000 AXNT20 KNHC 221152 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 805 AM EDT TUE MAY 22 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 0600 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 1115 UTC. ...SPECIAL FEATURES... THE CENTER OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION ALBERTO IS NEAR 32.0N 75.5W AT 22/0900 UTC. IT IS MOVING NORTHEASTWARD 13 KT. THIS POSITION ALSO IS ABOUT 220 MILES/355 KM TO THE SOUTH OF CAPE HATTERAS NORTH CAROLINA...AND ABOUT 340 MILES/550 KM TO THE SOUTH OF NORFOLK VIRGINIA. THE ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 1008 MB. THE MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS ARE 30 KT WITH GUSTS TO 40 KT. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION IS WITHIN A 30 TO 60 NM RADIUS OF 33N74W. COMPARATIVELY DRIER AIR IN WATER VAPOR IMAGERY IS TO THE NORTH OF 27N80W 34N66W... SURROUNDING THE FEATURE. PLEASE READ THE LATEST NHC FORECAST/ ADVISORY UNDER AWIPS/WMO HEADERS MIATCMAT1/WTNT21 KNHC... AND THE PUBLIC BULLETIN MIATCPAT1/WTNT31 KNHC FOR MORE DETAILS. ...TROPICAL WAVES... AN ATLANTIC OCEAN TROPICAL WAVE IS ALONG 21W/22W TO THE SOUTH OF 15N MOVING WESTWARD 10 TO 15 KNOTS. RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE FROM 3N TO 13N BETWEEN 17W AND 23W. AN ATLANTIC OCEAN TROPICAL WAVE HAS BEEN ADJUSTED SOMEWHAT IN ORDER TO BE ALONG 45W/46W TO THE SOUTH OF 17N...ACCORDING TO SATELLITE IMAGERY. THE WAVE IS MOVING WESTWARD 10 TO 15 KNOTS. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH THAT RUNS FROM 24N47W TO NORTH CENTRAL VENEZUELA IS JUST TO THE WEST OF THE WAVE. ITCZ PRECIPITATION IS FROM 7N TO 10N BETWEEN 42W AND 50W. ...THE ITCZ/THE MONSOON TROUGH... THE MONSOON TROUGH REACHES SOUTHWESTERN SENEGAL AND THEN IS BROKEN UP BY THE 21W/22W TROPICAL WAVE. THE MONSOON TROUGH STARTS NEAR 5N23W 3N30W 3N32W. THE ITCZ CONTINUES FROM 3N32W TO 5N42W...INTO NORTHERN FRENCH GUIANA NEAR 5N53W. CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS STRONG FROM 3N TO THE AFRICA COAST BETWEEN 6W AND 10W AND FROM 4N TO 5N BETWEEN 26W AND 27W...SCATTERED MODERATE FROM 2N TO 4N BETWEEN 14W AND 20W AND ELSEWHERE FROM 3N TO 10N BETWEEN 30W AND 60W. ...DISCUSSION... THE GULF OF MEXICO... AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PASSES THROUGH MISSISSIPPI AND ALABAMA INTO THE NORTHEASTERN CORNER OF THE GULF OF MEXICO. SEPARATE UPPER LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW MOVES FROM MEXICO...INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE GULF OF MEXICO...ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. COMPARATIVELY DRIER AIR IN WATER VAPOR IMAGERY COVERS MUCH OF THE AREA...EXCEPT IN THE EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN CORNER...FROM THE YUCATAN PENINSULA INTO THE FLORIDA STRAITS. THE NORTHERN END OF A MOSTLY NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA SURFACE TROUGH REACHES THE SOUTHEASTERN CORNER OF THE AREA. BROAD SURFACE ANTICYCLONIC WIND FLOW COVERS THE REST OF THE AREA...MOVING AROUND A 1019 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 27N93W. THE CARIBBEAN SEA... BROAD UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC WIND FLOW COVERS THE AREA... THANKS TO A RIDGE THAT PASSES THROUGH THE SOUTHERN BAHAMAS... THE WINDWARD PASSAGE...THE WEST CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA...AND HONDURAS/NICARAGUA. BROAD SURFACE LOW PRESSURE COVERS ROUGHLY THE NORTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE AREA. A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDS FROM A 1009 MB LOW PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 18N86W...TO 20N86W 22N85W 23N84W. UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE COVERS THE CARIBBEAN SEA TO THE WEST OF THE LINE THAT RUNS FROM THE MONA PASSAGE TO THE COLOMBIA COAST NEAR 11N74W. HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE WITH THIS FEATURE PASSES THROUGH THE FLORIDA STRAITS...ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA...AND EVENTUALLY IT REACHES 31N67W IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS ALONG 28N44W TO A 24N47W CYCLONIC CIRCULATION CENTER...INTO NORTH CENTRAL VENEZUELA. COMPARATIVELY DRIER AIR IN WATER VAPOR IMAGERY IS WITHIN 200 TO 300 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF THE LINE THAT RUNS FROM 24N50W TO 18N60W 7N73W IN NORTHERN COLOMBIA. PLEASE READ THE HIGH SEAS FORECAST...MIAHSFAT2...AND THE OFFSHORE FORECAST...MIAOFFNT3... FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE 20 TO 25 KNOT WINDS AND 10 FOOT SEA HEIGHTS TO THE SOUTH OF 18N TO THE EAST OF 83W. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... TROPICAL STORM ALBERTO HAS BEEN DOWNGRADED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION. THE SPECIAL FEATURES SECTION CONTAINS MORE DETAILS. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS ALONG 28N44W TO A 24N47W CYCLONIC CIRCULATION CENTER...INTO NORTH CENTRAL VENEZUELA. BROAD SURFACE ANTICYCLONIC WIND FLOW COVERS THE AREA TO THE NORTH OF 13N... MOVING AROUND A RIDGE THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N20W...TO 28N39W AND BEYOND A 1027 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 33N54W. PLEASE READ THE HIGH SEAS FORECAST...MIAHSFAT2...FOR DETAILS ABOUT THE 20 KNOT WINDS AND SEA HEIGHTS REACHING 9 FEET BETWEEN 35W AND 63W. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ MT