000 AXNT20 KNHC 080005 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 805 PM EDT WED MAY 07 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 1800 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 2315 UTC. ...TROPICAL WAVES... AN ILL-DEFINED TROPICAL WAVE HAS REACHED 60W SOUTH OF 13N AT 07/1800 UTC. THIS WAVE HAS BEEN ILL-DEFINED EVER SINCE IT WAS PUT ON THE SURFACE MAP ANALYSIS. IT MAY BE OMITTED FROM THE 08/0000 UTC ANALYSIS. AN ATLANTIC OCEAN TROPICAL WAVE IS ALONG 25W/26W SOUTH OF 9N MOVING WEST 10 KT. NUMEROUS STRONG SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM 5N TO 6N BETWEEN 24W AND 25W...AND FROM 3N TO 4N BETWEEN 26W AND 28W. ISOLATED MODERATE TO STRONG SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE ELSEWHERE SOUTH OF 7N BETWEEN 19W AND 30W. ...THE ITCZ... 9N13W 6N23W...CROSSING THE EQUATOR ALONG 41W...INTO NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL NEAR 1S49W. A FEW CLUSTERS OF MODERATE/STRONG SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FROM THE EQUATOR TO 5N BETWEEN 11W AND 14W. ...DISCUSSION... THE GULF OF MEXICO... UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC FLOW FROM A 92W RIDGE COVERS THE GULF OF MEXICO. THIS RIDGE IS TO THE EAST OF AN ADVANCING DEEP LAYER TROUGH THAT STRETCHES FROM OKLAHOMA TO TEXAS TO MEXICO. THE CYCLONIC CIRCULATION CENTER ASSOCIATED WITH THE TROUGH IS MOVING THROUGH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. THE CARIBBEAN SEA... THE BASE OF A DEEP LAYER ATLANTIC OCEAN-TO-CARIBBEAN SEA TROUGH REACHES 15N77W. ISOLATED MODERATE SHOWERS IN CLUSTERS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPING AND DISSIPATING FROM NORTHERN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TO EASTERN CUBA TO WESTERN CUBA. UPPER LEVEL NORTHERLY FLOW FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO RIDGE REACHES THE NORTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE AREA NORTH OF 15N WEST OF 80W. UPPER LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW CONTINUES FROM NORTHERN SECTIONS OF SOUTH AMERICA...ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN SEA INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS AS FAR WEST AS THE NETHERLANDS ANTILLES HAVE BEEN INDICATING AFRICAN DUST. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... A DEEP LAYER TROUGH IN THE WESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN SUPPORTS A COLD FRONT THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N59W TO 23N70W. SCATTERED MODERATE TO STRONG SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FROM 25N TO 29N BETWEEN 56W AND 60W. THE DEEP LAYER TROUGH PASSES THROUGH 33N63W TO 28N67W TO 21N75W...AND EVENTUALLY INTO THE CARIBBEAN SEA NEAR 15N77W. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN NORTH OF 30N EAST OF 40W IS COVERED BY BROAD CYCLONIC FLOW. A MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL CYCLONIC CIRCULATION CENTER IS NEAR 34N40W. THE SOUTHERN END OF A DEEP LAYER TROUGH REACHES 30N12W. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN SOUTH OF 30N EAST OF 40W IS COVERED BY AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE FROM THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS THROUGH 25N21W TO THE CANARY ISLANDS. BROAD CYCLONIC FLOW APPEARS TO BE UNDER THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE ALONG 25W/26W SOUTH OF 13N. A 1025 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER IS NEAR 34N38W. BROAD SURFACE ANTICYCLONIC WIND FLOW COVERS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE EAST OF THE 32N59W 23N70W COLD FRONT. $$ MT