601  
AXPZ20 KNHC 170745  
TWDEP  
 
TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION  
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL  
1005 UTC MON AUG 17 2026  
 
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 0600 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH  
0720 UTC.  
   
..SPECIAL FEATURES
 
 
HEAVY RAINFALL IN PANAMA AND COLOMBIA: A TROPICAL WAVE, CURRENTLY  
ANALYZED NEAR 77W, IS CROSSING PANAMA WILL INTERACTING WITH THE  
MONSOON TROUGH AND COMBINING WITH ENHANCED DIVERGENCE ALOFT TO  
INDUCE THUNDERSTORMS, PARTICULARLY OVER THE DARIEN REGION OF  
PANAMA AND THE CHOCO-COLOMBIA. HEAVY RAINFALL FROM THESE  
THUNDERSTORMS MAY LEAD TO FLOODING.  
   
..TROPICAL WAVES
 
 
THE AXIS OF A TROPICAL WAVE IS ALONG 77W FROM 02N NEAR THE BORDER  
OF ECUADOR AND COLOMBIA NORTHWARD TO ACROSS EASTERN PANAMA NEAR  
THE BORDER WITH COLOMBIA, AND CONTINUING INTO THE CARIBBEAN SEA,  
MOVING WESTWARD AROUND 20 KT. REFER TO THE SPECIAL FEATURES  
SECTION BELOW FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS INCLUDING HEAVY RAINFALL.  
 
THE AXIS OF A TROPICAL WAVE IS ALONG 97.5W FROM JUST OFFSHORE  
OAXACA SOUTHWARD TO THE EQUATOR, MOVING QUICKLY WESTWARD AROUND  
25 KT. NEARBY CONVECTION IS DISCUSSED IN THE ITCZ/MONSOON TROUGH  
SECTION BELOW. AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE COULD FORM SEVERAL  
HUNDRED NAUTICAL MILES SOUTH OF THE COAST OF SOUTHERN MEXICO  
AROUND THE MIDDLE PART OF THE WEEK.  
 
THE AXIS OF A TROPICAL WAVE IS NEAR 123W FROM 17N SOUTHWARD,  
MOVING WESTWARD AROUND 20 KT. NEARBY CONVECTION IS DISCUSSED IN  
THE ITCZ/MONSOON TROUGH SECTION BELOW. A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE  
COULD FORM WELL TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS DURING  
THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEK.  
   
..INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE/MONSOON TROUGH
 
 
THE MONSOON TROUGH EXTENDS FROM 1007 MB LOW PRESSURE NEAR THE  
COAST OF NORTHERN COLOMBIA AT 10.5N73.5W TO ACROSS THE BORDER OF  
COSTA RICA AND NICARAGUA TO THE GULF OF PAPAGAYO AT 11N84.5W TO  
07N102W. THE ITCZ EXTENDS FROM 07N102W TO 08N122W, THEN RESUMES  
WEST OF A TROPICAL WAVE FROM 07N124W TO BEYOND 05N140W. SCATTERED  
TO NUMEROUS MODERATE AND ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTION IS NOTED  
FROM 02N TO 14N BETWEEN 77W AND 106W, AND FROM 05N TO 13N BETWEEN  
115W AND 131W.  
   
..OFFSHORE WATERS WITHIN 250 NM OF MEXICO
 
 
SEE TROPICAL WAVES SECTION ABOVE FOR INFORMATION ON A TROPICAL  
WAVE THAT HAS A POTENTIAL FOR TROPICAL DEVELOPMENT OFFSHORE  
SOUTHERN MEXICO LATER THIS WEEK.  
 
