000 AXNT20 KNHC 090516 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 205 AM EDT WED JUL 09 2008 TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR NORTH AMERICA...CENTRAL AMERICA...GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA...NORTHERN SECTIONS OF SOUTH AMERICA...AND 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 0515 UTC. ...SPECIAL FEATURE.... HURRICANE BERTHA IS CENTERED NEAR 23.1N 55.8W AT 09/0300 UTC OR ABOUT 580 MILES...935 KM...NORTHEAST OF THE NORTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS AND ABOUT 840 MILES...1350 KM...SOUTHEAST OF BERMUDA MOVING NW AT 10 KT. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 985 MB. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WIND SPEED IS 75 KT WITH GUSTS TO 85 KT. SEE LATEST NHC FORECAST/ADVISORY UNDER AWIPS/WMO HEADERS MIATCMAT2/WTNT42 KNHC FOR MORE DETAILS. BERTHA IS CURRENTLY A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. A GRADUAL WEAKENING TREND IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AS BERTHA BEGINS TO FEEL THE EFFECTS OF WINDSHEAR. SCATTERED MODERATE/ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTION IS FROM 22N-25N BETWEEN 55W-58W. ...TROPICAL WAVES... TROPICAL WAVE IS ALONG 49W/50W S OF 12N MOVING W NEAR 15 KT. THIS LOW AMPLITUDE WAVE PROTRUDES JUST A LITTLE N OF THE ITCZ. ISOLATED MODERATE CONVECTION IS FROM 5N-9N BETWEEN 47W-51W. TROPICAL WAVE IS ALONG 92W S OF 22N MOVING W NEAR 20 KT. THE WAVE CONTINUES TO PROPAGATE W OVER THE BAY OF CAMPECHE AND S MEXICO. CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION ARE OVER CENTRAL AMERICA FROM 12N-21N BETWEEN 87W-93W. ...ITCZ... ITCZ AXIS IS CENTERED ALONG 10N13W 11N23W 8N35W 9N49W 8N60W. BESIDES THE CONVECTION MENTIONED IN THE TROPICAL WAVE SECTION ABOVE...SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS ALONG THE COAST OF W AFRICA FROM 11N-13N BETWEEN 16W-18W. SIMILAR CONVECTION IS FROM 7N-9N BETWEEN 33W-37W. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... SURFACE RIDGING COVERS THE GULF OF MEXICO WITH RIDGE AXIS ALONG 30N. OTHER THAN THE CONVECTION IN THE BAY OF CAMPECHE DUE TO THE TROPICAL WAVE ALL CONVECTION HAS DISSIPATED OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO...FLORIDA...AND TEXAS. 10-15 KT SELY SURFACE FLOW IS NOTED OVER THE AREA. IN THE UPPER LEVELS... A TINY UPPER LEVEL HIGH IS CENTERED OVER S LOUISIANA NEAR 31N91W. ANOTHER TINY UPPER LEVEL HIGH IS CENTERED OVER S FLORIDA NEAR 27N81W. A TROUGH EXTENDS NW FROM THE NW CARIBBEAN AND COVERS THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF OF MEXICO. CONSIDERABLE UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE COVERS THE ENTIRE GULF. EXPECT MORE AIRMASS CONVECTION LATER TODAY OVER MOST OF THE GULF ESPECIALLY OVER THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND THE WRN GULF OF MEXICO W OF 95W. CARIBBEAN SEA... A TROPICAL WAVE IS OVER CENTRAL AMERICA WITH CONVECTION. SEE ABOVE. MODERATE TO FRESH TRADEWINDS DOMINATE THE AREA. SCATTERED MODERATE TO STRONG CONVECTION IS ALONG THE COASTS OF PANAMA AND N COLOMBIA FROM 8N-12N BETWEEN 74W-82W. AN AREA OF ISOLATED MODERATE CONVECTION IS ALONG THE COAST OF S PUERTO RICO FROM 17N-18N BETWEEN 65W-67W. SIMILAR CONVECTION IS OFF THE COAST OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS FROM 18N-22N BETWEEN 80W-82W. SCATTERED MODERATE TO ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTION IS ALSO INLAND OVER COSTA RICA...AND PANAMA FROM 7N-10N BETWEEN 81W-85W. IN THE UPPER LEVELS... AN UPPER LEVEL LOW IS OVER THE W CARIBBEAN NEAR 18N83W. ELY UPPER LEVEL FLOW IS OVER THE NE CARIBBEAN E OF 70W. SIGNIFICANT UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE COVERS THE CARIBBEAN W OF 80W. EXPECT THE TROPICAL WAVE TO MOVE W WITH CONVECTION DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ALSO EXPECT MORE CONVECTION NEAR HISPANIOLA. ATLANTIC OCEAN... SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE ALONG THE COAST OF FLORIDA N OF 29N AND W OF 80W. A 1024 MB HIGH IS OVER THE W ATLANTIC NEAR BERMUDA AT 33N64W. ANOTHER 1024 MB HIGH IS OVER THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC NEAR 30N39W. THIRD 1024 MB HIGH IS OVER THE E ATLANTIC NEAR 35N25W. IN THE UPPER LEVELS...AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH IS OVER S FLORIDA NEAR 27N81W. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW IS CENTERED OVER THE W ATLANTIC NEAR 28N64W. TWO UPPER LEVEL HIGHS ARE CENTERED OVER THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC NEAR 18N45W...AND NEAR 21N33W. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS OVER THE E ATLANTIC N OF 22N AND E OF 30W. $$ FORMOSA