205  
FXCA20 KWBC 241935  
PMDCA  
 
TROPICAL DISCUSSION - INTERNATIONAL DESKS  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
334 PM EDT WED JUL 24 2024  
 
FORECAST BULLETIN 24 JUL 2024 AT 1930 UTC: THE RELATIVELY DENSE  
SAHARAN DUST LAYER (SAL) THAT WAS AFFECTING PORTIONS OF THE  
WESTERN CARIBBEAN HAS NOW MOVED WEST NORTHWEST...AND IS MOSTLY  
AFFECTING NOW THE GULF OF MEXICO AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF EASTERN  
COASTAL AND SOUTHERN MEXICO. CLEANER AIR HAS MOVED INTO THE  
CARIBBEAN REGION...BUT ANOTHER RELATIVELY DENSE SAL MOVING THROUGH  
THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC WILL MOVE INTO THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN BY  
TONIGHT. IN TERMS OF AVAILABLE MOISTURE...NORMAL TO BELOW NORMAL  
MOISTURE IS BEING OBSERVED ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN...WITH THE DRIEST  
PATCH OF MOISTURE EXPECTED OVER CENTRAL AMERICA TODAY...ESPECIALLY  
OVER HONDURAS WEST INTO CHIAPAS IN MEXICO AND THE YUCATAN  
PENINSULA...ESSENTIALLY IN AREAS WITH SOME LINGERING SAHARAN DUST.  
HIGHER THAN NORMAL MOISTURE IS NOW BEING OBSERVED ACROSS THE  
CARIBBEAN WATERS...SOUTHERN CENTRAL AMERICA AND NORTHERN SOUTH  
AMERICA. CENTRAL TO NORTHERN MEXICO AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF THE  
GREATER ANTILLES ALSO HAVE ABOVE NORMAL MOISTURE. THAT BEING  
SAID...THE DENSE SAL MOVING INTO THE CARIBBEAN WILL CAUSE DRIER  
AIR TO MOVE IN...AND BY SUNDAY...MOST OF THE EASTERN TO CENTRAL  
CARIBBEAN WILL HAVE BELOW NORMAL MOISTURE AS WELL AS SOME SAHARAN  
DUST.  
 
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 OF THEM HAS A LOW CHANCE OF  
FORMATION...BUT THE OTHER...KNOWN AS EP93 HAS A MEDIUM...OR 50  
PERCENT CHANCE OF TROPICAL CYCLONE FORMATION IN 48 HOURS AND ALSO  
IN 7 DAYS. 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 THE GULF OF MEXICO. THERE IS ALSO A SFC  
LOW OVER SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS...WHICH IS CONTRIBUTING TO THE  
SOUTHEASTERLY TO SOUTHERLY WINDS OVER THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO.  
A SFC LOW OVER THE SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN...JUST NORTH OF PANAMA IS  
CAUSING A TIGHTENING OF THE PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN  
SEA AND THEREFORE LOCALLY STRONGER WINDS OVER THE CARIBBEAN  
WATERS. THIS SFC LOW WILL MEANDER OVER THE SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN 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...ESPECIALLY ON FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY  
WHEN ANOTHER SFC LOW MOVES ACROSS THE EASTERN PACIFIC AND CAUSES  
PLENTY OF MOISTURE CONVERGENCE OVER COSTA RICA AND WESTERN 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 TROUGH OVER CENTRAL US INTO NORTHERN MEXICO  
COMBINING WITH DEEP MOISTURE OVER THE AREA. THERE IS ANOTHER  
UPPER LOW...THIS ONE ACROSS THE WESTERN TROPICAL ATLANTIC JUST  
EAST OF THE BAHAMAS...WHICH WILL CAUSE ENOUGH INSTABILITY TO  
PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF SQUALLY WEATHER ACROSS THE SOUTHERN  
BAHAMAS...TURKS AND CAICOS AND INTO CUBA...BUT THE AIR IS  
RELATIVELY DRY OVER THAT AREA...AND THEREFORE THE COVERAGE AREA  
WITH HIGH AMOUNTS OF RAIN IS EXPECTED TO BE LIMITED. ACCORDING TO  
THE LATEST GUIDANCE...PORTIONS OF EASTERN CUBA COULD OBSERVE OVER  
45-50MM FROM FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS.  
 
