304  
FXCA20 KWBC 031931  
PMDCA  
 
TROPICAL DISCUSSION - INTERNATIONAL DESKS  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
330 PM EDT FRI MAY 03 2024  
 
WEEKLY DISCUSSION FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE USVI MAY 02/12UTC: A WET  
PATTERN IS EXPECTED OVER PR/USVI OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. THERE  
IS A GOOD CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS WEEK INTO THE  
WEEKEND...WITH SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WITH THE POTENTIAL OF  
BEING STRONG. THE OVERALL MOISTURE WILL BE FROM NORMAL TO ABOVE  
NORMAL FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS...WITH THE LATEST GUIDANCE  
SUGGESTING PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES BETWEEN 1.9 TO 2.3 INCHES  
THROUGH THE NEXT 5 TO 7 DAYS...AND PRECIPITABLE WATER AT 2 INCHES  
OR HIGHER STARTING ON FRIDAY EVENING. THE LOW TO MID LEVEL  
RELATIVE HUMIDITY IS ALSO FORECAST TO BE ABOVE NORMAL FROM FRIDAY  
ONWARD. A MID TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS APPROACHING FROM THE  
WEST...AND THE 500MB HEIGHT ANOMALY IS VERY PRONOUNCED OVER  
HISPANIOLA INTO THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN...WHILE IT CAUSES THE 500 MB  
TEMPERATURES TO BE NEAR -7C TO -8C ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY OVER THE  
LOCAL ISLANDS. OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS...THE MID LEVEL TROUGH AXIS  
WILL REMAIN OVER THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN...WHILE THE MID AND UPPER  
LEVEL WINDS STRENGTHEN OVER THE NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN...CAUSING  
STRONG DIVERGENCE ALOFT FROM FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND. THE  
DIVERGENCE ALOFT...COMBINED WITH THE COLDER MID LEVEL TEMPS...AND  
THE INCREASE IN MOISTURE AT ALL LEVELS...WILL CAUSE AN ENHANCED  
CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND. THE EGDI  
ALGORITHM DOES SUGGEST THE POTENTIAL FOR SCATTERED  
THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY FOR FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO  
SATURDAY...THOUGH IT CONTINUES TO SUGGEST POSSIBLE ISOLATED TO  
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS INTO NEXT WEEK AS WELL. THAT SAID...THE  
GR02T ALGORITHM SUGGESTS A MARGINAL RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS  
FROM FRIDAY INTO THIS WEEKEND. THIS IS POSSIBLY DUE TO THE  
POSITIONING OF THE MID LEVEL TROUGH AND THE COLD MID LEVEL  
TEMPS...HOWEVER...THE MODEL GUIDANCE DOES NOT TAKE THE -8C MID  
LEVEL TEMP CONTOUR OVER PR...KEEPING IT TO THE NORTH OF THE LOCAL  
ISLANDS...AND THEREFORE NOT SUGGESTING A HIGHER CHANCE OF SEVERE  
THUNDERSTORMS AND HAIL POTENTIAL...THOUGH ISOLATED STRONG STORMS  
WITH SMALL HAIL WOULD NOT BE RULED OUT AT THIS POINT. THE GR02T  
ALGORITHM DOES NOT SUGGEST POTENTIAL FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS  
AFTER THIS WEEKEND.  
 
AS MENTIONED ABOVE...THE HIGHER THAN NORMAL MOISTURE IS EXPECTED  
TO CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK. THE GLOBAL AND LONG RANGE MODELS ARE  
SUGGESTING A PERSISTENT AND RELATIVELY NARROW LINE OF MOISTURE  
OVER THE NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN...ASSOCIATED WITH A FRONTAL BOUNDARY  
EXTENDING FROM THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC. A SFC HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE  
WEST TROPICAL ATLANTIC WILL ALSO HELP KEEP THE MOISTURE OVER THE  
LEEWARD ISLANDS TO THE WEST INTO HISPANIOLA. THERE IS SOME  
DISCREPANCIES IN THE WIND FLOW OVER THE NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN AMONG  
THE MODEL GUIDANCE IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST...THAT IS FOR NEXT  
TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. THE OVERALL WIND FLOW COULD DICTATE WHERE  
THE HIGHEST RAINFALL AMOUNTS COULD BE EARLY INTO THE MIDDLE OF  
NEXT...BUT BEING THIS FAR INTO THE FORECAST PERIOD...THERE IS  
CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY. THAT BEING SAID...BOTH GLOBAL MODELS ARE  
IN AGREEMENT THAT HIGH MOISTURE CONTENT WILL BE PRESENT OVER THE  
AREA INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...SO SOME SIGNIFICANT SHOWER  
ACTIVITY COULD STILL BE EXPECTED WITH THE DEEP MOISTURE THAT IS  
FORECAST. THE IMPACT OF THE RAINFALL EARLY NEXT WEEK COULD BE  
SIGNIFICANT...THOUGH STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED EARLY  
NEXT WEEK...THE SOILS ACROSS SOME AREAS OF PR/USVI COULD BE  
SATURATED BY THEN...CONSIDERING WHAT IS EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND.  
 
ALAMO...WPC (USA)  
 

 
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab HPC Page Main Text Page