807  
FXCA20 KWBC 221814  
PMDCA  
 
TROPICAL DISCUSSION - INTERNATIONAL DESKS  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
214 PM EDT MON JUL 22 2024  
 
FORECAST BULLETIN 22 JUL 2024 AT 1815 UTC: A RELATIVELY DENSE  
SAHARAN DUST LAYER (SAL) IS AFFECTING PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL  
CARIBBEAN...THE BAHAMAS...AND CENTRAL AMERICA INTO MEXICO TODAY.  
THERE IS ALSO SOME SAHARAN DUST AFFECTING THE NORTHERNMOST  
SECTIONS OF SOUTH AMERICA...MOSTLY AFFECTING NORTHERN VENEZUELA  
AND ADJACENT AREAS OF THE NORTHERN COAST. THE SAL OVER THE  
CARIBBEAN REGION IS EXPECTED TO MOVE WEST NORTHWEST OVER THE NEXT  
FEW DAYS. THIS WILL CAUSE CLEANER AIR TO MOVE INTO THE CARIBBEAN  
REGION OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS...BUT PORTIONS OF THE YUCATAN  
PENINSULA INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO WILL SEE AN INCREASE IN THE SAL  
INTO WEDNESDAY. ANOTHER RELATIVELY DENSE SAL IS MOVING THROUGH THE  
TROPICAL ATLANTIC...AND THIS OTHER PLUME OF SAHARAN DUST WILL  
START REACHING THE LESSER ANTILLES LATE WEDNESDAY. ACCORDING TO  
THE LATEST GUIDANCE...THE CONCENTRATION OF THIS NEXT SAL EVENT  
COULD BE SIMILAR TO THE ONE RECENTLY OBSERVED. THEREFORE...THERE  
IS DRIER THAN NORMAL AIR OVER THE CARIBBEAN...WHICH IS MOVING WEST  
NORTHWEST AND WILL AFFECT PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AMERICA...MAINLY  
FROM NICARAGUA NORTHWARD...INTO THE YUCATAN PENINSULA OVER THE  
NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. THAT BEING SAID...MOISTURE WILL INCREASE  
ACROSS THE SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN BY WEDNESDAY...AND WILL PROPAGATE  
WEST NORTHWEST AS A SFC LOW OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN PULLS  
MOISTURE FROM THE ITCZ. DRIER AIR WILL ALSO MOVE IN TO THE LESSER  
ANTILLES LATE WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY WITH THE NEXT SAL  
EVENT...WHICH WILL MOVE IN WITH A TRADE WIND SURGE BEHIND A  
TROPICAL WAVE.  
 
ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER...THERE IS NO CYCLONE  
ACTIVITY EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 7 DAYS ACROSS THE ATLANTIC BASIN.  
HOWEVER...THERE ARE A COUPLE OF DISTURBANCES IN THE EAST PACIFIC  
THAT THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER IS MONITORING FOR POSSIBLE  
TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION. ONE IS A TROPICAL WAVE AT AROUND 102W  
AND ANOTHER NEAR 114W...BOTH OF WHICH HAVE A LOW CHANCE OF  
TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IN 7 DAYS WITH A PROBABILITY OF 10  
PERCENT AND 30 PERCENT RESPECTIVELY. THE GFS MODEL GUIDANCE  
SUGGESTS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LOW PRESSURE FOR THE WAVE NEAR 114W  
BY WEDNESDAY...BUT THE ECMWF DOES NOT LIKE IT AS MUCH. REGARDLESS  
OF DEVELOPMENT...BOTH OF THESE DISTURBANCES ARE FORECAST TO  
CONTINUE MOVING WEST AND INTO OPEN WATERS.  
 
AT THE SURFACE...A STRONG HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE THE  
ATLANTIC...CAUSING EASTERLY TO SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS ACROSS THE  
ATLANTIC...CARIBBEAN AND INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO. THERE IS ALSO A  
SFC LOW SOUTH OF PANAMA IN THE EAST PACIFIC...WHICH WILL BE  
ABSORBED BY ANOTHER SFC LOW PRESSURE MOVING INTO THE SOUTH  
CARIBBEAN FROM NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA ON TUESDAY. THIS IS CAUSING  
A TIGHTENING OF THE PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN SEA AND  
THEREFORE LOCALLY STRONGER WINDS. THIS SFC LOW WILL MEANDER OVER  
THE AREA FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS...NOT ONLY CAUSING PERSISTENT  
LOCALLY STRONGER WINDS OVER THE CARIBBEAN...BUT ALSO CAUSING  
MOISTURE CONVERGENCE OVER COSTA RICA AND PANAMA.  
 
