706  
FXCA20 KWBC 121949  
PMDCA  
 
TROPICAL DISCUSSION - INTERNATIONAL DESKS  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
249 PM EST MON JAN 12 2026  
 
FORECAST BULLETIN 12 JANUARY 2026 AT 1950 UTC:  
 
OVER THE FORECAST REGION, THE CFS MODEL IS SUGGESTING THE PRESENCE  
OF DIVERGENT CONDITIONS IN THE UPPER LEVELS, WITH THE POTENTIAL  
FOR ROSSBY WAVE PRESENCE AND AN ATMOSPHERIC KELVIN WAVE-LIKE  
PATTERN IN THE FORECAST REGION. THESE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO  
CONTINUE FOR THE FORECAST PERIOD AND COULD ENHANCE HEAVY  
PRECIPITATION LOCALLY.  
 
A COLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS LOCATED FROM THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC OCEAN  
AND ENTERS THE NORTH BAHAMAS, INTO NORTH CUBA, ENTERING MEXICO  
THROUGH THE YUCATAN PENINSULA, WHERE IS EXPECTED TO BECOME  
STATIONARY ALONG THE SIERRA MADRE ORIENTAL AND WEAKEN BY VERACRUZ  
AND TAMAULIPAS BY MONDAY EVENING. A MID-LEVEL RIDGE IS CENTERED  
OVER NORTH CENTRAL AMERICA, AND EXTENDS INTO SOUTH MEXICO AND INTO  
THE WEST CARIBBEAN, FAVORING SUBSIDENCE AND TRADE WIND CAP  
INVERSIONS OVER SOUTH MEXICO INTO CENTRAL AMERICA ON MONDAY. TO  
THE NORTH, A SHORT WAVE TROUGH IN THE MID TO UPPER LEVELS IS  
LOCATED OVER NORTHWEST MEXICO, ENHANCING SOME DIVERGENCE OVER THE  
NORTH AND CENTRAL REGIONS OF MEXICO. HOWEVER, DUE TO THE LACK OF  
SIGNIFICANT MOISTURE IN THE REGION, EXPECT LIGHT PRECIPITATION  
TOTALS FROM CHIHUAHUA TO NORTH SINALOA/DURANGO ON MONDAY. IN  
SOUTHERN VERACRUZ, THE PRESENCE OF THE NORTES WINDS FROM THE  
FRONTAL BOUNDARY, CONTINUES TO ACTIVATE THE TEHUANTEPECER LOW  
LEVEL JET (LLJ), FAVORING LOCALIZED CYCLONIC CIRCULATION IN THE  
LOWER LEVELS IN SOUTHERN VERACRUZ AND WEST TABASCO, REACHING INTO  
PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST CHIAPAS. THIS ONSHORE FLOW WILL FAVOR  
ENHANCED MOISTURE TO CONVERGE ALONG THE TERRAIN AND PRECIPITATION  
MAXIMA OF 30-60MM ARE EXPECTED, WITH LOCALIZED HIGHER TOTALS  
POSSIBLE. ON TUESDAY, AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE STRENGTHENS OVER SOUTH  
MEXICO AND EXTENDS INTO THE WEST CARIBBEAN, WHILE THE MID-LEVEL  
RIDGE CONTINUES TO MEANDER OVER THE REGION. THIS WILL HELP IN  
WEAKENING THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER MEXICO AND THE NORTH  
CARIBBEAN, WHILE THE PORTION OF THE FRONT LOCATED OVER THE BAHAMAS  
WILL RECEIVE SOME UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT FROM THE STRENGTHENING JET  
STREAM EXTENDING FROM MEXICO INTO THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES,  
MAINTAINING THE FRONT OVER THE REGION DUE TO THE DIVERGENCE FROM  
THE JET STREAM. ALTHOUGH THESE CONDITIONS ARE PRESENT, THE LOW  
AMOUNT OF MOISTURE IN THE REGION WILL HELP KEEP PRECIPITATION  
TOTALS LIGHT OVER MOST OF THE NORTH CARIBBEAN AND FROM MEXICO INTO  
CENTRAL AMERICA. HOWEVER, CONDITIONS BEGIN TO CHANGE ON WEDNESDAY  
WHEN A POLAR TROUGH ENTERS INTO THE SOUTH-CENTRAL UNITED STATES,  
ENHANCING THE UPPER LEVEL JET STREAM, AND THE BASE OF THE TROUGH  
INTERACTS WITH THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER MEXICO AND CENTRAL  
AMERICA. THIS WILL HELP WEAKEN THE RIDGE IN THE MID LEVELS AS  
WELL, AND FAVOR THE PRESENCE OF A FRONTAL BOUNDARY FROM THE  
EASTERN SEABOARD OF THE UNITED STATES INTO NORTH BAHAMAS, CUBA AND  
INTO THE YUCATAN PENINSULA. IN ADDITION TO THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY, A  
WEAK SHEAR LINE FORMS OVER WEST CUBA AND EXTENDS INTO NORTH  
HONDURAS, WHERE EXPECT ENHANCED MOISTURE CONVERGENCE AND  
PRECIPITATION TOTALS OF 30-60MM, WITH A POTENTIAL OF HIGHER  
AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. WEST-CENTRAL CUBA CAN EXPECT MAXIMA OF 20-35MM,  
WHILE THE NORTH BAHAMAS CAN EXPECT MAXIMA OF 15-20MM WITH A  
MARGINAL RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER. SOUTH VERACRUZ/WEST TABASCO CAN  
EXPECT MAXIMA OF 20-45MM.  
 
