000
AXNT20 KNHC 290517
TWDAT 

TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION      
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
205 AM EDT SAT MAR 29 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 0000 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 
0345 UTC.

...ITCZ...
ITCZ AXIS IS CENTERED ALONG 6N9W 4N16W 2N28W CROSSING THE 
EQUATOR NEAR 35W TO 2S43W. CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED MODERATE/STRONG 
CONVECTION ARE FROM 3N-6N BETWEEN 11W-17W...FROM THE EQUATOR TO 
2N BETWEEN 12W-17W AND FROM THE ITCZ AXIS TO S OF A LINE FROM 
4N24W 4N30W TO INLAND OVER SOUTH AMERICA NEAR 1N52W.  

...DISCUSSION...

GULF OF MEXICO...
BROAD UPPER RIDGE ANCHORED IN THE E PACIFIC REGION COVERS MEXICO 
AND THE W GULF W OF 88W ADVECTING UPPER MOISTURE ACROSS THE AREA 
N OF 22N W OF 90W BRINGING SCATTERED SHOWERS OVER THE NW GULF N 
OF 25N W OF 94W TO INLAND OVER E TEXAS. AN INDUCED UPPER TROUGH 
IS MOVING ACROSS THE SE US AND THE E GULF DUE TO THE UPPER RIDGE 
ABOVE AND AN UPPER RIDGE OVER THE W ATLC BUT IS NOT PRODUCING 
ANY SURFACE FEATURES. SURFACE RIDGE REMAINS OVER THE E GULF AND 
CONTINUES TO GIVE THE ENTIRE GULF SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW WITH 
SOME BANKING OF LOW CLOUDS ALONG THE COAST OF MEXICO W OF 95W. 
THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF IS UNDER MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES TONIGHT. 

CARIBBEAN SEA...
THE INDUCED UPPER TROUGH OVER THE E GULF OF MEXICO DIPS S INTO 
THE NW CARIBBEAN W OF 80W TO OVER THE YUCATAN PENINSULA. THE 
REMAINDER OF THE CARIBBEAN IS DOMINATED BY A BROAD UPPER RIDGE 
ANCHORED OVER SOUTH AMERICA AND EXTENDS INTO THE W TROPICAL ATLC 
AND THE CENTRAL ATLC. MODERATE/STRONG EASTERLY TRADE WINDS 
DOMINATES THE ENTIRE CARIBBEAN. SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE N OF 17W 
TO OVER THE GREATER ANTILLES FROM THE MONA PASSAGE TO 80W. 

ATLANTIC OCEAN...
AN UPPER RIDGE IS OVER THE W ATLC INDUCING THE UPPER TROUGH OVER 
THE E GULF OF MEXICO AND NW CARIBBEAN. A WEAK BUT FAST MOVING 
SURFACE TROUGH IS BENEATH THE UPPER RIDGE EXTENDING FROM 29N75W 
TO THE BAHAMAS NEAR 25N76W AND PRODUCING ISOLATED SHOWERS FROM 
27N-30N BETWEEN 74W-78W. THE UPPER RIDGE THAT COVERS THE 
CARIBBEAN EXTENDS AN AXIS FROM INLAND OVER SOUTH AMERICA INTO 
THE W TROPICAL ATLC NEAR 8N60W NE INTO CENTRAL ATLC TO 32N42W. 
THE REMNANTS OF A FRONTAL BOUNDARY IN THE FORM OF A SURFACE 
TROUGH EXTENDS FROM 27N66W OVER THE EASTERN MOST TURKS AND 
CAICOS TO THE N COAST OF HAITI NEAR 20N73W. THE E THE ATLC IS 
DOMINATED BY AN UPPER TROUGH THAT EXTENDS THROUGH 32N16W SW TO 
22N28W WITH A HIGH AMPLITUDE RIDGE AXIS COVERING THE REMAINDER 
OF THE E ATLC E OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS TO THE CANARY ISLANDS 
AND INLAND OVER W AFRICA. A BROAD SURFACE RIDGE COVERS THE 
ENTIRE ATLC INTO THE E GULF OF MEXICO WITH A WEAKNESS IN THE 
IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE SURFACE TROUGHS AND ANCHORED BY A PAIR 
OF 1030 MB HIGHS N OF THE REGION. 

$$
WALLACE