531  
FXCA20 KWBC 271326  
PMDCA  
 
TROPICAL DISCUSSION - INTERNATIONAL DESKS  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
826 AM EST THU FEB 27 2025  
 
WEEKLY DISCUSSION FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE USVI 27 FEBRUARY 2025  
 
IN THE LARGER SCALE, THE CFS MODEL GUIDANCE IS SUGGESTING AN UPPER  
DIVERGENT MJO PHASE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS ACROSS THE ATLANTIC  
BASIN AND THE CARIBBEAN. THAT SAID, THE WEATHER MODEL GUIDANCE IS  
SUGGESTING MAINLY SHALLOW CONVECTION AND IN GENERAL BRIEF PERIODS  
OF RAINFALL OVER PR/USVI OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. THE CURRENT  
FORECAST SUGGESTS THAT FRIDAY WOULD BE THE DAY WITH THE MOST  
RAINFALL COVERAGE BETWEEN TODAY AND THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY, BUT  
THERE IS SOME INDICATION THAT NEXT TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY COULD  
HAVE DECENT RAINFALL AND THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL, THOUGH ONE MUST  
CONSIDER THAT IT IS FAR IN THE FORECAST PERIOD AND THUS CONFIDENCE  
IS VERY LOW.  
 
THE AVAILABLE MOISTURE WILL BE UP AND DOWN OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL  
DAYS, WITH BRIEF PEAKS OF ABOVE NORMAL MOISTURE FOLLOWED BY BRIEF  
PERIODS OF BELOW NORMAL MOISTURE. THAT SAID, FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY  
IS EXPECTED TO HAVE A BIT MORE PROLONGED PERIOD OF ABOVE NORMAL  
MOISTURE, WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER PEAKING NEAR 1.7 INCHES ON  
FRIDAY EVENING, WHICH IS CLOSE TO 2 STANDARD DEVIATIONS ABOVE  
NORMAL. THEREAFTER, MOISTURE WILL DECREASE THROUGH SATURDAY INTO  
SUNDAY TO BELOW NORMAL LEVELS, BUT IT WILL PEAK AGAIN ON SUNDAY  
AFTERNOON FOR A BRIEF PERIOD. THIS GENERAL PATTERN OF PATCHES OF  
MOISTURE MOVING BY WILL ALLOW EARLY MORNING SHOWER ACTIVITY OVER  
THE USVI AND EASTERN PR, WHILE SHALLOW AFTERNOON CONVECTION OVER  
WESTERN PR MAY DEVELOP IN AREAS OF SEA BREEZE CONVERGENCE.  
 
AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, THE DIURNAL CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO BE  
SHALLOW FOR THE MOST PART, AND THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL SEEMS LOW  
UNTIL PERHAPS NEXT TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. THIS IS DUE TO THE  
CURRENT AND EXPECTED MID AND UPPER LEVEL PATTERNS OVER THE LOCAL  
AREA. IN THE UPPER LEVELS, THERE IS A RIDGE TO THE EAST AND  
NORTHEAST OF THE LOCAL ISLANDS, WHILE A TROUGH MOVES EAST AND  
PASSES THROUGH THE GREATER ANTILLES TODAY INTO FRIDAY. THE TROUGH  
IS WEAKENING, HOWEVER, AND WILL BE PASSING A BIT NORTH OF THE  
LOCAL ISLANDS LATE TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY. BY THE WEEKEND, A BROAD  
TROUGH IN THE UPPER LEVELS WILL HAVE ITS AXIS OVER THE CENTRAL  
CARIBBEAN, CAUSING SOME DIFFLUENCE OVER THE LOCAL AREA INTO EARLY  
NEXT WEEK, THEN THE UPPER TROUGH AXIS WILL MOVE OVER THE LOCAL  
ISLANDS ON TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY.  
 
THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN WOULD NORMALLY BE CONDUCIVE TO SOME  
INSTABILITY AND THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL, BUT THE PATTERNS IN THE  
MID LEVELS ARE WORKING AGAINST IT. AT THIS TIME THERE IS A  
MID-LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE CENTRAL TROPICAL ATLANTIC, TO  
THE NORTHEAST OF THE LEEWARDS. THE HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDS TO THE  
SOUTHWEST INTO THE NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN. THIS IS KEEPING THE  
MID-LEVEL TROUGH FURTHER WEST OVER HISPANIOLA, WHILE PR/USVI  
REMAINS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE MID-LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE. THIS  
WILL THEN KEEP DEEP CONVECTION FROM DEVELOPING TODAY AND FRIDAY  
INTO SATURDAY, AND THUS THE REASON WHY MAINLY SHALLOW CONVECTION  
IS EXPECTED, EVEN WITH THE DEEPER MOISTURE MOVING IN. THE  
MID-LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE WILL MEANDER OVER THE AREA INTO VERY EARLY  
NEXT WEEK, ONLY MOVING A BIT EAST BY TUESDAY, WHERE A MID-LEVEL  
TROUGH THEN MOVES IN, ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH  
EXPECTED FOR THE SAME TIME PERIOD. THIS IS THE REASON WHY THERE  
COULD BE SOME THUNDERSTORM FORMATION DURING THIS TIME.  
 
THE INCREASE IN MOISTURE EXPECTED FOR FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY WILL BE  
DUE TO A LOW-LEVEL TROUGH THAT WILL BE MOVING IN. THIS TROUGH WILL  
HAVE ENHANCED RELATIVE VORTICITY AND MOISTURE CONVERGENCE. THE  
RELATIVE HUMIDITY IN THE LOW LEVELS WILL BE ABOVE NORMAL ON FRIDAY  
INTO SATURDAY AS WELL, BUT THE RELATIVE STABILITY IN THE MID  
LEVELS WILL LIKELY KEEP CONVECTION TO BE SHALLOW, THOUGH THERE MAY  
BE GOOD RAINFALL COVERAGE OVER THE ISLANDS. IN TERMS OF RAINFALL  
AMOUNTS, UP TO AN INCH OR SO COULD BE EXPECTED TODAY ACROSS THE  
EASTERN THIRD OF PR AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL TO WESTERN PR  
TODAY, WHILE UNDER A HALF AN INCH IS FORECAST ELSEWHERE IN PR AND  
ACROSS THE USVI. FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY, ONCE AGAIN UP TO AN INCH OR  
SO OF RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED OVER PR, THOUGH THE COVERAGE AREA MAY  
INCLUDE MANY AREAS FROM EASTERN PR INTO CENTRAL AND NORTHWESTERN  
PR. THE NORTHERN USVI AS WELL AS VIEQUES AND CULEBRA MAY OBSERVE  
0.5 TO AN INCH OF RAIN DURING THIS PERIOD AS WELL. THEREAFTER, THE  
AMOUNT OF RAIN IN THE FORECAST DECREASES SIGNIFICANTLY, WITH DAILY  
MAX VALUES ACROSS NORTHWESTERN PR BEING NEAR A HALF AN INCH DUE TO  
DIURNAL CONVECTION, WHILE OTHER AREAS ACROSS PR AND THE USVI COULD  
OBSERVE A FEW HUNDREDTHS TO JUST OVER A TENTH OF AN INCH OF RAIN  
EACH DAY. ONCE AGAIN, RAINFALL POTENTIAL COULD INCREASE ON TUESDAY  
INTO WEDNESDAY, BUT CONFIDENCE IS LOW GIVEN HOW FAR IT IS IN THE  
FORECAST PERIOD.  
 
ALAMO...WPC (USA)  
 

 
 
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