000 AXNT20 KNHC 221804 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 105 PM EST MON DEC 22 2014 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. ...SPECIAL FEATURE... ...GALE-FORCE WINDS ARE FORECAST IN THE GULF OF MEXICO... A COLD FRONT...THAT CURRENTLY IS ORGANIZING ITSELF IN THE NORTHERN SECTIONS OF TEXAS...IS FORECAST TO MOVE OFF THE TEXAS GULF OF MEXICO COAST ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON. THE 42-HOUR FORECAST SHOWS THAT THE COLD FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM 30N92W TO 22N97W. GALE-FORCE NORTHWEST WINDS AND SEA HEIGHTS TO 8 FEET WILL COVER THE GULF OF MEXICO TO THE SOUTH OF 26N TO THE WEST OF THE FRONT. PLEASE READ THE HIGH SEAS FORECAST...MIAHSFAT2/FZNT02 KNHC...AND THE OFFSHORE FORECAST...MIAOFFNT4/FZNT24 KNHC...FOR MORE DETAILS. ...THE ITCZ/THE MONSOON TROUGH... THE MONSOON TROUGH PASSES THROUGH THE COASTAL SECTIONS OF SIERRA LEONE NEAR 8N13W TO 8N14W. THE ITCZ CONTINUES FROM 8N14W TO 8N27W 5N34W 6N40W AND 3N45W. CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION...NUMEROUS STRONG FROM 5N TO 7N BETWEEN 36W AND 41W. WIDELY SCATTERED MODERATE TO ISOLATED STRONG ELSEWHERE FROM 10N SOUTHWARD FROM 60W EASTWARD. ...DISCUSSION... ...FROM THE WESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN...ACROSS FLORIDA...INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO...AND INCLUDING THE REST OF THE GULF OF MEXICO... A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS DEVELOPING IN THE CENTRAL SECTIONS OF THE U.S.A. THIS TROUGH IS ORGANIZING ITSELF AND IT EVENTUALLY WILL BE SUPPORTING THE COLD FRONT THAT IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE NORTHWESTERN GULF OF MEXICO WATERS ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON. THIS IS THE COLD FRONT THAT WILL BRING GALE- FORCE WINDS INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO. PLEASE READ THE SPECIAL FEATURES SECTION. CURRENTLY...A STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDS FROM AN ATLANTIC OCEAN 1014 MB LOW PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 32N78W...TO GEORGIA NEAR 31N81W. A WARM FRONT CONTINUES FROM SOUTHEASTERN GEORGIA...ACROSS THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE NEAR 30N85W...IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO WATERS AND COASTAL PLAINS...ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA...TO THE TEXAS GULF COAST ALONG 95W FROM 29N TO 30N. LOW LEVEL CLOUD CEILINGS AND AREAS OF RAIN SHOWERS ARE IN THE U.S.A. GULF OF MEXICO COASTAL PLAINS. CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN...BROKEN TO OVERCAST MULTILAYERED CLOUDS AND POSSIBLE RAINSHOWERS ARE TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE LINE 26N80W 27N70W BEYOND 32N60W. MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW SPANS THE GULF OF MEXICO. FOR THE OFFSHORE OIL PLATFORM SITES THAT ARE TO THE NORTH OF 27N TO THE WEST OF 88W... LOW LEVEL CLOUD CEILINGS ARE BEING REPORTED AT...KVAF...KGBK... KATP...AND KSPR. LOW LEVEL CLOUD CEILINGS AND WEATHER...FOR THE COASTAL PLAINS OF THE U.S.A. FROM THE DEEP SOUTH OF TEXAS TO FLORIDA... LOW LEVEL CLOUD CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES OF 3 MILES OR LESS AND FOG COVER THE INTERIOR LOCATIONS OF THE DEEP SOUTH OF TEXAS. LOW LEVEL CLOUD CEILINGS COVER THE REST OF THE COASTAL PLAINS OF TEXAS...INTO LOUISIANA...AND EVENTUALLY TO THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE. AREAS OF RAINSHOWERS...SOME WITH THUNDER...ARE IN MISSISSIPPI AND IN THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...FROM PERRY FLORIDA WESTWARD. THE WARM FRONT IS IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO... FROM THE AREA OF THE UPPER TEXAS GULF COAST TO THE WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE. LOW LEVEL CLOUD CEILINGS CONTINUE FROM BROOKSVILLE FLORIDA TO THE TAMPA-SAINT PETERSBURG METROPOLITAN AREA...AND TO PUNTA GORDA FLORIDA. ...THE CARIBBEAN SEA... A MIDDLE LE