181  
FXCA20 KWBC 141852  
PMDCA  
 
TROPICAL DISCUSSION - INTERNATIONAL DESKS  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
251 PM EDT TUE MAY 14 2024  
 
FORECAST BULLETIN 14 MAY 2024 AT 1845 UTC: THE OVERALL SYNOPTIC  
PATTERN FAVORS ISOLATED TO NO SHOWER ACTIVITY ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN  
FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS...WITH MAINLY LOCAL AND DIURNAL EFFECTS  
ALLOWING RAINFALL DEVELOPMENT OVER THE ISLANDS IN THE CARIBBEAN.  
ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITABLE WATER ACROSS SOUTHERN TO EASTERN MEXICO  
WILL HELP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWER ACTIVITY ACROSS THE  
AREA...BUT THE ACTIVITY WILL BE CYCLICAL ACCORDING TO THE MODEL  
GUIDANCE...MEANING THAT THE MODELS SUGGEST A DIURNAL AND LOCAL  
EFFECT ALSO BEING THE MAIN REASON FOR SHOWER  
DEVELOPMENT...GENERALLY IN THE LATE AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING  
HOURS EACH DAY. THAT BEING SAID...THE MAIN STORY WITH REGARDS TO  
SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL WILL BE ALONG THE ITCZ/MONSOON TROUGH AND HOW  
IT WILL AFFECT NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA AND SOUTHERN CENTRAL  
AMERICA. THE LATEST SATELLITE IMAGERY AS WELL AS THE LATEST MODEL  
GUIDANCE SUGGEST THAT THE MORE PERSISTENT SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL BE  
ALONG THE ITCZ AND IN AREAS OF VERY DEEP MOISTURE ACROSS NORTHERN  
SOUTH AMERICA AND CENTRAL AMERICA. SEVERAL EASTERLY WAVES AND SFC  
TROUGHS WILL ENHANCE THE AMOUNTS OF RAIN ACROSS NORTHERN SOUTH  
AMERICA...WHILE IN THE PACIFIC SIDE...THE ITCZ/MONSOON  
TROUGH...WILL HAVE A STRONG SOUTHERLY COMPONENT...CAUSING THE  
CONVERGENCE ZONE TO BE OVER PANAMA...COSTA RICA...AND NEARBY  
COUNTRIES. THIS CONVERGENCE ZONE WITH THE DEEP MOISTURE OVER THE  
AREA WILL CAUSE PERSISTENT AND SIGNIFICANT SHOWER ACTIVITY OVER  
THE NEXT FEW DAYS.  
 
AT THE SURFACE ACROSS THE REGION...THERE IS A LOW PRESSURE ACROSS  
THE NORTHWESTERN ATLANTIC...WITH A COLD FRONT EXTENDING SOUTH INTO  
THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC...NEAR 25N TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE GREATER  
ANTILLES. THERE IS ALSO A STRONG SFC HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE  
NORTH CENTRAL ATLANTIC. THIS SETUP WOULD CAUSE EASTERLY WINDS  
ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN...THOUGH BECOMING SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE  
WESTERN CARIBBEAN IN TO THE GULF OF MEXICO AS WELL AS OVER THE  
BAHAMAS. A COUPLE OF SFC LOW PRESSURE ACROSS THE EAST CENTRAL TO  
SOUTHEAST USA WILL MOVE EAST OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS...HAVING AN  
ASSOCIATED WARM FRONT ACROSS THE WESTERN ATLANTIC AND A COLD FRONT  
MOVING IN TO THE GULF OF MEXICO AND A STATIONARY FRONT ACROSS  
NORTHEASTERN MEXICO BY WEDNESDAY. THE MID-LEVELS ARE LESS EXCITING  
ACROSS THE TROPICAL REGION...WITH A MID LEVEL RIDGE ACROSS THE  
CENTRAL CARIBBEAN INTO THE BAHAMAS AND A TROUGH WITH AXIS ACROSS  
THE WESTERN TROPICAL ATLANTIC NORTH OF THE NORTHEASTERN CARIBBEAN.  
AS THE TROUGH AND RIDGE MOVE EAST OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...A  
BROAD MID LEVEL TROUGH WILL THEN MOVE INTO THE NORTHERN SECTIONS  
OF THE GULF OF MEXICO AND INTO THE NORTHERN BAHAMAS BY THURSDAY.  
THE UPPER LEVELS SEEM TO BE IN PHASE WITH THE MID LEVELS...ALSO  
HAVING A TROUGH WITH AXIS ACROSS THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC INTO THE  
EASTERN CARIBBEAN...AND A RIDGE OVER THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN NORTH  
IN TO THE BAHAMAS AND THE WESTERN TROPICAL ATLANTIC. THAT  
SAID...THERE IS AN UPPER JET ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST USA WITH A BROAD  
UPPER TROUGH...WHICH WILL MOVE EAST AND CAUSE THE UPPER TROUGH TO  
HAVE ITS AXIS ACROSS THE WESTERN TROPICAL ATLANTIC BY WEDNESDAY  
EVENING. THIS FEATURE MAY BE IMPORTANT AS THE GR02T ALGORITHM  
SUGGESTS A MARGINAL RISK FOR SVR WX ACROSS THE EXTREME NORTHERN  
BAHAMAS TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING AS THE UPPER TROUGH MOVES  
IN...CAUSING STRONG DIVERGENCE ALOFT.  
 