ABOVE NORMAL MOISTURE OVER MEXICO WILL COMBINE WITH THE  
AFOREMENTIONED UPPER TROUGH ACROSS NORTHERN MEXICO TO CAUSE  
PERSISTENT SHOWER ACTIVITY OVER MANY SECTORS OF CENTRAL INTO  
NORTHEASTERN MEXICO TODAY. THEN THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL ON THURSDAY  
AND FRIDAY WILL BE MORE CONCENTRATED ACROSS THE CENTRAL PORTIONS  
OF MEXICO. 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...ESPECIALLY ON FRIDAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY.  
THEREFORE...THE COMBINATION OF FACTORS WILL CAUSE MANY SECTORS IN  
MEXICO TO OBSERVE RAINFALL OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS...BUT THE  
CENTRAL PORTIONS ARE FORECAST TO HAVE THE MORE SIGNIFICANT RAIN  
FROM TODAY INTO THE WEEKEND.  
 
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. ONE DAY TO PAY ATTENTION TO IS FRIDAY INTO  
SATURDAY...THE GFS MODEL IS VERY BULLISH WITH ITS RAINFALL  
FORECAST...SUGGESTING UP TO 125MM AND A RISK OF MCS OVER WESTERN  
PANAMA INTO COSTA RICA. THE ECMWF IS NOT AS BULLISH WITH THE  
AMOUNTS...BUT CONSIDERING THE DEEP MOISTURE CONVERGENCE AND THE  
LOCAL TOPOGRAPHY AND THE DIVERGENCE IN THE UPPER LEVELS...HAVING  
ISOLATED AREAS OF OVER 100MM WOULD NOT BE OUT OF THE REALM OF  
POSSIBILITIES. THE CARIBBEAN COAST OF NICARAGUA AND HONDURAS WILL  
HAVE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF RAIN TODAY AS WELL AS THURSDAY...WITH  
MAX VALUES NEAR 20-45MM AS THE SFC LOW MOVES CLOSER TO NICARAGUA.  
THEN EVEN HIGHER AMOUNTS ON FRIDAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY ACROSS  
NICARAGUA.  
 
NORTH CENTRAL COLOMBIA WILL HAVE LOCALIZED AMOUNTS OF RAIN NEAR  
50MM TODAY...WHILE CENTRAL TO NORTHWEST COLOMBIA WILL HAVE UP TO  
50MM ON THURSDAY. FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY...A PASSING TROPICAL WAVE  
AND A SFC TROUGH WILL COMBINE TO CAUSE POSSIBLE MAX RAINFALL  
VALUES OF 40-75MM OVER COLOMBIA. ACROSS OTHER PORTIONS OF NORTHERN  
SOUTH AMERICA...ANOTHER SECTOR TO OBSERVE IS THE CENTRAL TO  
EASTERN SECTIONS OF VENEZUELA. THE MID TO UPPER LEVELS ARE NOT  
CAUSING CONDUCIVE FOR ENHANCED CONVECTIVE SUPPORT...BUT 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...MODEST AMOUNTS  
OF RAIN ARE EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS GIVEN THE RELATIVELY  
DRY AIR. THE GLOBAL MODEL GUIDANCE IS SUGGESTING MAX VALUES OF  
ABOUT 50MM OVER ISOLATED AREAS FOR A 3-DAY TOTAL PRECIPITATION.  
HOWEVER...ISOLATED AREAS OVER HISPANIOLA...CUBA AND SOUTHERN  
BAHAMAS COULD OBSERVE OVER 60MM IN THE 3-DAY PERIOD DUE TO THE  
POSSIBLE STRONG CONVECTION EXPECTED OVER THE AREA...ESPECIALLY  
EASTERN CUBA.  
 
ALAMO...(WPC)  
FERNANDER...(BDM)  
CLARKE...(CINWS)  
 

 
 
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