STRONG TO NEAR GALE NORTH GAP WINDS ARE OVER THE GULF OF  
TEHUANTEPEC AS CONFIRMED BY A RECENT ASCAT SCATTEROMETER PASS.  
FRESH NORTHWEST WINDS ARE NEAR THE PACIFIC COAST OF BAJA  
CALIFORNIA, LOCALLY STRONG NEAR AND NORTH OF PUNTA EUGENIA, ALSO  
CONFIRMED BY ASCAT. ELSEWHERE, WINDS ARE MODERATE OR WEAKER.  
SEAS ARE 7 TO 10 FT OVER THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC, 4 TO 6 FT OVER  
THE REMAINING OPEN PACIFIC OFFSHORE WATERS, EXCEPT TO 7 FT NEAR  
PUNTA EUGENIA, AND 1 TO 3 FT OVER THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA. A  
CLUSTER OF SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS IS PROPAGATING  
FROM PORTIONS OF NW MEXICO INTO THE SOUTHERN GULF OF CALIFORNIA  
BRINGING GUSTY WINDS AND SQUALLY WEATHER INCLUDING LOCALLY HIGHER  
SEAS.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE  
OVER THE GULF OF AMERICA AND RELATIVELY LOWER PRESSURE SOUTH OF  
MEXICO WILL CONTINUE TO INDUCE PULSES OF STRONG NORTH WINDS OVER  
THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC THROUGH WED NIGHT, WITH MODERATE TO  
FRESH PULSES THEREAFTER. WINDS WILL REACH REACH NEAR GALE FORCE  
AT TIMES EARLY THIS MORNING, TONIGHT AND TUE NIGHT, WHILE  
RESULTANT ROUGH SEAS ARE ALSO EXPECTED. FRESH NORTHWEST WINDS ARE  
FORECAST OFF OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA THROUGH TUE NIGHT,  
WITH WINDS REACHING STRONG SPEEDS NEAR PUNTA EUGENIA THROUGH THIS  
EVENING. MEANWHILE, A SURGE OF STRONG SE WINDS MAY MOVE FROM  
NEAR CABO CORRIENTES UP ACROSS THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA TONIGHT  
INTO EARLY TUE, LIKELY ASSOCIATED WITH ANOTHER DEVELOPING  
COMPLEX OF CONVECTION.  
 
...OFFSHORE WATERS WITHIN 250 NM OF CENTRAL AMERICA, COLOMBIA,  
AND WITHIN 750 NM OF ECUADOR...  
 
SEE SPECIAL FEATURES SECTION ABOVE FOR INFORMATION ON HEAVY  
RAINFALL THAT MAY CAUSE FLOODING OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS IN  
PORTIONS OF COLOMBIA AND PANAMA.  
 
FRESH TO STRONG NORTHEAST TO EAST GAP WINDS ARE OVER THE  
GULF OF PAPAGAYO REGION, WITH MODERATE TO FRESH WINDS EXTENDING  
WELL AWAY FROM THE GULF TO NEAR 09N95W WHERE LOCALLY ROUGH SEAS  
EXIST. ELSEWHERE, WINDS ARE MODERATE OR WEAKER NORTH OF THE  
MONSOON TROUGH, AND MODERATE TO FRESH SOUTH OF THE MONSOON  
TROUGH. SEAS ARE 4 TO 7 FT IN LONG-PERIOD SOUTHWEST SWELL OVER  
THE REMAINDER OF FORECAST WATERS, EXCEPT TO 8 FT SOUTHWEST OF  
THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS. THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRESENT NEAR THE MONSOON  
TROUGH AS DESCRIBED ABOVE ACROSS MUCH OF THE OFFSHORE WATERS,  
WITH LOCALLY HIGHER WINDS AND SEAS POSSIBLE NEAR ANY CONVECTION.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE  
OVER THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN AND RELATIVELY LOWER PRESSURE OVER  
CENTRAL AMERICA WILL LEAD TO FRESH NORTHEAST TO EAST GAP WINDS  
OVER PAPAGAYO REGION, LOCALLY STRONG TO NEAR GALE-FORCE AT TIMES  
WITH OCCASSIONALLY AND LOCALLY ROUGH SEAS AS A RESULT. MODERATE  
TO FRESH WINDS WILL EXTEND AWAY FROM THIS AREA ACROSS THE FAR  
OFFSHORE WATERS OF EL SALVADOR AND GUATEMALA MIDWEEK. MODERATE TO  
FRESH SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL PULSE SOUTH OF THE MONSOON TROUGH  
INTO TONIGHT BEFORE WEAKENING. LARGE SOUTHERLY SWELL WILL IMPACT  
WATERS MAINLY FROM ECUADOR TO THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS THROUGH THE  
NEXT SEVERAL DAYS, LARGEST EXPECTED LATER TODAY THROUGH WED.  
   
