS FROM 09N40W TO  
08N60W. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS PRESENT FROM 11N TO 13N  
AND BETWEEN 20W AND 23W  
   
..GULF OF AMERICA  
 
A 1021 MB HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM POSITIONED OVER THE NORTHERN GULF  
NEAR 28N88W. A SURFACE TROUGH IS ANALYZED OVER THE YUCATAN  
PENINSULA. THE PATTERN IS SUPPORTING MODERATE TO FRESH WINDS  
ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL GULF, WHERE SEAS ARE 3-5  
FT. GENTLE TO MODERATE BREEZE ARE NOTED ELSEWHERE OVER THE  
WESTERN GULF, WITH 2-4 FT SEAS. LIGHT TO GENTLE BREEZES ARE NOTED  
OVER THE NORTH- CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST GULF WITH 1-3 FT SEAS. NO  
SIGNIFICANT CONVECTION IS EVIDENT ACROSS THE GULF AT THIS TIME.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, FRESH TO STRONG WINDS WILL PULSE OFFSHORE THE  
YUCATAN PENINSULA EACH NIGHT. GENTLE TO MODERATE WINDS, AND  
SLIGHT TO MODERATE SEAS, WILL PREVAIL ELSEWHERE.  
 
LOOKING AHEAD, AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO FORM THIS  
WEEKEND OVER THE NORTHEASTERN GULF OF AMERICA. SOME GRADUAL  
DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SYSTEM IS POSSIBLE WHILE IT MOVES SLOWLY  
NORTHEASTWARD OVER THE NORTHEASTERN GULF AND NEAR THE COAST OF THE  
SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
   
..CARIBBEAN SEA  
 
A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTH-CENTRAL CARIBBEAN OFFSHORE  
OF COLOMBIA. PLEASE REFER TO THE SPECIAL FEATURES SECTION FOR  
MORE DETAILS.  
 
THE ATLANTIC SUBTROPICAL RIDGE CENTERED NORTH OF THE CARIBBEAN  
FORCES STRONG TO GALE EASTERLY TRADE WINDS ACROSS THE CENTRAL  
CARIBBEAN, WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS OCCURRING OFF COLOMBIA AND IN  
THE GULF OF VENEZUELA. ROUGH TO VERY ROUGH SEAS ARE FOUND IN THESE  
WATERS. FRESH NE WINDS AND MODERATE SEAS ARE NOTED IN THE  
WINDWARD PASSAGE AND GULF OF HONDURAS. MEANWHILE, MODERATE TO  
FRESH EASTERLY WINDS AND MODERATE SEAS ARE PRESENT IN THE EASTERN  
CARIBBEAN. ELSEWHERE, MODERATE OR WEAKER WINDS AND SLIGHT TO  
MODERATE SEAS ARE PREVALENT.  
 
A DIFFLUENT PATTERN ALOFT COMBINED WITH ABUNDANT TROPICAL MOISTURE  
IS GENERATING A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE  
NW CARIBBEAN AND THE YUCATAN PENINSULA, ENTERING THE YUCATAN  
CHANNEL. GUSTY WINDS, FREQUENT LIGHTNING, AND HIGHER SEAS ARE  
LIKELY WITH THIS CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE NORTH OF  
THE BASIN AND THE COLOMBIAN LOW WILL SUPPORT PULSING NE WINDS TO  
GALE-FORCE ACROSS THE WATERS N OF COLOMBIA EACH NIGHT THROUGH  
SAT NIGHT. OTHERWISE, STRONG TO NEAR-GALE TRADE WINDS AND ROUGH  
SEAS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN INTO EARLY NEXT  
WEEK. EAST WINDS WILL PULSE FRESH TO STRONG EACH EVENING IN THE  
GULF OF HONDURAS AND WINDWARD PASSAGE.  
   
..ATLANTIC OCEAN  
 
A BROAD RIDGE EXTENDS ACROSS THE ATLANTIC BASIN NORTH OF 15N,  
ANCHORED BY 1025 MB CENTERED NEAR 30N40W. IN ADDITION TO THE  
TROPICAL WAVES SOUTH OF THE RIDGE, A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDS  
FROM THE LEEWARD ISLANDS TO 21N55W. ANOTHER WEAK TROUGH REACHES  
FROM THE NORTHERN BAHAMAS TO 31N75W. GENTLE TO MODERATE NE TO E  
WINDS AND 3-5 FT SEAS IS NOTED ALONG THE RIDGE AXIS NORTH OF 15N  
AND WEST OF 35W, AND MODERATE TO FRESH NE TO E WINDS AND 4-6 FT  
ARE NOTED ELSEWHERE.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST WEST OF 55W, THE RIDGE WILL REMAIN DOMINANT THROUGH  
THE FORECAST PERIOD. THE WEATHER PATTERN WILL SUPPORT MODERATE  
TO FRESH TRADES SOUTH OF 25N, WITH GENTLE WINDS TO THE NORTH.  
PULSING STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED EACH NIGHT OFFSHORE HISPANIOLA  
AND IN THE WINDWARD PASSAGE.  
 
 
CHRISTENSEN  
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