000 AXNT20 KNHC 190526 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 105 AM EST THU JAN 19 2012 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...WEATHER OBSERVATIONS...RADAR...AND METEOROLOGICAL ANALYSIS. BASED ON 0000 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 0445 UTC. ...THE ITCZ/THE MONSOON TROUGH... THE MONSOON TROUGH REACHES THE SIERRA LEONE COAST NEAR 7N12W TO 4N18W. THE ITCZ CONTINUES FROM 4N18W TO 3N25W 3N37W AND 1N50W. RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE TO THE SOUTH OF 8N BETWEEN AFRICA AND SOUTH AMERICA. UPPER LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW MOVES FROM THE COASTAL PLAINS OF SOUTH AMERICA TOWARD 30W... GRADUALLY BECOMING WESTERLY WIND FLOW AS IT REACHES 30W...AND THEN THE WIND FLOW BECOMES NORTHWESTERLY AS IT MOVES TOWARD AFRICA. THE RIDGE THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS WIND FLOW STARTS ALONG THE BRAZIL COAST NEAR 9S35W...TO 18N30W AND 26N30W. ...DISCUSSION... FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN THAT IS TO THE WEST OF 70W INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO... A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PASSES THROUGH SOUTH CAROLINA AND NORTHERN FLORIDA...INTO THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO. THIS TROUGH SUPPORTS THE COLD FRONT THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N76W IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN...30N80W...ACROSS FLORIDA ALONG 29N... INTO THE EAST CENTRAL AND CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO...TO 24N95W IN THE WEST CENTRAL PART OF THE AREA. THE FRONT BECOMES STATIONARY FROM 24N95W TO THE EASTERN MEXICO GULF COAST NEAR 22N98W. RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE NORTH OF 30N BETWEEN 70W AND 76W. BROKEN TO OVERCAST HIGH CLOUDS ARE WITHIN 60 TO 90 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF THE LINE 30N75W 26N80W. SCATTERED TO BROKEN HIGH CLOUDS COVER THE GULF OF MEXICO FROM 22N TO 27N...BECOMING LESS IN COVERAGE WITH TIME. THE CARIBBEAN SEA... UPPER LEVEL NORTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. THIS WIND FLOW ULTIMATELY COMES FROM AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN...AFFECTING THE AREA THAT IS FROM THE EQUATOR TO 10N BETWEEN CENTRAL AMERICA/SOUTH AMERICA AND 100W. RESULTANT MIDDLE LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC WIND FLOW THAT SPANS THE AREA IS IN RESPONSE TO THE LARGE-SCALE WIND FLOW FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN THAT IS MOVING TOWARD AN ATLANTIC OCEAN 32N44W- TO-13N55W TROUGH. SCATTERED TO BROKEN LOW TO MIDDLE LEVEL CLOUDS AND POSSIBLE PRECIPITATION ARE SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE AREA. THE CLOUDS ARE MOVING TOWARD THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST WITH THE SURFACE TO LOW LEVEL TRADEWIND FLOW. THE REST OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... A SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS FROM A 1031 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 34N50W...TO 31N56W 29N63W 26N72W...TO ANDROS ISLAND IN THE BAHAMAS. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PASSES THROUGH 32N44W TO 22N47W 16N50W AND 13N55W. THE TROUGH SUPPORTS A COLD FRONT THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N34W TO 31N35W. A STATIONARY FRONT CONTINUES FROM 31N35W TO 29N37W 27N40W AND 22N43W. RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN 120 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF THE LINE THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N36W TO 29N38W 24N42W 18N45W 14N53W 11N59W. A SURFACE RIDGE PASSES THROUGH 32N25W TO 25N27W AND 14N29W. BROAD UPPER LEVEL CYCLONIC FLOW COVERS THE AREA THAT IS TO THE NORTH OF 20N TO THE EAST OF 20W. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ MT