000 AXNT20 KNHC 181755 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 205 PM EDT WED MAR 18 2009 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 1200 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 1715 UTC. ...ITCZ... ITCZ AXIS IS CENTERED ALONG 5N7W 3N10W CONTINUING ALONG THE EQUATOR BETWEEN 20W TO 40W AND EXTENDING INTO NE BRAZIL NEAR 2S45W. CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION ARE S OF 4N BETWEEN 18W-42W. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... AS OF 1500 UTC...A STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDS FROM THE W ATLC ACROSS THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND FLORIDA KEYS TO NEAR 25N83W IN THE ERN GULF OF MEXICO. SCATTERED SHOWERS/ISOLATED TSTMS ACCOMPANY THE FRONT OVER S FLORIDA...THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA AND SE GULF S OF 27N E OF 85W. ALSO ACROSS THE ERN GULF A SURFACE TROUGH IS ANALYZED FROM 24N88W TO 28N86W WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS/ ISOLATED TSTMS FROM 25N-28N BETWEEN 85W-88W. MOSTLY FAIR SKIES ARE OBSERVED OVER THE CENTRAL AND WRN GULF WITH 10-15 KT NE WINDS W OF THE SURFACE TROUGH. IN THE UPPER LEVELS...WESTERLY ZONAL FLOW IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE GULF OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. CARIBBEAN SEA... FRESH TRADEWINDS ARE OBSERVED ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN SEA WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS OF UP TO 30 KT BLOWING ALONG THE COAST OF NRN COLOMBIA. PATCHES OF LOW CLOUDS WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE ACROSS HISPANIOLA AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS...ALONG WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS IN THE SW CARIBBEAN S OF 10N W OF 80W. IN THE UPPER LEVELS...A WEAK RIDGE IS OVER THE WRN CARIBBEAN W OF 75W WHILE WEAK UPPER TROUGHING IS ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE CARIBBEAN WITH STRONG SUBSIDENCE COVERING THE ENTIRE BASIN. ATLANTIC OCEAN... A 1001 MB LOW CENTERED N OF THE DISCUSSION AREA NEAR 34N69W EXTENDS A COLD FRONT FROM 32N59W SW ALONG 26N65W 24N70W. THE BOUNDARY CONTINUES AS A STATIONARY FRONT ACROSS THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND FLORIDA KEYS INTO THE SE GULF OF MEXICO. SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE LOCATED WITHIN 60 NM EITHER SIDE OF THE FRONT. MORE NUMEROUS SHOWERS ARE N OF THE STATIONARY FRONT TO 28N BETWEEN 76W TO OVER THE FLORIDA PENINSULA. A 1019 MB HIGH IS OVER THE CENTRAL ATLC NEAR 24N40W. FURTHER NORTH...A COLD FRONT ENTERS THE DISCUSSION AREA NEAR 32N27W AND EXTENDS SW ALONG 30N28W 27N40W WHERE IT CONTINUES AS STATIONARY TO THE NW ALONG 28N45W 31N47W. SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE WITHIN 60 NM E OF THE COLD FRONT AND WITHIN 90 NM EITHER SIDE OF THE STATIONARY FRONT. IN THE UPPER LEVELS...ZONAL FLOW IS N OF 20N W OF 60W. ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND E ATLC...A BROAD UPPER LEVEL RIDGE ANCHORED ON AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH CENTERED NEAR 4N29W EXTENDS NWD THROUGH 10N40W 20N50W TO BEYOND 32N45W. $$ HUFFMAN