AS MENTIONED ABOVE...THE MAIN CONVECTION AND SHOWER DEVELOPMENT IS  
EXPECTED ALONG THE ITCZ. HOWEVER...ACROSS SOUTHERN CENTRAL  
AMERICA...THE CONVERGENCE OF THE ITCZ WILL MOVE NORTH AND INTO  
COSTA RICA AND PANAMA...TO PRODUCE PERSISTENT SHOWER ACTIVITY OVER  
THE AREA EVERY DAY FOR THE REST OF THE WORKWEEK. WITH THE HIGHEST  
RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS...NEAR 60MM OVER THE PACIFIC COASTAL SIDE  
OF PANAMA AND COSTA RICA TODAY INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING...WHILE THE  
HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THOSE COUNTRIES MAY OBSERVE MAX VALUES  
BETWEEN 60 AND 80MM ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY DURING THE DAY. THE  
CHANCES OF RAIN INCREASE FOR NICARAGUA...SOUTHERN GUATEMALA AND EL  
SALVADOR ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AS MOISTURE INCREASES...THOUGH  
THE RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE GENERALLY UNDER 25MM.  
 
ACROSS MEXICO...THE ONSHORE WIND FLOW ACROSS SOUTHERN AND EASTERN  
MEXICO WILL COINCIDE WITH AN ABOVE NORMAL AMOUNT OF PRECIPITABLE  
WATER. THE MID AND UPPER LEVELS ARE RELATIVELY BENIGN...WITH HIGH  
PRESSURE IN THE MID LEVELS AND ZONAL FLOW IN THE UPPER  
LEVELS...WHICH WILL TRANSLATE TO DAILY RAINFALL ACROSS PORTIONS OF  
SOUTHERN AND EASTERN MEXICO HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY DIURNAL EFFECTS.  
FOR THAT REASON THE LATEST GUIDANCE INSISTS IN RAINFALL DURING THE  
AFTERNOON INTO THE VERY EARLY MORNING. THE DAILY RAINFALL MAX WILL  
BE UP TO 35MM TODAY AND WEDNESDAY ACROSS ISOLATED AREAS...WHILE  
THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY LOOKS A BIT DRIER. THERE IS AN UPPER LEVEL  
JET ACROSS NORTHERN MEXICO...BUT IT IS VERY DRY ACROSS THAT AREA  
AND THE MODEL GUIDANCE DOES NOT SUGGEST RAINFALL OVER THOSE  
SECTORS.  
 
ONE LAST THING TO NOTE...THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER IS  
MONITORING AN AREA OF POSSIBLE TROPICAL CYCLONE DEVELOPMENT ACROSS  
THE EASTERN PACIFIC...TO THE SOUTH OF SOUTHERN MEXICO. AT THIS  
TIME THERE IS CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY...BUT THE OUTLOOK BY THE  
HURRICANE CENTER SAYS THAT AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO  
FORM ALONG A TROUGH SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES TO THE SOUTH OF THE GULF  
OF TEHUANTEPEC...AND THAT SOME GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT IS POSSIBLE AS  
THE LOW MOVES TO THE WEST-NORTHWEST AS IT REMAINS SOUTH OF THE  
COAST OF MEXICO THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. WE WILL CONTINUE TO  
MONITOR THIS AREA AND WILL FOLLOW THE OUTLOOKS AND LATEST  
FORECASTS FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER.  
 
ALAMO...WPC (USA)  
 
 
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