000 AXNT20 KNHC 051739 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 105 PM EST THU DEC 05 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 1200 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 1715 UTC. ...ITCZ/MONSOON TROUGH... THE MONSOON TROUGH AXIS EXTENDS ACROSS AFRICA INTO THE TROPICAL ATLC NEAR 8N13W TO 9N18W WHERE THE ITCZ BEGINS AND CONTINUES ALONG 10N24W 8N36W 8N48W TO SOUTH AMERICA NEAR 6N57W. CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION ARE FROM 3N-13N BETWEEN 14W- 46W. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... A LARGE UPPER RIDGE DOMINATES THE GULF THIS AFTERNOON ANCHORED IN THE NW CARIBBEAN EXTENDING A RIDGE AXIS ACROSS NE YUCATAN TO THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA THEN NE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND. AN UPPER TROUGH IS CURRENTLY OVER THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS SUPPORTING THE NEXT COLD FRONT THAT EXTENDS JUST INLAND ALONG THE COAST OF TEXAS AND WILL MOVE OFFSHORE LATER THIS AFTERNOON. THE SURFACE RIDGE ANCHORED N OF BERMUDA COVERING THE E GULF OF MEXICO IS BEGINNING TO RETREAT EAST AS THE FRONT PUSHES THROUGH E TEXAS. SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW ACROSS THE N GULF COAST COUPLED WITH THE DIFFLUNCE ALOFT ARE GENERATING SCATTERED SHOWERS MOSTLY INLAND OVER THE SE CONUS AND ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COASTLINE FROM W FLORIDA TO TEXAS AND NE MEXICO. THIS IS LEAVING THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF UNDER MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES THIS AFTERNOON. THE COLD FRONT WILL STALL THEN MEANDER TO NEAR PENSACOLA FLORIDA TO VERACRUZ MEXICO SAT MONRING LINGERING THROUGH MON. A STRONGER COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO THE NW GULF LATE MON. CARIBBEAN SEA... THE UPPER RIDGE DOMINATING THE GULF OF MEXICO IS ANCHORED IN THE NW CARIBBEAN NEAR 18N85W WITH A SECOND RIDGE AXIS EXTENDING TO OVER CENTRAL PANAMA COVERING THE CARIBBEAN W OF 76W. THE BROAD UPPER TROUGH OVER THE W/CENTRAL ATLC EXTENDS S OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE CARIBBEAN WITH A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDING FROM THE CENTRAL ATLC NEAR 19N63W THROUGH THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND ACROSS S PUERTO RICO INTO THE CARIBBEAN ALONG 18N67W TO 17N71W. SCATTERED SHOWERS/ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE N OF 16N TO ACROSS THE ISLANDS BETWEEN 63W-66W WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS COVERING THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA N OF 18N BETWEEN 66W-69W. EASTERLY TRADE WINDS ARE USHERING IN SOME ISOLATED LOW LEVEL SHOWERS ACROSS THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN WITHIN 120 NM OF LINE FROM 17N66W 15N75W TO 16N82W. PUERTO RICO HAS REPORTED ALMOST 2 INCHES OF RAIN IN THE PAST 24 HOURS. THESE SAME TRADE WINDS ARE BANKING LOW LEVEL CLOUDS WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS/ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO INLAND OVER W PANAMA AND COSTA RICA W OF LINE FROM 9N80W TO THE COSTA RICA/NICARAGUA BORDER. THE SURFACE RIDGE OVER THE W ATLC WILL STRENGTHEN INCREASING THE TRADE WINDS OVER THE CARIBBEAN THROUGH THE WEEKEND. HISPANIOLA... A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDS FROM THE CENTRAL ATLC NEAR 19N63W THROUGH THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND ACROSS S PUERTO RICO INTO THE CARIBBEAN ALONG 18N67W TO 17N71W. ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE OVER IN THE N CARIBBEAN N OF 18N BETWEEN 66W-69W AND COVERING MOST OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. THESE ISOLATED SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH A POSSIBLE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING THE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING. THIS SCENARIO WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. ATLANTIC OCEAN... THE UPPER RIDGE OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO COVERS THE FAR W ATLC. A SURFACE RIDGE COVERS THE W ATLC W OF 60W ANCHORED BY A 1026 MB HIGH N OF BERMUDA AND EXTENDING OVER THE E GULF OF MEXICO. BROAD UPPER TROUGH COVERS THE REMAINDER OF THE W ATLC AND INTO THE CENTRAL ATLC SUPPORTING A COLD FRONT THAT ENTERS THE CENTRAL ATLC NEAR 32N52W AND EXTENDS TO 25N58W. AN UPPER RIDGE TO THE E IS PROVIDING DIFFLUENCE ALOFT TO GENERATE SCATTERED SHOWERS/ ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN 250 NM E OF THE FRONT. A LINGERING SURFACE TROUGH IS S OF THE FRONT EXTENDING FROM 22N57W ALONG 19N63W THEN THROUGH THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND ACROSS S PUERTO RICO INTO THE CARIBBEAN GENERATING SCATTERED SHOWERS/ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN 90/120 NM EITHER SIDE OF THE SURFACE TROUGH E OF 66W WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS S OF 20N BETWEEN 66W-69W. A WEAK SURFACE RIDGE IS WEDGE BETWEEN THE FRONT TO THE W AND THE SUBTROPICAL LOW 996 MB LOW OVER THE E ATLC NEAR 33N28W WITH A 1021 MB HIGH NEAR 27N42W. CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED SHOWERS/ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUBTROPICAL LOW COVERING THE AREA N OF 27N BETWEEN 18W-27W. AN UPPER RIDGE EXTENDS FROM OVER AFRICA INTO THE TROPICAL ATLC ALONG 9N TO 32W IS PROVIDING DIFFLUNCE ALOFT TO GENERATE SCATTERED SHOWERS/ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN 75 NM OF LINE FROM 20N22W TO 25N16W INCLUDING A PORTION OF THE COAST OF WESTERN SAHARA. THE SURFACE RIDGE OVER THE W ATLC WILL STRENGTHEN THROUGH THE WEEKEND. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ PAW