..REMAINDER OF THE AREA
 
 
THE REMNANTS OF HERNAN AND ASSOCIATED WINDS AND SEAS HAVE MOVED  
COMPLETELY WEST OF 140W IN THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS. A SURFACE  
TROUGH IS OVER THE NORTHWEST WATERS, ANALYZED FROM 23.5N130W TO  
18N140W, WITH MODERATE TO FRESH WINDS FROM 17N TO 24N TO THE WEST  
OF 130W AND THE TROUGH AS CAPTURED BY VERY RECENT ASCAT  
SCATTEROMETER DATA. ASSOCIATED SCATTERED MODERATE ISOLATED STRONG  
CONVECTION IS FOUND ON CONVENTIONAL INFRARED SATELLITE IMAGERY  
FROM 23.5N TO 28N BETWEEN 125W AND 134W. SOME MODERATE TO FRESH  
WINDS ARE ALSO NOTED FROM 09N TO 24N BETWEEN 117W AND 130W NEAR  
A TROPICAL WAVE DESCRIBED ABOVE. MODERATE TO FRESH SE TO S WINDS  
ARE FOUND SOUTH OF THE MONSOON TROUGH TO THE EAST OF 126W, WHERE  
SEAS ARE 7 TO 9 FT IN MIXED SE AND SW SWELLS. WINDS ARE MODERATE  
OR WEAKER ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE OPEN WATERS, ALONG WITH  
SEAS OF 4 TO 7 FT. VERY ACTIVE CONVECTION IS PRESENT ALONG THE  
MONSOON TROUGH AND ITCZ AS DESCRIBED ABOVE, POSSIBLY LEADING TO  
LOCALLY HIGHER WINDS AND SEAS.  
 
FOR THE FORECAST, AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE COULD FORM SEVERAL  
HUNDRED NAUTICAL MILES SOUTH OF THE COAST OF SOUTHERN MEXICO  
AROUND THE MIDDLE PART OF THE WEEK, ASSOCIATED WITH A TROPICAL  
WAVE CURRENTLY ANALYZED NEAR 77W. GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT OF THIS  
SYSTEM IS POSSIBLE THEREAFTER, AND A TROPICAL DEPRESSION COULD  
DEVELOP TOWARDS THE END OF THE WEEK OR NEXT WEEKEND AS THE SYSTEM  
MOVES WEST- NORTHWESTWARD WHILE STAYING SOUTH OF MEXICO. IN  
ADDITION, A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE COULD FORM WELL TO THE  
SOUTHEAST OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE  
WEEK, ASSOCIATED WITH A TROPICAL WAVE CURRENTLY ANALYZED NEAR  
124W. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS APPEAR CONDUCIVE FOR GRADUAL  
DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SYSTEM, AND A TROPICAL DEPRESSION COULD FORM  
TOWARDS THE END OF THE WEEK AND INTO THE WEEKEND AS THE SYSTEM  
MOVES GENERALLY WESTWARD ACROSS THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE EAST  
PACIFIC AND INTO THE CENTRAL PACIFIC. REGARDLESS OF DEVELOPMENT,  
EXPECT SOME INCREASING WINDS AND SEAS WITH THESE AREAS.  
 

 
LEWITSKY  
 
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