000 AXNT20 KNHC 280604 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 205 AM EDT THU MAR 28 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 0000 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 0515 UTC. ...THE ITCZ/THE MONSOON TROUGH... THE MONSOON TROUGH PASSES THROUGH COASTAL GUINEA NEAR 11N15W TO 6N17W 2N20W...CROSSING THE EQUATOR ALONG 23W. THE ITCZ CONTINUES FROM THE EQUATOR TO 1S27W 1S35W...AND 3S44W INTO NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL. CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS STRONG TO THE SOUTH OF THE LINE FROM 5N1W 2N1W 1N3W 3N11W 4N14W 7N18W...TO THE EQUATOR ALONG 17W. RAINSHOWERS ARE ELSEWHERE TO THE SOUTH OF 7N24W 4N30W 3N40W 4N47W 4N51W. ...DISCUSSION... FROM THE WESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN INTO THE CARIBBEAN SEA... A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL CYCLONIC CIRCULATION CENTER AND THE ACCOMPANYING TROUGH ARE WELL TO THE NORTH OF THE AREA. THESE FEATURES SUPPORT THE COLD FRONT THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N45W TO 30N49W...TO 24N60W 20N69W...ACROSS THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND HAITI TO 19N73W ALONG THE WEST CENTRAL COAST OF HAITI. A SHEAR AXIS FOR WIND SPEED CONTINUES FROM 19N73W TO 18N75W...BETWEEN HAITI AND JAMAICA... CURVING TO 15N80W AND 12N82W. BROKEN TO OVERCAST MULTILAYERED CLOUDS AND POSSIBLE RAINSHOWERS ARE TO THE NORTHWEST AND NORTH OF THE LINE THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N20W 29N40W 26N50W 22N56W...AND TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC NEAR 19N70W. RAINSHOWERS ALSO ARE POSSIBLE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE LINE...FROM THE WINDWARD PASSAGE TO 17N78W... TO 9N80W ALONG THE PANAMA COAST. THE GULF OF MEXICO... A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PASSES THROUGH 32N77W IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO 27N84W AND 22N90W. A SEPARATE AREA OF UPPER LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW IS MOVING FROM THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN...ACROSS SOUTHERN MEXICO...TOWARD THE WATERS THAT ARE JUST TO THE NORTH OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA. COMPARATIVELY DRIER AIR IN SUBSIDENCE COVERS THE AREA. A SURFACE RIDGE PASSES THROUGH A LOUISIANA 1027 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS JUST OFF THE SOUTHEASTERN COAST OF LOUISIANA NEAR 30N89W...TOWARD THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE AREA...TO THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC OF SOUTHERN MEXICO. PLEASE READ THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN HIGH SEAS FORECAST... MIAHSFEP2...AND THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION...MIATWDEP... FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE GALE-FORCE WIND WARNING FOR THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC...ON THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN SIDE OF SOUTHERN MEXICO. FOR THE OFFSHORE OIL PLATFORMS THAT ARE TO THE NORTH OF 27N TO THE WEST OF 88W... ICAO STATION KGVX...ALONG THE TEXAS GULF COAST... IS REPORTING A CLOUD CEILING AT 6500 FEET. ICAO STATION KGBK IS OBSERVING SCATTERED TO BROKEN LOW CLOUDS OFF THE SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA COAST. ICAO STATION KVBS IS REPORTING SCATTERED MIDDLE LEVEL CLOUDS. FAIR SKIES/CLEAR SKIES COVER THE REST OF THE PLATFORM SITES. NO STATION IS REPORTING SUSTAINED 20 KNOT WINDS. LOW LEVEL AND MIDDLE LEVEL CLOUD CEILINGS ARE OBSERVED FROM THE LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY OF TEXAS TO THE HOUSTON METROPOLITAN AREA. FAIR SKIES/CLEAR SKIES COVER THE REST OF THE GULF COAST PLAINS ELSEWHERE TO THE EAST OF HOUSTON... TO FLORIDA. THE REST OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA... THE CENTER OF A BROAD AREA OF MIDDLE LEVEL CYCLONIC WIND FLOW IS NEAR 16N64W IN THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA. NO CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION IS APPARENT WITH THIS FEATURE. BROAD MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC WIND FLOW COVERS THE CARIBBEAN SEA. UPPER LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW IS TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE LINE THAT PASSES THROUGH...THE WINDWARD PASSAGE...TO THE EASTERN COASTS/BORDERS OF HONDURAS AND NICARAGUA. A SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS FROM THE MADEIRA ARCHIPELAGO TO A 1021 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 25N31W TO 23N40W AND 20N60W. PLEASE READ THE HIGH SEAS FORECAST... MIAHSFAT2...AND THE OFFSHORE FORECAST... MIAOFFNT3...FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE COLD FRONT 20N73W 15N83W. EXPECT 20 TO 25 KNOT WINDS AND 8 FOOT SEA HEIGHTS TO THE SOUTH OF 18N TO THE WEST OF THE FRONT. EXPECT ALSO 20 TO 25 KNOT WINDS AND 8 FOOT SEA HEIGHTS FROM 10N TO 14N BETWEEN 70W AND 78W. THE REST OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IS ALONG 16N55W...TO 23N42W BEYOND 32N28W. A SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS FROM THE MADEIRA ARCHIPELAGO TO A 1021 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 25N31W TO 23N40W AND 20N60W. PLEASE READ THE HIGH SEAS FORECAST...MIAHSFAT2... FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE COLD FRONT 31N47W 20N68W. EXPECT 20 TO 25 KNOT WINDS AND 11 TO 20 FOOT SEA HEIGHTS TO THE NORTH OF 26N WITHIN 360 NM TO THE EAST OF THE FRONT. EXPECT 20 KNOT WINDS OR LESS AND 8 TO 12 FOOT SEA HEIGHTS TO THE NORTH OF 22N WITHIN 540 NM TO THE EAST OF 40W. EXPECT 20 TO 25 KNOT WINDS AND 10 TO 15 FOOT SEA HEIGHTS TO THE NORTH OF 28N TO THE WEST OF THE FRONT TO 63W. EXPECT ALSO 20 KNOT WINDS OR LESS AND 8 TO 10 FOOT SEA HEIGHTS ELSEWHERE TO THE NORTH OF 24N TO THE WEST OF THE FRONT TO 73W EXPECT 20 KNOTS OR LESS WIND AND SEA HEIGHTS TO 8N] THE SOUTH OF 10N BETWEEN 42W AND 52W. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ MT