THE UPPER LEVELS ARE PROVIDING SOME SUPPORT FOR CONVECTION ACROSS  
THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO AND INTO PORTIONS OF MEXICO. THIS IS  
DUE TO AN UPPER LOW OVER NORTHEASTERN MEXICO COMBINING WITH DEEP  
MOISTURE OVER THE AREA. THIS UPPER LOW WILL WEAKEN BY  
TUESDAY...BUT IT WILL BE ABSORBED BY A LARGER UPPER TROUGH  
DOMINATING MOST OF THE CENTRAL U.S. INTO NORTHEASTERN MEXICO.  
THERE IS ANOTHER UPPER LOW...THIS ONE ACROSS THE WESTERN TROPICAL  
ATLANTIC JUST EAST OF THE BAHAMAS...BUT THE AIR IS VERY DRY OVER  
THAT AREA...AND THEREFORE THE CONVECTION IS LIMITED.  
 
THE LOW TO MID LEVEL RELATIVE HUMIDITY ACROSS THE TROPICAL REGION  
SHOWS THAT THE MOISTURE ALONG THE ITCZ INTO MEXICO AND THE GULF OF  
MEXICO WILL PERSIST FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS...WITH THE EXCEPTION OF  
THE DRIER AIR WITH SAHARAN DUST MOVING INTO THE YUCATAN PENINSULA  
BY TUESDAY. THIS DEEPER MOISTURE WILL COMBINE WITH THE  
AFOREMENTIONED UPPER TROUGH ACROSS MEXICO TO CAUSE PERSISTENT  
SHOWER ACTIVITY OVER MANY SECTORS OF CENTRAL TO SOUTHERN MEXICO  
OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. EVEN THOUGH THE SIERRA MADRE OCCIDENTAL IN  
MEXICO IS ON THE CONVERGENT SIDE OF THE UPPER TROUGH...THE LOW  
LEVEL WIND FLOW WILL BE FROM THE EASTERN PACIFIC INTO THE SIERRA  
MADRE OCCIDENTAL...WHICH WILL PROVIDE MOISTURE TO MOVE INLAND AND  
SHOWER ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP DUE TO OROGRAPHIC LIFTING.  
THEREFORE...THE COMBINATION OF FACTORS WILL CAUSE MANY SECTORS IN  
MEXICO TO OBSERVE RAINFALL OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS.  
 
ACROSS CENTRAL AMERICA...THE LOCATIONS WITH MOST PRECIPITATION ARE  
EXPECTED TO BE AREAS IN AND AROUND COSTA RICA AND PANAMA...DUE TO  
THE AFOREMENTIONED SFC LOW PRESSURE AND PERSISTENT DEEP MOISTURE  
OVER THE AREA. NORTHWESTERN COLOMBIA WILL ALSO HAVE SIMILAR  
AMOUNTS OF RAIN OVER THE 3-DAY FORECAST PERIOD. THE GLOBAL MODEL  
GUIDANCE DIFFERS ON THE AMOUNTS OF RAIN...WITH THE GFS BEING MORE  
AGGRESSIVE. HOWEVER...GIVEN THE RECENT SATELLITE IMAGERY AND MODEL  
INITIALIZATION...THE GFS MODEL SEEMS TO HAVE A BETTER HANDLE ON  
THE IMPACTS AND THEREFORE IT WILL NOT BE OUT OF THE REALM OF  
POSSIBILITIES TO HAVE AROUND 50MM OR MORE OF RAIN IN LOCALIZED  
AREAS FOR A 3-DAY RAINFALL TOTAL. ACROSS NORTHERN SOUTH  
AMERICA...ANOTHER SECTOR TO OBSERVE IS THE CENTRAL TO EASTERN  
SECTIONS OF VENEZUELA...WHICH IS EXPECTED TO HAVE A LOCALIZED  
MAXIMUM OF RAIN OVER NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA. ALTHOUGH THE MID TO  
UPPER LEVELS ARE NOT PARTICULARLY PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR  
CONVECTION...THE LOW LEVEL WINDS AND DEEP MOISTURE WILL COMBINE  
WITH THE OROGRAPHIC LIFTING OVER THE AREA TO CAUSE DAILY SHOWERS  
AND THUNDERSTORMS. ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS AND INTO THE  
BAHAMAS...GIVEN THE DRIER THAN NORMAL AIR OVER THE AREA...THE AREA  
IS EXPECTED TO OBSERVE MODEST AMOUNTS OF RAIN. THE GLOBAL MODEL  
GUIDANCE IS SUGGESTING MAX VALUES OF ABOUT 50MM OVER VERY ISOLATED  
AREAS FOR A 3-DAY TOTAL PRECIPITATION TOTALS...BUT MOST AREAS  
COULD OBSERVE A 3-DAY MAX AMOUNT OF AROUND 35-40MM. THIS COULD  
MEAN DAILY MAX VALUES OF UNDER 25MM ACROSS THE ISLANDS THROUGH  
WEDNESDAY. THAT BEING SAID...THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK FOR STRONG  
THUNDERSTORMS AND SQUALLY WEATHER ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN  
CUBA..SOUTHERN BAHAMAS AND THE TURKS AND CAICOS ON WEDNESDAY INTO  
THURSDAY MORNING.  
 
ALAMO...(WPC)  
FERNANDER...(BDM)  
CLARKE...(CINWS)  
 

 
 
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