000 AXNT20 KNHC 270459 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 105 AM EST TUE FEB 27 2007 TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR NORTH AMERICA...CENTRAL AMERICA...THE GULF OF MEXICO...THE CARIBBEAN SEA...NORTHEASTERN SECTIONS OF SOUTH AMERICA...AND THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE AFRICAN COAST FROM THE EQUATOR TO 32N. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS BASED ON SATELLITE IMAGERY... METEOROLOGICAL ANALYSIS... WEATHER OBSERVATIONS...AND RADAR. BASED ON 0000 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 0345 UTC. ...ITCZ... ITCZ AXIS IS CENTERED ALONG 7N10W 3N18W ALONG THE EQUATOR NEAR 27W THEN S OF THE EQUATOR NEAR 37W TO SOUTH AMERICA NEAR 2S46W. CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED MODERATE/STRONG CONVECTION ARE WITHIN 150/180 NM OF EITHER SIDE OF THE AXIS BETWEEN 10W-22W AND S OF 3N ACROSS THE EQUATOR E OF 6W ACROSS THE PRIME MERIDIAN. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY THAT HAS PLAGUED THE GULF FOR THE PAST TWO DAYS HAS FINALLY DISSIPATE AS THE UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT HAS MOVED OVER THE W ATLC. A WEAK LOW/FRONT THAT IS CURRENTLY MOVING OVER THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY WILL SKIRT THE N GULF LATER TODAY SUPPORTED BY A MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH THAT IS OVER THE SAME AREA. SCATTERED SHOWERS/ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN HOWEVER OVER THE SE GULF FROM 24N-26N E OF 85W TO OVER THE FLORIDA PENINSULA. THE UPPER FLOW ACROSS THE GULF IS GENERALLY WESTERLY. DRY AIR HAS BEEN RE-ESTABLISHED OVER THE GULF IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WITH ONLY SOME UPPER LEVEL REMNANT MOISTURE STREAMING ACROSS MEXICO FROM THE E PACIFIC REGION. SCATTERED/ BROKEN LOW CLOUDS ARE OVER THE W GULF IN THE RETURN FLOW WHILE THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF REMAINS CLEAR. CARIBBEAN... WEAK BROAD UPPER LEVEL RIDGE REMAINS ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN FROM AN UPPER HIGH OVER NE SOUTH AMERICA AND EXTENDS OVER PORTIONS OF THE W ATLC GIVING THE CARIBBEAN WESTERLY FLOW. STRONG SUBSIDENCE AND DRY UPPER AIR CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE REGION KEEPING ANY SHOWER ACTIVITY FAIRLY SUPPRESSED WITH STRONG EASTERLY TRADE WINDS WITH GALE FORCE GUSTS OFF THE COAST OF COLOMBIA. BROKEN/OVERCAST LOW LEVEL CLOUDS WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED ARE SHOWERS ACROSS THE SW CARIBBEAN...OTHERWISE FAIR WEATHER IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION. ATLANTIC... STRONG UPPER TROUGH THAT MOVED OFF THE US COAST YESTERDAY COVERS THE NW ATLC N OF 28N W OF 60W WITH THE REMNANT STATIONARY FRONT ALONG THE N PERIPHERY OF THE REGION OFF THE US COAST. MID/HIGH CLOUDS WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS COVER THE AREA WITHIN 150/200 NM OF LINE FROM OVER S FLORIDA NEAR 26N80W TO BEYOND 32N56W. THE BROAD UPPER RIDGE OVER THE CARIBBEAN EXTENDS OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE W ATLC W OF 45W. THE UPPER TROUGH THAT WAS OVER THE CENTRAL ATLC HAS RETREATED N OF 30N HOWEVER THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT REMAINS ACROSS THE E/CENTRAL ATLC THROUGH 32N33W EXTENDING SW TO 26N40W WHERE IT DISSIPATES TO 22N54W. OVERCAST LOW CLOUDS WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE WITHIN 120 NM W OF THE FRONT N OF 23N. BROAD SURFACE RIDGE COVERS THE ATLC WITH THE AXIS EXTENDING FROM THE E ATLC THROUGH 32N21W SW ALONG 26N34W BISECTED BY THE DIMINISHING FRONTAL BOUNDARY THROUGH A 1025 MB HIGH OVER THE W/CENTRAL ATLC NEAR 27N55W W TO THE BAHAMA ISLANDS NEAR 24N76W. THIS RIDGE CONTINUES TO SUPPRESS THE ITCZ AXIS WELL TO THE SOUTH AND ANY SHOWER ACTIVITY. $$ WALLACE