612  
FXCA20 KWBC 301358  
PMDCA  
 
TROPICAL DISCUSSION - INTERNATIONAL DESKS  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
958 AM EDT THU MAY 30 2024  
 
WEEKLY DISCUSSION FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE USVI MAY 30/12UTC:  
 
A RELATIVELY RAINY PATTERN IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS  
OVER PR/USVI...ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT PARTICULARLY UNCOMMON FOR THIS  
TIME OF YEAR. THAT BEING SAID...THE AVAILABLE MOISTURE IS FORECAST  
TO REMAIN SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL INTO NEXT WEEK...WITH THE GFS  
MODEL SUGGESTING NEARLY 2 STANDARD DEVIATIONS HIGHER THAN NORMAL  
BY TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. CONSIDERING THE OVERALL SYNOPTIC PATTERN  
OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS...THE RAINFALL PATTERN OVER PR/USVI  
WOULD BE FAIRLY TYPICAL...HAVING THE NORTHWESTERN QUADRANT OF PR  
FAVORED TO RECEIVE THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS OF RAIN EACH DAY WITH  
AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...WHILE THE REST OF PR WOULD  
HAVE MORE INSTANCES OF BRIEF SHOWERS AND MORE ISOLATED  
THUNDERSTORMS. THE USVI ARE EXPECTED TO OBSERVE SCATTERED SHOWERS  
OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. THE EGDI ALGORITHM DOES INDICATE THE  
POSSIBILITY OF THE AFOREMENTIONED PATTERN...BUT IT DOES INDICATE A  
RATHER AGGRESSIVE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL FOR NEXT TUESDAY THROUGH  
THURSDAY FOR PR/USVI...THOUGH CONFIDENCE WOULD BE LOW CONSIDERING  
HOW FAR IT IS IN THE FORECAST PERIOD.  
 
IN TERMS OF THE SYNOPTIC PATTERN...THERE IS A SFC LOW ACROSS THE  
NORTHERN CENTRAL ATLANTIC...THAT HAS AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT TO  
THE SOUTH OF THE LOW...AND A SFC TROUGH THAT EXTENDS INTO THE  
NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN NEAR PR/USVI TODAY. THERE IS ALSO A TROPICAL  
WAVE EAST OF THE WINDWARD ISLANDS THAT WILL MOVE WEST OVER THE  
NEXT FEW DAYS...BUT THE BULK OF THE MOISTURE WILL REMAIN TO THE  
SOUTH OF THE LOCAL ISLANDS. HOWEVER...THERE IS ANOTHER TROPICAL  
WAVE THAT COULD APPROACH PR/USVI ON SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...WHICH  
WILL CAUSE AN INCREASE IN MOISTURE OVER THE ISLANDS. FROM TUESDAY  
INTO WEDNESDAY...ANOTHER SFC LOW DEVELOPS AND MOVES INTO THE WEST  
CENTRAL ATLANTIC...WHICH WILL CAUSE SOUTHEASTERLY TO SOUTHERLY  
FLOW OVER THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN...MAINTAINING THE ABOVE NORMAL  
MOISTURE OVER THE LOCAL ISLANDS.  
 
THERE IS A MID LEVEL TROUGH ACROSS THE BAHAMAS INTO THE  
NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN...AND A MID LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE  
EASTERN CARIBBEAN. BY THIS WEEKEND...A WEAK MID LEVEL LOW COULD  
DEVELOP ACROSS THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN...BUT THE MID LEVEL HIGH WILL  
PERSIST OVER THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THAT  
SAID...BY MONDAY...THE MID LEVEL LOW AND ASSOCIATED TROUGH IS  
FORECAST TO AMPLIFY ACROSS THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN...WITH ITS AXIS  
BETWEEN HAITI AND CUBA AND THE MID LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE  
EAST OF THE LEEWARDS. THE UPPER LEVELS ARE NOT TOO DIFFERENT...BUT  
WITH A MORE BROAD NATURE. ZONAL WESTERLY WINDS WOULD BE EXPECTED  
ACROSS THE NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN THROUGH THE WEEKEND...THEN AN UPPER  
TROUGH MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL TO NORTHEASTERN CARIBBEAN BY THE  
UPCOMING WORKWEEK INTO THE MIDWEEK.  
 
OVERALL...THIS SYNOPTIC PATTERN WOULD CAUSE THE RAINFALL PATTERN  
DESCRIBED ABOVE OVER PR/USVI. HOWEVER...THE SAME SYNOPTIC PATTERN  
IS POSES THE THREAT OF SIGNIFICANT RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS  
HISPANIOLA EARLY NEXT WEEK. THEREFORE...IT IS WORTH MENTIONING  
THAT A SLIGHT SHIFT TO THE EAST OF THESE TROUGHS COMPARED TO WHAT  
THE MODEL GUIDANCE IS SUGGESTING COULD MEAN A MORE SIGNIFICANT  
RAINFALL EVENT OVER PORTIONS OF PR. IN ADDITION...THE GLOBAL MODEL  
GUIDANCE IS NOT IN GREAT AGREEMENT FOR THE OVERALL SYNOPTIC  
FEATURES BY LATE THIS WEEKEND AND BEYOND. FOR THAT  
REASON...CONFIDENCE IS LOW FOR THE FORECAST VALID IN THE UPCOMING  
WORKWEEK.  
 
ALAMO...WPC (USA)  
 

 
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab HPC Page Main Text Page