000 AXNT20 KNHC 191123 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 805 AM EDT TUE MAR 19 2013 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 1045 UTC. ...THE ITCZ/THE MONSOON TROUGH... THE MONSOON TROUGH PASSES THROUGH COASTAL SIERRA LEONE NEAR 8N13W TO 5N15W AND 3N22W. THE ITCZ CONTINUES FROM 3N22W... CROSSING THE EQUATOR ALONG 31W...TO 3S35W. CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION...SCATTERED MODERATE TO ISOLATED STRONG FROM 1N TO 7N BETWEEN 11W AND 28W...SCATTERED STRONG TO THE SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST OF 2S41W 2N46W 3N48W 4N50W...SCATTERED MODERATE TO ISOLATED STRONG ELSEWHERE TO THE SOUTH OF 7N BETWEEN 49W AND 53W. ...DISCUSSION... THE GULF OF MEXICO... A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PASSES THROUGH CENTRAL GEORGIA...TO 27N86W IN THE GULF OF MEXICO...TO 23N89W TO THE NORTH OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA. SCATTERED MODERATE TO ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION IS FROM 22N TO 26N TO THE EAST OF 87W. IT IS RAINING IN THE FLORIDA KEYS...IN KEY WEST AND IN MARATHON. THE SKIES ARE BECOMING COMPARATIVELY CLEARER ALONG THE FLORIDA WEST COAST FROM NAPLES TOWARD TAMPA. THE LATEST REPORT FROM THE TAMPA VANDENBERG AIRPORT SHOWED A VISIBILITY OF 1.5 MILES AND FOG...AND 2 MILES AND FOG IN BROOKSVILLE. A SECOND MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PASSES THROUGH MISSISSIPPI AND LOUISIANA...TO 27N92W IN THE NORTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE GULF OF MEXICO...TO 21N94W IN THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE AREA. THIS TROUGH SUPPORTS A COLD FRONT THAT PASSES THROUGH ALABAMA NEAR 32N87W...TO COASTAL SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA...TO THE TEXAS COAST NEAR 29N95W...ALONG 28N/29N IN TEXAS...CURVING NORTHWESTWARD BEYOND FAR WEST TEXAS. A SURFACE TROUGH IS ALONG 32N78W IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... TO FLORIDA NEAR 29N82W...CURVING TO THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE... AND THEN PARALLEL TO THE COLD FRONT IN SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA. RAINSHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE TO THE NORTH OF 29N BETWEEN 83W AND 86W IN THE GULF WATERS AND IN FLORIDA. RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE ALSO IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE NORTH OF 23N TO THE WEST OF 70W. THE OFFSHORE OIL PLATFORM SITES THAT ARE TO THE NORTH OF 27N TO THE WEST OF 88W... FAIR SKIES WITH VISIBILITIES RANGING FROM 5 TO 6 MILES AND FOG ARE ALONG AND TO THE EAST OF 90W. THE LOW CLOUD CEILINGS THAT WERE JUST OFF THE LOUISIANA GULF COAST HAVE BEEN CLEARING DURING THE LAST HOUR OR SO. THE VISIBILITIES RANGE FROM 1/4 OF A MILE AT THE ICAO STATIONS KMZG AND KBBF TO 2.5 MILES AT KGVX... FOR THE STATIONS THAT ARE ALONG THE TEXAS GULF COAST. AREAS OF FOG AND VISIBILITIES RANGING FROM 3 MILES TO 6 MILES ARE BEING OBSERVED AT THE OTHER PLATFORM SITES THAT ARE BETWEEN 92W AND 94W. ICAO STATION KEHC REPORTS A VISIBILITY OF 2.5 MILES AND FOG. LOW CLOUD CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES OF 3 MILES OR LESS ARE IN THE DEEP SOUTH OF TEXAS. A FEW STATIONS ARE REPORTING VISIBILITIES OF ONE MILE OR LESS. FAIR SKIES WITH LIGHT AMOUNTS OF FOG COVER THE REST OF THE TEXAS GULF COAST AREA. OVERCAST LOW CLOUDS ARE