000 AXNT20 KNHC 131713 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 205 PM EDT TUE MAY 13 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 1645 UTC. ...TROPICAL WAVES... TROPICAL WAVE IS ALONG 56W/57W S OF 10N MOVING W 10-15 KT. SCATTERED TO MODERATE CONVECTION IS BEHIND THE AXIS FROM 5N-8N BETWEEN 52W-55W...AND FROM 5N-7N BETWEEN THE WAVE AND 59W. THE WAVE IS EXPECTED TO ENTER THE FAR SOUTHERN WATERS OF THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA DURING THE NEXT 24 TO 48 HOURS. ...THE ITCZ... ITCZ AXIS IS CENTERED ALONG 5N9W 3N20W 2N30W 1N40W AND INTO NE BRAZIL NEAR 2N51W. CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED MODERATE TO STRONG CONVECTION ARE FROM THE EQUATOR TO THE SW COAST OF AFRICA EAST OF 9W. SCATTERED MODERATE/ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTION IS WITHIN 120 NM EITHER SIDE OF THE AXIS BETWEEN 17W-22W. SIMILAR CONVECTION IS FROM 1N-4N BETWEEN 30W-33W. A CLUSTER OF MODERATE TO STRONG CONVECTION IS FROM 4N-6N BETWEEN 32W-37W. WIDESPREAD MODERATE CONVECTION IS BETWEEN THE NE COAST OF BRAZIL AND THE AXIS WEST OF 36W. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... A BAND OF LOW-LEVEL CLOUDS WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED SHOWERS...REMNANTS OF A DISSIPATED FRONTAL BOUNDARY... EXTEND ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SE GULF FROM THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA TO THE FLORIDA STRAIGHTS. A COOLER AND MUCH DRIER AIRMASS NOW RESIDES OVER THE NE GULF IN THE WAKE OF THE COLD FRONT. THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF IS COVERED BY 15-20 KT SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW AROUND A WEAK SFC RIDGE ANCHORED BY A 1022 MB HIGH OVER THE EASTERN CONUS. ALOFT...SWLY FLOW AROUND THE NORTHERN PERIPHERY OF AN UPPER HIGH OVER THE YUCATAN PENINSULA IS TRANSPORTING UPPER MOISTURE FROM THE PACIFIC ACROSS MEXICO AND THE NW GULF. CARIBBEAN SEA... A SFC HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE CENTERED IN THE ATLC EXTENDS SW OVER THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN PROVIDING FAIR WEATHER AND PATCHY CLOUDS ACROSS THE REGION. LIGHT TO MODERATE TRADE WINDS CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE CARIBBEAN. WIND SPEED CONVERGENCE IN THE SW CARIBBEAN IS GENERATING A LINE OF SHOWERS WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS FROM THE COAST OF NICARAGUA NEAR 13N84W TO THE PANAMA CANAL...THEN ALONG THE NE COAST OF PANAMA TO COLOMBIA. THIS CONVECTION IS BEING ENHANCED BY A DIVERGENT PATTERN ALOFT BETWEEN THE BASE OF AN UPPER TROUGH AND THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE UPPER HIGH OVER THE YUCATAN PENINSULA. ELSEWHERE IN THE CARIBBEAN...SIGNIFICANT CONVECTION IS INHIBITED UNDER STRONG SUBSIDENCE ALOFT. EXPECT MOISTURE IN THE SE GULF TO INCREASE OVER THE NEXT 24 TO 48 HOURS AS A TROPICAL WAVE IN THE ATLC ENTERS THE REGION. ATLANTIC OCEAN... A STRONG DEEP-LAYERED LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CENTERED OFFSHORE OF THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES NEAR 36N67W EXTENDS A COLD FRONT INTO THE TROPICAL NORTH ATLC NEAR 30N62W ALONG 25N70W TO THE STRAIGHTS OF FLORIDA NEAR 24N82W. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE WITHIN 40 NM OF THE BOUNDARY S OF 27N AND WITHIN 120 NM AHEAD OF THE BOUNDARY N OF 27N. WINDS BEHIND THE BOUNDARY E OF 74 W ARE NW 20 TO 25 KT. MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES WITH PATCHY CLOUDS FILL IN THE W ATLC BEHIND THE FRONT AROUND A BUILDING SFC HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE EASTERN CONUS. A BROAD SFC RIDGE COVERS THE CENTRAL AND EAST ATLC ANCHORED BY A 1025 MB SFC HIGH PRESSURE NEAR 29N35W. THIS HIGH PRES SYSTEM CONTINUES TO TRANSPORT FAIR WEATHER CUMULUS CLOUDS AROUND THE RIDGE. ALOFT... AN ELONGATED UPPER RIDGE COVERS THE TROPICAL ATLC S OF 18N...ENHANCING CONVECTION ALONG THE ITCZ. $$ WADDINGTON