THE OTHER REGION OF INTEREST IS NORTHWEST SOUTH AMERICA, WHERE THE  
PRESENCE OF THE PANAMANIAN TROUGH OVER PANAMA EXTENDS TO NORTH  
ECUADOR, FAVORING MOIST ONSHORE FLOW FROM THE EAST PACIFIC FROM  
THE CHOCO REGION INTO THE GULF OF GUAYAQUIL ON MONDAY. WITH THE  
ENHANCED UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE, EXPECT MAXIMA OF 20-45MM WITH  
LOCALIZED HIGHER AMOUNTS. TO THE EAST, MOISTURE IS POOLING OVER  
THE WESTERN AMAZON BASIN, IMPACTED BY THE UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE  
OVER THE REGION, AS AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH EXTENDS INTO COLOMBIA,  
AND INTERACTS WITH A WEAK BOLIVIAN HIGH THAT EXTENDS INTO NORTH  
PERU. THE WEST AMAZON BASIN CAN EXPECT MAXIMA OF 20-45MM WITH  
LOCALIZED HIGHER AMOUNTS. ON TUESDAY, THE MOIST ONSHORE FLOW  
CONTINUES INTO SOUTH COLOMBIA INTO NORTH ECUADOR, FAVORING MAXIMA  
OF 30-60MM IN THE REGION. OVER THE AMAZON BASIN, TROUGHS IN THE  
LOWER LEVELS ARE PROPAGATING ALONG THE TRADE WINDS, IMPACTED BY  
DIURNAL HEATING PROCESSES AND FAVORING PRECIPITATION IN THE  
AFTERNOON HOURS ON TUESDAY. AS THESE INTERACT WITH THE MOUNTAIN  
REGIONS FROM SOUTH COLOMBIA INTO NORTH PERU, EXPECT MAXIMA OF  
20-45MM. ON WEDNESDAY, SIMILAR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE  
REGION, AND THUS SIMILAR AMOUNTS COULD BE SEEN IN THE  
AFOREMENTIONED REGIONS. A DIFFERENCE IS THAT AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM  
OVER THE AMAZON BASIN IS RETROGRADING OVER THE AREA, INTERACTING  
WITH THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER COLOMBIA, AND ASSISTING WITH  
RETROGRADING THAT SYSTEM TO THE NORTH ON WEDNESDAY AND INTO  
THURSDAY. THIS WILL HELP FAVOR A SLIGHT REORIENTATION OF THE  
PANAMANIAN TROUGH OVER PANAMA, AND FAVOR MOIST ONSHORE INTO THE  
CENTRAL PORTION OF THE COUNTRY. THEY CAN EXPECT MAXIMA OF 20-35MM.  
 
CASTELLANOS...(WPC)  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab HPC Page
Main Text Page