444  
FXCA20 KWBC 281930  
PMDCA  
 
TROPICAL DISCUSSION - INTERNATIONAL DESKS  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
230 PM EST FRI FEB 28 2025  
 
FORECAST BULLETIN 28 FEBRUARY 2025 AT 1930 UTC:  
 
THE LATEST CFS MODEL CONTINUES TO SUGGEST THAT A DIVERGENT MJO  
PHASE SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND ACROSS THE ATLANTIC,  
CARIBBEAN AND CENTRAL AMERICA. HOWEVER, THE MODEL SUGGESTS A WEAK  
DIVERGENT PATTERN FOR EXTREME NORTHWESTERN SOUTH AMERICA AND A  
WEAK CONVERGENT PATTERN FOR BRASIL AND THE GUIANAS THROUGH THE  
WEEKEND. THE LATEST MJO OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST A STRONG DIVERGENT  
PHASE ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN AND WESTERN TROPICAL ATLANTIC, WHILE A  
WEAK CONVERGENT PHASE WAS OBSERVED ACROSS MOST OF SOUTH AMERICA,  
INCLUDING TROPICAL SOUTH AMERICA.  
 
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC BASIN, CARIBBEAN, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND  
MEXICO...  
 
THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND, RAINFALL OVER THE REGION IS FORECAST TO BE  
GENERALLY UNDER 25MM EACH DAY, AND NO RAIN IN SOME AREAS.  
CONSIDERING THE LATEST GUIDANCE AND OBSERVATIONS, BRIEF SHOWERS  
ARE EXPECTED OVER THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS, CENTRAL AMERICA AND  
PORTIONS OF MEXICO. THAT SAID, A PERSISTENT LINE OF MOISTURE,  
ASSOCIATED WITH A LOW-LEVEL CONFLUENCE WILL EXTEND FROM THE WEST  
CENTRAL ATLANTIC, SOUTHWEST THROUGH THE SOUTHERN BAHAMAS, TURKS  
AND CAICOS, AND INTO HISPANIOLA AND EASTERN CUBA. THIS CONSTANT  
MOISTURE WILL ALLOW FOR DAILY SHOWER DEVELOPMENT OVER THE AREA,  
THOUGH THE DAILY ACCUMULATIONS ARE STILL EXPECTED TO BE GENERALLY  
UNDER 25MM EACH DAY, TODAY BEING THE DAY WITH HIGHEST  
ACCUMULATIONS AND SATURDAY BEING THE DRIEST DAY. IT IS WORTH  
NOTING THAT A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE EAST-SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE  
WESTERN ATLANTIC LATE THIS WEEKEND, ENHANCING CONVECTION AHEAD OF  
THE BOUNDARY, BUT THIS CONVECTION ENHANCEMENT WILL FAVOR AREAS  
NORTH OF THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS AND TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE  
SOUTHERN BAHAMAS AND TURKS AND CAICOS.  
 
IN THE UPPER LEVELS, A SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVED NORTH OF THE  
CARIBBEAN ISLANDS AS IT WEAKENED, AND ITS AXIS IS NOW TO THE  
NORTHEAST OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS. ANOTHER UPPER TROUGH IS FORECAST  
TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN REGION THIS WEEKEND, THOUGH IT  
WILL BE BROAD AND ITS IMPACT ON RAINFALL DEVELOPMENT AND  
INSTABILITY WILL BE LIMITED, UNTIL PERHAPS VERY LATE SUNDAY INTO  
EARLY MONDAY, WHEN THE TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO AMPLIFY OVER  
HISPANIOLA AND CAUSE SOME INSTABILITY OVER THE AREA. THIS MAY  
COMBINE WITH THE AVAILABLE MOISTURE AND A SHORTWAVE MID-LEVEL  
TROUGH, WHICH MAY INCREASE THE CHANCES OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM  
DEVELOPMENT. THAT BEING SAID, THE MID LEVELS ACROSS THE EASTERN  
CARIBBEAN MAY REMAIN FAIRLY STABLE THIS WEEKEND. THIS IS BECAUSE  
THERE IS A MID-LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE  
LEEWARDS THAT ITS EXTENDING SOUTHWEST INTO THE NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN  
ISLANDS, KEEPING THINGS STABLE IN THE MID LEVELS. THEREFORE, THE  
CHANCES OF BRIEF THUNDERSTORMS LATE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY ARE HIGHER  
ACROSS HISPANIOLA THAN FURTHER EAST IN THE CARIBBEAN. ELSEWHERE, A  
TRADE WIND INVERSION WILL KEEP THE AREA STABLE WITH MAINLY SHALLOW  
CONVECTION EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND.  
 
