000 AXNT20 KNHC 260342 CCA TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION...COR NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 705 PM EST TUE DEC 25 2007 CORRECETION FOR TIME AND DATE TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR NORTH AMERICA...CENTRAL AMERICA...THE GULF OF MEXICO...THE CARIBBEAN SEA...NORTHERN 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 1800 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 2315 UTC ...THE ITCZ... ITCZ AXIS IS CENTERED ALONG LINE FROM 6N10W TO THE EQUATOR AT 50W. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS NOTED WITHIN 30 NM EITHER SIDE OF LINE 6N13W 5N19W AND WITHIN 150 NM OF 4N32W. OTHERWISE ONLY ISOLATED MODERATE CONVECTION IS NOTED ALONG THE AXIS. ...DISCUSSION... THE GULF OF MEXICO... AN UPPER SHORTWAVE DOMINATES THE N CENTRAL GULF WITH AN EMBEDDED VORTICITY CENTER NEAR 33N88W...BUT IS LIFTING OUT TO THE NE RAPIDLY ATTM. A TROPICAL JET DISSECTS THE GULF FROM NW FLORIDA TO SE TEXAS AND IS ADVECTING UPPER MOISTURE E ACROSS THE AREA WITHIN 150 NM EITHER SIDE OF LINE 27N82W 21N97W...BUT THE MOISTURE IS EVAPORATING OVER THE E PORTION OF THE PLUME. UPPER DRY AIR IS INDICATED NW OF THIS PLUME AND OVER THE SE PART AS WELL. AT THE LOW LEVELS A TROUGH EXTENDS NE FROM THE BAY OF CAMPECHE ACROSS THE CENTRAL WATERS TO NW FLORIDA AND IS ACCOMPANIED BY LOCALLY BROKEN LOW AND MID LEVEL CLOUDS. THIS TROUGH EFFECTIVELY SEPARATES WEAK HIGH OVER THE SW GULF NEAR 21N97W FROM ANOTHER WEAK HIGH OVER THE EASTERN GULF NEAR 25N84W. THE CARIBBEAN SEA... A BROAD UPPER TROUGH EXTENDS S OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN. AN UPPER RIDGE EXTENDS N OFF THE COLOMBIAN COAST OVER THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN. THIS RIDGE IS ENHANCING CONVECTION OVER THE EXTREME SW CARIBBEAN...AND IS ADVECTING THE RESULTANT UPPER DEBRIS MOISTURE E OVER THE AREA TO THE S OF 17N. THE TAIL END OF A MID TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH EXTENDS ACROSS THE CENTRAL ATLC SW TO A BASE NEAR 17N62W. AT THE LOW LEVELS...AN INVERTED TROUGH IS STILL EVIDENT ALONG 80W TO THE N OF 17N...AND IS ENHANCING SHOWERS OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN WITH THE ACTIVITY DECREASING WITH TIME. BRISK EASTERLY TRADES E OF 75W ARE ACCOMPANIED BY ISOLATED WEAK WARM TOP CONVECTION. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... THE SUBTROPICAL ATLC CONTINUES TO BE PRIMARILY DOMINATED BY A COUPLE OF UPPER LEVEL FEATURES. THE FIRST FEATURE IS A BROAD UPPER RIDGE...ORIGINATING FROM AN UPPER ANTICYCLONE AT 27N68W... WITH THE RIDGE COVERING THE AREA W OF 60W ACCOMPANIED BY DRY UPPER AIR. THE EXCEPTION IS AN UPPER TROUGH OVER THE SE UNITED STATES IS BEGINNING TO ERODE THE UPPER RIDGE NEAR 28N78W WITH A MOISTURE PLUME EXTENDING OVER THE AREA TO THE NW OF LINE 26N80W 32N72W. THE SECOND UPPER FEATURE IS A DEEP LAYERED TROUGH THAT ENTERS THE AREA NEAR 32N40W AND EXTENDS S THROUGH AN UPPER CYCLONE AT 29N42W...WITH THE TROUGH CONTINUING SW TO ANOTHER CYCLONE AT 18N52W. THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE FRONT IS QUASI STATIONARY ALONG 32N37W 20N47W WITH BROKEN TO LOCALLY OVERCAST LOW AND MID LEVEL CLOUDS WITHIN 150 NM EITHER SIDE OF LINE 32N37W 18N48W. SURFACE RIDGING W AND E OF THIS DENSE CLOUDINESS IS ACCOMPANIED BY LOCALLY BROKEN STRATOCUMULUS. FURTHER S...A TROPICAL JET EXTENDS E ACROSS THE AREA S OF 12N W OF 47W THEN TURNS NE TO THE AFRICAN COAST AT 17N16W. $$ NELSON