771  
FXCA62 TJSJ 201058  
AFDSJU  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR  
658 AM AST WED NOV 20 2024  
   
UPDATE
 
 
BUOY 41043, ABOUT 170 NM NE OF SAN JUAN INDICATED A 7 FT SWELL AT  
11-13 SECONDS. THE LOCAL SAN JUAN AND NORTHERN VIEQUES BUOYS ARE  
CURRENTLY INDICATING SEAS AT 5 FT AT 10 SECONDS. THEREFORE, THE HIGH  
RIP CURRENT RISK (CFWSJU) IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR ALL NORTHERN  
BEACHES OF PUERTO RICO, FROM AGUADILLA TO FAJARDO, AND CULEBRA  
THROUGH AT LEAST 6 AM THURSDAY MORNING.  
 

 
 
AVIATION...  
(12Z TAFS)  
 
MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST TO PREVAIL ACROSS THE TERMINALS.  
VCSH WILL BE BROUGHT IN BY NORTHEASTERLY FLOW AT TIMES. -RA  
POSSIBLE AT TISX/TJSJ/TJBQ. AFTER 18Z, CONVECTIVE VCSH ALSO  
POSSIBLY AFFECTING TJPS. BELOW FL050, NE WINDS WILL BE UP TO  
AROUND 12 KTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS AND SEA BREEZE VARIATIONS.  
 

 
   
PREV DISCUSSION
 
/ISSUED 540 AM AST WED NOV 20 2024/  
 
SYNOPSIS...HIGH PRESSURE WILL FORM IN THE WESTERN TROPICAL  
ATLANTIC DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEK AS A DISTANT LOW PULLS  
NORTHEAST AND THE COOL AIR BEHIND THE FRONT WARMS. DRIER WEATHER  
WITH ONLY A FEW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH FRIDAY THEN BETTER  
MOISTURE ON SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST FLOW WILL RETURN TO THE AREA  
INCREASING SHOWERS AND THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS.  
 
SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY...  
 
DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS, SATELLITE DERIVED PRECIPITABLE WATER  
(PWAT) VALUES OVER PUERTO RICO WERE AROUND 1.09 TO 1.2 INCHES, WELL  
BELOW NORMAL TO BELOW NORMAL, WITH THE HIGHER VALUES OVER EASTERN  
PR. BELOW NORMAL PWAT VALUES WERE ALSO OBSERVED OVER THE USVI WITH  
UP TO 1.30 TO 1.35 IN. SINCE MIDNIGHT, COLD AIR ADVECTION PROMOTED  
LIGHT TO LOCALLY MODERATE SHOWERS UNDER NE WINDS, MAINLY ACROSS  
NORTHERN AND EASTERN PUERTO RICO, VIEQUES, ST. THOMAS AND ST. CROIX.  
THESE SHOWERS LEFT, A RADAR ESTIMATED, 0.20 TO 0.25 INCHES OVER  
VIEQUES, EASTERN ST. CROIX AND ISOLATED AREAS OF NE PR. REPORTED  
LOWS WERE IN THE LOW TO MID 60S AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF PUERTO RICO  
AND IN THE MID 70S TO AROUND 80 OVER LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE ISLANDS.  
 
CURRENT MODEL GUIDANCE HAS PWAT VALUES OF 0.9 TO 1.3 INCHES OVER THE  
ISLANDS THROUGH THURSDAY, WELL BELOW TO BELOW NORMAL VALUES FOR THIS  
TIME OF THE YEAR. NORTHEASTERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE TODAY, BRINGING  
COOL AND RELATIVELY DRY AIR OVER THE REGION. ADVECTIVE SHOWERS WILL  
STILL MOVE IN OVER WINDWARD SECTORS AT TIMES. A POLAR TROUGH WILL  
EXIT THE EASTERN COAST OF THE U.S WHILE A SURFACE HIGH WILL  
GRADUALLY MOVE OVER THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC FROM OUR NORTHWEST,  
PROMOTING WINDS TO GRADUALLY VEER TO BECOME MORE EASTERLY TONIGHT,  
SOUTHEASTERLY TOMORROW AFTERNOON, AND THEN SOUTHERLY BY FRIDAY.  
INCREASING MOISTURE WILL THEN BE EXPERIENCED FRIDAY WITH PWAT VALUES  
CLIMBING BACK TO LOW END NORMAL VALUES. THE CHANGE IN WIND WILL  
BRING IN A MOISTURE PLUME FROM THE EAST AND SOUTH, INCREASING THE  
POTENTIAL FOR SHOWERS AND SETTING THE STAGE FOR A WETTER LONG TERM  
PERIOD. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL BE WEAK, PROMOTING LIGHT WIND  
FLOW. BY FRIDAY, SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL PULL MOISTURE FROM THE  
CARIBBEAN SEA INTO THE ISLANDS, INCREASING PWAT VALUES BACK TO  
AROUND AND ABOVE 2 INCHES IN THE AFTERNOON/EVENING. MID TO UPPER  
LEVEL RIDGING WILL MAINTAIN A TRADE WIND CAP INVERSION AROUND 800  
MB, WITH ALL THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TRAPPED BELOW THIS LEVEL,  
THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON WHEN DEEP MOISTURE MOVES INTO THE REGION.  
LIKEWISE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE ITSELF, AS WELL AS 925MB  
TEMPERATURES, ARE FORECAST TO BE BELOW NORMAL UNTIL FRIDAY WHEN  
THEY CLIMB BACK UP. BEFORE FRIDAY, 500 MB TEMPERATURES WILL BE  
PRETTY WARM, DIMINISHING DEEP CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY POSSIBILITIES,  
HOWEVER LOCAL EFFECTS CAN HELP PRODUCE LIMITED AFTERNOON  
CONVECTION OVER THE INTERIOR. COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL ALSO PROMOTE  
SHOWERS OVER NORTHERN AND EASTERN REGIONS. HIGHS WILL BE IN THE  
THE MID TO UPPER 80S TODAY ACROSS MOST COASTAL AREAS OF THE  
ISLANDS, EXCEPT IN SOUTHERN PR WHERE IT CAN REACH THE LOW 90S.  
LIMITED TO ELEVATED EXCESSIVE RAINFALL RISKS AND AND AN INCREASED  
POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE PRESENT FOR THE SECOND HALF OF  
THE WORKWEEK, ESPECIALLY ON FRIDAY WITH ALL OF THE COLUMNAR  
MOISTURE OVER THE REGION. THIS WET PATTERN WILL CONTINUE INTO THE  
LONG TERM FORECAST PERIOD.  
 
LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...  
 
HIGH PRESSURE AT UPPER LEVELS DOMINATES THE LONG PERIOD DESPITE  
THE PASSAGE OF AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SATURDAY EVENING WELL TO THE  
NORTH OF THE AREA. THE ASSOCIATED SOUTHWESTERLY JET STREAM WILL  
LIKELY NEVER GET PAST CUBA. AT MID LEVELS HIGH PRESSURE BECOMES  
ENTRENCHED ABOUT 1000 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF SAN JUAN, PUERTO  
RICO AND MOVES VERY LITTLE. AS THE FLOW AROUND THIS HIGH IS FROM  
THE SOUTH MODEST MOISTURE WILL BE BROUGHT UP OUT OF THE CARIBBEAN  
DURING THE PERIOD. PEAK MOISTURE WILL BE SEEN LATE SUNDAY NIGHT  
AND MONDAY MORNING. AT THE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE NORTHEAST OF THE  
AREA--MUCH WHERE THE MID LEVEL HIGH IS ALSO--KEEPS FLOW SOUTHERLY.  
A WEAK WAVE PASSING TO THE WEST OVER THE CARIBBEAN BEGINS TO  
AMPLIFY SOUTH OF JAMAICA AND FLOW TURNS SOUTHEASTERLY FOR THE  
REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD. WHILE THIS DOES BRING IN SOME MOISTURE,  
FLOW IS NEVER PARTICULARLY MOIST AT ANY ONE LEVEL BUT PRECIPITABLE  
WATER VALUES REMAIN ABOVE TWO INCHES EXCEPT FOR A 24 HOUR PERIOD  
FROM EARLY TUESDAY TO EARLY WEDNESDAY WHEN AIR FROM THE MID  
ATLANTIC IS BROUGHT BACK IN AROUND THE HIGH PRESSURE EAST  
NORTHEAST OF THE AREA. WHILE THE LOW PRESSURE EXPECTED TO FORM  
OVER THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN WILL NOT DIRECTLY AFFECT PUERTO RICO  
OR THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS, PERIODS OF SHOWERS WILL KEEP THE AREA  
WET. AT THIS TIME THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO GENERATE EXPECTATIONS  
FOR ANYTHING MORE THAN PONDING OF ROADS AND SOME STREAM RISES.  
 
AVIATION...  
(06Z TAFS)  
 
MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST TO PREVAIL ACROSS THE TERMINALS.  
VCSH WILL BE BROUGHT IN BY NORTHEASTERLY FLOW AT TIMES. AFTER 18Z,  
CONVECTIVE VCSH ALSO POSSIBLY AFFECTING TJPS. BELOW FL050, NE WINDS  
WILL BE UP TO AROUND 12 KTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS AND SEA BREEZE  
VARIATIONS.  
 
MARINE...SEAS WERE RISING AT THE OUTER BUOY (41043) AND THESE  
SWELL WERE ABOUT 5 HOURS AWAY FROM PUERTO RICO'S NORTHERN COAST  
AND CULEBRA, HOWEVER SEAS HAVE LEVELED OFF FOR THE MOMENT SO, FOR  
NOW, SEAS OF NO MORE THAN 5-6 FEET IN AREAS EXPOSED TO NORTHERLY  
SWELL ARE EXPECTED THROUGH SUNDAY. ANOTHER SWELL WILL MOVE IN ON  
MONDAY THAT MAY BRING SMALL CRAFT CONDITIONS.  
 
BEACH FORECAST...THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS TONIGHT  
FOR THE SAN JUAN ZONE, THE FAJARDO ZONE, AND CULEBRA. OTHERWISE  
MODERATE OR LOW RISK OF RIP CURRENTS WILL BE FOUND UNTIL SUNDAY  
NIGHT. THEN, SWELL FROM BEYOND THE ANEGADA PASSAGE WILL BRING A  
HIGH RISK TO SAINT CROIX AND LATER TO NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL  
PUERTO RICO ON TUESDAY.  
 

 
   
SJU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
PR...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR PRZ001-002-005-  
008-012.  
 
VI...NONE.  
AM...NONE.  

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...DSR  
 
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