IN THE LOWER LEVELS, A WEAKENING STATIONARY FRONT ACROSS THE  
WESTERN TROPICAL ATLANTIC WILL DISSIPATE BY SATURDAY, THEN A COLD  
FRONT WILL START MOVING INTO THE WESTERN ATLANTIC FROM THE  
SOUTHEAST US, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE WEST-CENTRAL  
ATLANTIC INTO THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS BY SUNDAY. AS PREVIOUSLY  
MENTIONED, THERE WILL BE A LINE OF HIGHER MOISTURE EXTENDING SOUTH  
FROM THE WEST-CENTRAL ATLANTIC INTO HISPANIOLA AND CUBA THIS  
WEEKEND. THE CARIBBEAN WILL HAVE PATCHES FOR MOISTURE AND DRY AIR  
MOVING THROUGH THE AREA OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. A LOW-LEVEL TROUGH  
IS MOVING INTO THE CARIBBEAN ON TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY, CAUSING AN  
INCREASE IN MOISTURE OVER THE AREA AND ENHANCING THE CHANCES OF  
RAINFALL. HOWEVER, THE MID-LEVEL RIDGE EXPECTED OVER THE NORTHEAST  
CARIBBEAN WILL KEEP CONVECTION SHALLOW OVER THE AREA.  
 
ACROSS TROPICAL SOUTH AMERICA...  
 
THE ENHANCED CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WESTERN  
COLOMBIA AND ECUADOR WILL CONTINUE THIS WEEKEND. THE MODEL  
GUIDANCE INSISTS THAT THE CONDITIONS WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR  
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT OVER THE AREA. THE LOW-LEVEL ONSHORE  
FLOW, WHICH HAS HIGHER THAN NORMAL MOISTURE, WILL PLAY A ROLE IN  
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AS THE AIR RISES WITH  
THE TOPOGRAPHY AND IS VENTILATED WITH THE MID AND UPPER LEVEL  
DIFFLUENCE. FOR THE REST OF TODAY INTO SATURDAY, WESTERN COLOMBIA  
AND ECUADOR IS FORECAST A RAINFALL MAXIMA AT AROUND 25-60MM WITH  
SOME AREAS RECEIVING MORE OR LESS THAN THAT. SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY,  
THE FORECAST SUGGESTS MAXIMA OF 25-50MM, AS WELL AS SUNDAY INTO  
MONDAY, THOUGH THE LATTER HAS LESS RAINFALL IN THE FORECAST FOR  
NORTHWESTERN COLOMBIA.  
 
ACROSS BRAZIL AND SURROUNDING COUNTRIES, NEAR NORMAL MOISTURE IS  
EXPECTED, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE GUIANAS, VENEZUELA, AND  
PORTIONS OF NORTHERN BRASIL, WHERE DRIER THAN NORMAL MOISTURE IS  
EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THAT SAID, AVAILABLE MOISTURE WILL  
COMBINE WITH THE DIURNAL HEATING AND LOCAL EFFECTS TO CAUSE  
DIURNAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE AREA. MOST OF THE AREA  
IS EXPECTED TO OBSERVE DAILY RAINFALL MAXIMA IN THE ORDER OF  
15-35MM THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND.  
 
FOR A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION AND DETAILS OF THE AREAS WITH  
FORECAST RAINFALL:  
HTTPS://WWW.WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/INTERNATIONAL/CRB_DAY1-3.SHTML  
 
ALAMO...(WPC)  
 
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab HPC Page
Main Text Page