REPORTED IN PARTS OF THE SOUTHEASTERN CORNER OF LOUISIANA. FAIR SKIES/CLEARING SKIES COVER THE REST OF THE LOUISIANA GULF COASTAL PLAINS. OVERCAST MULTILAYERED CLOUDS COVER THE GULF COASTAL PLAINS BETWEEN SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA AND THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND PERRY FLORIDA. RAIN HAS BEEN ENDING IN THAT PART OF FLORIDA. PLEASE READ THE HIGH SEAS FORECAST...MIAHSFAT2...AND THE OFFSHORE FORECAST...MIAOFFNT4...FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT 20 TO 25 KNOT WINDS AND 8 FOOT SEA HEIGHTS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FROM 24N TO 28N BETWEEN 84W AND 88W. THE 30 HOUR FORECAST IS FOR A COLD FRONT FROM 30N88W TO 26N97W. EXPECT 20 TO 25 KNOT WINDS AND SEA HEIGHTS LOWER THAN 8 FEET TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE FRONT. THE CARIBBEAN SEA... A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL RIDGE PASSES THROUGH 32N69W IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN...TO 27N72W...TO 19N80W IN THE NORTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA...TO 11N80W IN THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE AREA. BROAD MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC WIND FLOW SPANS THE AREA. RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE TO THE NORTH...NORTHEAST...AND EAST OF THE LINE 16N80W 15N70W 15N65W 11N63W...IN AREAS OF BROKEN LOW LEVEL TO MIDDLE LEVEL CLOUDS. PLEASE READ THE HIGH SEAS FORECAST...MIAHSFAT2...AND THE OFFSHORE FORECAST...MIAOFFNT3...FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT 20 TO 25 KNOT WINDS AND 8 TO 10 FOOT SEA HEIGHTS FROM 10N TO 14N BETWEEN 69W AND 78W. EXPECT 20 TO 25 KNOT WINDS AND 8 FOOT SEA HEIGHTS FROM 14N TO 18N BETWEEN 69W AND 75W. EXPECT 20 TO 25 KNOT WINDS AND 8 FOOT SEA HEIGHTS TO THE SOUTH OF 18N BETWEEN 84W AND 87W...INCLUDING IN THE GULF OF HONDURAS. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE NORTH OF 23N TO THE WEST OF 70W. THIS PRECIPITATION IS RELATED TO THE MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH THAT IS MOVING THROUGH THE EASTERN HALF OF THE GULF OF MEXICO. A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL RIDGE PASSES THROUGH 32N69W... TO 27N72W...TO 19N80W IN THE NORTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA...TO 11N80W IN THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA. A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PASSES THROUGH 32N17W TO 26N25W...22N40W AND 19N49W. THE TROUGH SUPPORTS A SURFACE TROUGH THAT IS ALONG 31N18N 27N22W 24N26W. RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE LINE THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N10W 25N19W 19N23W 15N50W TO 10N56W. A SURFACE RIDGE IS ALONG 32N29W...TO 27N34W...TO A 1024 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 27N56W...TO 28N67W...AND 27N73W. PLEASE READ THE HIGH SEAS FORECAST...MIAHSFAT2...FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT...20 KNOT WINDS OR LESS AND 9 FOOT SEA HEIGHTS THAT ARE TO THE NORTH OF 29N TO THE EAST OF 50W...WITH A COLD FRONT THAT IS JUST TO THE NORTH OF THE AREA. EXPECT 20 TO 25 KNOT WINDS AND 8 FOOT SEA HEIGHTS THAT ARE TO THE SOUTH OF 11N BETWEEN 40W AND 47W. EXPECT 20 TO 25 KNOT WINDS AND SEA HEIGHTS LESS THAN 8 FEET TO THE SOUTH OF 22N BETWEEN 70W AND 75W. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ MT