000 AXNT20 KNHC 060601 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 205 AM EDT SAT APR 06 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 SIERRA LEONE NEAR 8N13W TO 5N15W AND 4N18W. THE ITCZ CONTINUES FROM 4N18W TO 2N28W...CROSSING THE EQUATOR ALONG 37W...INTO NORTHEASTERN COASTA BRAZIL NEAR 3S44W. CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION... SCATTERED MODERATE TO STRONG TO THE SOUTH OF 3N BETWEEN 21W AND 28W...TO THE SOUTH OF 3N BETWEEN 30W AND 33W...AND FROM 2N TO 4N BETWEEN 34W AND 38W. ISOLATED MODERATE TO LOCALLY STRONG ELSEWHERE TO THE SOUTH OF 6N TO THE EAST OF 50W. ...DISCUSSION... FROM THE WESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN INTO THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO...AND INTO THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA... A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PASSES THROUGH 32N79W TO LAKE OKEECHOBEE IN FLORIDA...TO 23N85W IN THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO...THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL...TO SOUTHERN GUATEMALA. THE TROUGH SUPPORTS A COLD FRONT THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N73W TO 28N80W OFF THE FLORIDA COAST...THROUGH SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE FLORIDA KEYS...TO CUBA NEAR 23N82W...TO COASTAL HONDURAS NEAR 16N85W. CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION... BROKEN TO OVERCAST MULTILAYERED CLOUDS AND SCATTERED MODERATE TO STRONG WITHIN 300 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF 22N77W AT THE COAST OF CUBA...TO 27N73W AND BEYOND 32N71W. BROKEN TO OVERCAST MULTILAYERED CLOUDS AND ISOLATED MODERATE TO LOCALLY STRONG WITHIN 120 NM TO 180 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF 22N77W IN CUBA TO 18N80W...TO 15N83W NEAR THE BORDER OF EASTERN HONDURAS AND NORTHEASTERN NICARAGUA...TO 12N88W OFF THE COAST OF NICARAGUA IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN. MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL NORTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW COVERS THE GULF OF MEXICO ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE TROUGH. THE REST OF THE GULF OF MEXICO... SCATTERED HIGH CLOUDS ARE MOVING FROM TEXAS AND MEXICO TOWARD THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST...WITH THE MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL NORTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW. THE CLOUDS ARE IN THE GULF OF MEXICO TO THE NORTH OF 23N TO THE WEST OF 92W. THE HOUSTON METROPOLITAN AREA IS REPORTING A HIGH CLOUD CEILING. PLEASE READ THE HIGH SEAS FORECAST...MIAHSFAT2...AND THE OFFSHORE FORECAST...MIAOFFNT4...FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE COLD FRONT THAT IS TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE AREA. EXPECT 20 KNOT WINDS OR LESS AND 8 FOOT SEA HEIGHTS TO THE SOUTH OF 24N BETWEEN 83W AND 87W WINDS. FAIR SKIES COVER THE REST OF THE GULF COASTAL PLAINS OF THE U.S.A. FROM THE UPPER TEXAS GULF COAST EASTWARD TO PERRY FLORIDA. LOW CLOUD CEILINGS ARE REPORTED FROM BROOKSVILLE FLORIDA TO MARATHON KEY. FOR THE OFFSHORE OIL PLATFORM SITES THAT ARE TO THE NORTH OF 27N TO THE WEST OF 88W... ICAO STATION KGBK IS REPORTING A LOW CLOUD CEILING AT 2800 FEET. ICAO STATION KATP IS REPORTING A LOW CLOUD CEILING AT 3700 FEET. ICAO STATION KIPN IS REPORTING A LOW CEILING AT 3500 FEET. NO OTHER CLOUDS SHOW UP IN THE OBSERVATIONS. THE REST OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA... A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IS ALONG 12N72W IN NORTHEASTERN COLOMBIA...TO 16N71W...ACROSS THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND THE MONA PASSAGE...TO 24N64W IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN...BEYOND 32N55W. THE MONSOON TROUGH EXTENDS FROM 7N74W IN COLOMBIA TO 7N81W IN PANAMA...BEYOND 7N83W IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN. CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION...ISOLATED MODERATE TO LOCALLY STRONG IN COLOMBIA TO THE NORTH OF 5N TO THE WEST OF 74W. RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE ELSEWHERE TO THE NORTHEAST OF 15N73W 11N61W IN BROAD SURFACE SOUTHEASTERLY WIND FLOW. PLEASE READ THE HIGH SEAS FORECAST...MIAHSFAT2...AND THE OFFSHORE FORECAST...MIAOFFNT3...FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE 20 TO 25 KNOT WINDS AND 8 TO 10 FOOT SEA HEIGHTS FROM 11N TO 15N BETWEEN 74W AND 80W. A SECOND POINT OF INTEREST IS THE COLD FRONT FROM 22N82W TO 16N85W. EXPECT 20 TO 25 KNOT WINDS AND SEA HEIGHTS REACHING 9 FEET TO THE NORTH OF 19N TO THE WEST OF THE FRONT. THE REST OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... A SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS FROM A 1032 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 36N46W...THROUGH 32N52W TO 28N63W 25N69W...TO 24N73W JUST TO THE EAST OF THE BAHAMAS. ONE SURFACE TROUGH IS ALONG 23N64W IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... TO 19N64W AND 16N62W IN THE NORTHEASTERN CORNER OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA. RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE FROM 16N TO 26N BETWEEN 60W AND 66W. A SECOND SURFACE TROUGH IS ALONG 68W/69W FROM 18N TO 21N. RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE FROM 18N IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TO 22N IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN BETWEEN 68W AND 71W. A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PASSES THROUGH 32N34W TO 27N35W 22N40W TO 16N45W. THE TROUGH SUPPORTS A COLD FRONT THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N35W TO 29N40W AND 28N45W. RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE TO THE NORTHWEST AND NORTH OF THE LINE THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N26W TO 28N40W TO 26N51W. A SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS FROM A 1028 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 31N27W TO 26N34W AND 25N43W. PLEASE READ THE HIGH SEAS FORECAST...MIAHSFAT2...FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE COLD FRONT FROM 31N74W TO 27N80W TO 24N81W. EXPECT WINDS 20 KNOTS OR LESS...SEA HEIGHTS LOWER THAN 8 FEET...AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN 390 NM TO THE EAST OF THE FRONT. THE WINDS AND SEAS MAY BE HIGHER IN AND NEAR THE THUNDERSTORMS. A SECOND FEATURE IS A SURFACE TROUGH THAT IS ALONG 23N65W 18N64W. EXPECT 20 KNOT WINDS OR LESS AND SEA HEIGHTS REACHING 8 FEET FROM 17N TO 22N BETWEEN 56W AND 60W. EXPECT ALSO 20 KNOT WINDS OR LESS AND 8 TO 10 FOOT SEA HEIGHTS TO THE SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM 21N35W TO 19N53W TO 07N49W. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ MT