000
AXNT20 KNHC 241808
TWDAT 

TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
105 PM EST SUN FEB 24 2008

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 1200 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 
1715 UTC.

...ITCZ...
THE ITCZ AXIS IS CENTERED ALONG 7N11W 1N25W 3N40W 1N50W. 
SCATTERED MODERATE ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTION NOTED WITHIN 100 
NM EITHER AXIS FROM 36W-39W.

...DISCUSSION...
GULF OF MEXICO...
THE SOUTHERN EXTENSION OF AN UPPER TROUGH MOVING ACROSS THE 
CENTRAL U.S. THROUGH LOUISIANA INTO THE NW GULF. MODERATE TO
STRONG SUBSIDENCE WITH DRY AIR AT THE MID AND UPPER LEVELS
OF THE ATMOSPHERE IS NOTED ACROSS NEARLY ALL THE GULF EXCEPT
FOR THE SE PORTION OF THE AREA. WEAKENING COLD FRONT EXTENDS 
FROM TAMPA BAY TO 27N88W. BROKEN/OVERCAST LOW CLOUDS ARE WITHIN
120 NM N OF THE FRONT. A SURFACE TROUGH IS ANALYZED ALON THE
TEXAS COASTAL WATERS FROM GALVESTON TO BROWNSVILLE. THE PRES
PATTERN IS WEAK AND WINDS ARE LIGHT ACROSS THE ENTIRE GULF.

CARIBBEAN...
A BROAD MID/UPPER RIDGE COVERS THE CARIBBEAN WITH AN  
ANTICYCLONIC CIRCULATION OVER WESTERN VENEZUELA. AN UPPER LEVEL 
WESTERLY WINDS 40-50 KT S OF 16N W OF 79W IS ACCOMPANIED BY THIN 
BROKEN CIRRIFORM CLOUDS OTHERWISE STRONG SUBSIDENCE COVERS THE 
REMAINDER OF THE CARIBBEAN. AT THE LOW LEVELS THE ATLC 
SUBTROPICAL RIDGE IS SUPPORTING BRISK EASTERLY FLOW. LOCALLY 
BROKEN LOW CLOUDS WITH EMBEDDED SHOWERS ARE NOTED ACROSS THE 
CARIBBEAN SEAS N OF 12N EXCEPT BECOMING LOCALLY OVERCAST N OF 
16N W OF 81W.

ATLANTIC...
AN UPPER ANTICYCLONE CENTERED OVER W VENEZUELA HAS A RIDGE 
EXTENDING NE ACROSS HISPANIOLA INTO THE ATLC BEYOND 32N50W. THE 
SOUTHERN EXTENSION OF AN UPPER TROUGH IS NOTED OVER THE EXTREME 
NW PORTION DISCUSSION AREA ACCOMPANIED BY DRY UPPER AIR NW OF 
LINE 32N65W 28N80W. THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE COLD FRONT EXTENDS 
FROM 32N66W THEN WEAKENING THE CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST. SCATTERED 
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSTMS ARE WITHIN 120 NM E OF THE FRONT N OF 
28N. MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WITH AXIS FROM 32N30W 17N50W TO THE 
WINDWARD ISLANDS. A 90-100 KT SUBTROPICAL JET SE OF THE TROUGH 
EXTENDS FROM 12N48W 23N25W TO THE COAST OF AFRICA NEAR 25N15W.
BROKEN CIRRUS CLOUDS ARE WITHIN 400 NM SE OF THE JET WITH
MODERATE TO STRONG SUBSIDENCE WITH 600 NM NW OF JET AXIS W OF 
40W. AN UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC CIRCULATION IS SE OF THE JET.
THE ANTICYCLONE IS CENTERED NEAR 7N21W WITH RIDGE AXIS EXTENDING 
E ALONG 7N TO AFRICA AND W TO 3N60W. A 1027 MB SURFACE HIGH PRES 
CENTERED NEAR 32N32W...WITH RIDGE TO 27N50W TO THE STRAITS OF 
FLORIDA.

$$
DGS