455  
FXCA20 KWBC 021823  
PMDCA  
 
TROPICAL DISCUSSION - INTERNATIONAL DESKS  
NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD  
123 PM EST MON MAR 02 2026  
 
FORECAST BULLETIN 02 MARCH 2026 AT 1830 UTC:  
 
FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS, RAINFALL PROCESSES WILL BE DRIVEN BY THE  
LOW LEVELS ACROSS CENTRAL AMERICA, TROPICAL SOUTH AMERICA, AND THE  
CARIBBEAN ISLANDS.  
 
IN CENTRAL AMERICA, EXPECT THE CARIBBEAN LOW LEVEL JET (CLLJ) TO  
BE PRESENT AND ASSISTING IN THE ENHANCEMENT OF LOW LEVEL CYCLONIC  
CIRCULATION ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN COASTS OF EASTERN HONDURAS,  
NICARAGUA, AND NORTHERN COSTA RICA FOR THE ENTIRE FORECAST PERIOD.  
EXPECT THE ARRIVAL OF A LOW LEVEL TROUGH OVERNIGHT MONDAY INTO  
TUESDAY THAT WILL LEAD TO A SUBTLE INCREASE IN MOISTURE  
CONVERGENCE. THESE CONDITIONS WILL FAVOR A TOTAL PRECIPITATION  
MAXIMA OF 15 - 20MM THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING ACROSS THE NICARAGUAN  
COAST. BY TUESDAY EVENING, A LONG-FETCH MOISTURE PLUME WILL BEGIN  
TO CONVERGE INTO NICARAGUA AND NORTHERN COSTA RICA, WHERE  
PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES WILL BE REACHING 38MM. ANTICIPATE HIGHER  
ACCUMULATIONS COMPARED TO THE DAY PRIOR, WHERE THE MAXIMA WILL  
APPROACH 15 - 25MM FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING.  
ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, THE AXIS OF ANOTHER LOW LEVEL TROUGH WILL  
BE MOVING INTO NICARAGUA AND EASTERN HONDURAS, FAVORING AN  
INCREASE IN LOW LEVEL CYCLONIC CIRCULATION AND MOISTURE  
CONVERGENCE. FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING,  
EXPECT THE MOST INTENSE PRECIPITATION ACCUMULATIONS FOR THE  
THREE-DAY PERIOD, WITH MAXIMA RANGING FROM 20 - 35MM.  
 
ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS AND BAHAMAS, THERE WILL BE A SERIES  
OF LOW LEVEL TROUGHS THAT WILL INCREASE MOISTURE CONVERGENCE  
ACROSS CUBA, JAMAICA, HISPANIOLA, AND PUERTO RICO FOR THE NEXT  
THREE DAYS. ON MONDAY AFTERNOON, A LOW LEVEL TROUGH THAT WILL BE  
ACCOMPANIED BY A SUBTLE INCREASE IN PRECIPITABLE WATER WILL BEGIN  
MOVING INTO SOUTHEAST CUBA AND JAMAICA. A TOTAL PRECIPITATION  
MAXIMA OF UP TO 15MM IS POSSIBLE THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING WITH THE  
PASSAGE OF THIS TROUGH. MEANWHILE IN HISPANIOLA, THERE IS  
CURRENTLY A LOW LEVEL TROUGH THAT IS PROPAGATING INTO THE MONA  
PASSAGE AND IS ANTICIPATED TO MOVE INTO HISPANIOLA ON MONDAY  
AFTERNOON. EXPECT THE DIURNAL CYCLE TO REINFORCE THE SUSTENANCE OF  
PRECIPITATION ACROSS EASTERN HISPANIOLA. THE TROUGH WILL CONTINUE  
MOVING OVER THE ISLAND THROUGH THE NIGHT. THIS TROUGH WILL SUPPORT  
TOTAL PRECIPITATION MAXIMA OF 15MM ACROSS EASTERN DOMINICAN  
REPUBLIC THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. THE TROUGH AND ITS AFFILIATED  
MOISTURE PLUME WILL BEGIN MOVING OVER SOUTHEAST CUBA AND JAMAICA  
DURING THE DAY ON TUESDAY, BRINGING WITH AN INCREASE IN MOISTURE  
CONVERGENCE. THESE CONDITIONS WILL FAVOR TOTAL PRECIPITATION  
MAXIMA OF 10MM FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING IN  
JAMAICA. A THIRD LOW LEVEL TROUGH WILL DEVELOP OVER THE VIRGIN  
ISLANDS AND ITS AXIS AND AFFILIATED MOISTURE PLUME WILL QUICKLY  
MOVE OVER PUERTO RICO DURING THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY AND ARRIVE INTO  
THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THESE CONDITIONS  
WILL FAVOR A TOTAL PRECIPITATION MAXIMA OF 10MM AND 15 - 20MM  
ACROSS PUERTO RICO AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC RESPECTIVELY FROM  
WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. THE MOISTURE PLUME  
WILL ARRIVE IN SOUTHWEST CUBA BY EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. THE FAST  
PROPAGATION SPEED OF THIS THIRD LOW LEVEL TROUGH IS DUE TO THE  
INTENSIFYING CARIBBEAN LOW LEVEL JET TO THE SOUTH AND THE  
DEVELOPMENT OF A SECONDARY LOW LEVEL JET NORTH OF THE GREATER  
ANTILLES ISLANDS.  
 
IN TROPICAL SOUTH AMERICA, A LOW LEVEL TROUGH IS CURRENTLY LOCATED  
OFF THE PACIFIC COAST OF ECUADOR AND COLOMBIA AND ITS STRUCTURE  
WILL START TO BECOME DISORGANIZED STARTING THURSDAY. DURING THIS  
PERIOD, PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES WILL BE REACHING 50MM. WITH  
RESPECT TO PRECIPITATION, THE AREA WITH THE GREATEST IMPACT WILL  
BE ACROSS ECUADOR, WHERE THE LOW LEVEL WIND FLOW WILL BE FROM THE  
WEST AND SOUTHWEST FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY. A DAILY TOTAL  
PRECIPITATION MAXIMA OF 20 -45MM IS LIKELY DURING THIS PERIOD. THE  
LOW LEVEL WIND PATTERN WILL ALSO FAVOR OROGRAPHIC ENHANCEMENT. FOR  
WEDNESDAY, THERE IS MODEL DISAGREEMENT ON THE LOW LEVEL WIND  
DIRECTION, BUT REGARDLESS, THERE WILL BE AMPLE MOISTURE IN THE  
REGION. MOISTURE CONVERGENCE WILL THUS BE ENHANCED BY LOCAL  
EFFECTS. TOTAL PRECIPITATION MAXIMA FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH  
THURSDAY MORNING IS EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 20 - 35MM, THOUGH  
LOCALLY HIGHER ACCUMULATIONS ARE LIKELY. MEANWHILE ALONG THE  
COLOMBIAN COAST, LOCAL EFFECTS AND THE DIURNAL CYCLE WILL DRIVE  
PRECIPITATION PROCESSES THROUGH THE NEXT THREE DAYS AND WILL FAVOR  
DAILY TOTAL PRECIPITATION MAXIMA OF AT LEAST 35MM.  
 
EAST OF THE ANDES, THE NOCTURNAL LOW LEVEL JET WILL BE  
INTENSIFYING AND WILL DRIVE A DRYING TREND ACROSS THE NORTHERN  
HALF OF THE TROPICAL REGION OF SOUTH AMERICA. THUS, THE REGIONS  
WITH THE GREATEST CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION WILL BE ACROSS THE  
CENTRAL AND WESTERN AMAZON BASIN, WHERE THE MOISTURE CONTENT WILL  
ALSO BE HIGHEST IN COMPARISON. ANOTHER REGION THAT WILL SEE  
SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION ACCUMULATIONS IS THE AMAZON DELTA. THE  
PRECIPITATION PROCESSES WILL BE INFLUENCED BY THE PRESENCE OF THE  
INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE (ITCZ), ESPECIALLY FOR TUESDAY AND  
WEDNESDAY WHEN THE ITCZ WILL BE SHIFTING NORTHWARD. EXPECT  
MODERATE ACCUMULATIONS FOR THIS PERIOD.  
 
ACROSS THE REST OF THE BASIN, EXPECT SEASONAL CONDITIONS. DAILY  
DIURNAL CONVECTION AND SHOWERS ARE STILL ANTICIPATED ACROSS  
MEXICO, CENTRAL AMERICA, THE CARIBBEAN, THE BAHAMAS, AND TROPICAL  
SOUTH AMERICA FOR THE NEXT THREE DAYS.  
 
TINOCO-MORALES...(WPC)  
 
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