000 AXNT20 KNHC 260554 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION...CORRECTED NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 105 PM EST FRI DEC 26 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 0000 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 0430 UTC. ...SPECIAL FEATURES... STRONG HIGH PRES BEHIND THE COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS THE W CARIBBEAN WILL DRIVE INCREASING WINDS ALONG THE COAST OF COLOMBIA WHICH WILL REACH GALE FORCE THROUGH FRI MORNING. SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO BE FROM 10-12 FEET ACROSS THIS AREA. PLEASE REFER TO THE HIGH SEAS FORECAST...MIAHSFAT2/FZNT02 KNHC...AND THE OFFSHORE FORECAST...MIAOFFNT3/FZNT23 KNHC...FOR MORE DETAILS. ...THE ITCZ/THE MONSOON TROUGH... THE MONSOON TROUGH REMAINS ACROSS AFRICA TO 6N18W. THE ITCZ EXTENDS FROM 6N18W TO 6N51W. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION FROM 3N-8N BETWEEN 25W-42W. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE AREA AFTER THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. WITH THIS...A GENTLE TO MODERATE ANTICYCLONIC FLOW IS OBSERVED ACROSS THE BASIN. UPPER-LEVEL SW FLOW IS BRINGING PLENTY OF MOISTURE TO THE GULF FROM THE EPAC AND W CARIBBEAN. ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE N OF 27N AND W OF 90W. LOOKING AHEAD OVER THE NEXT 24-48 HOURS...EXPECT FOR THE NEXT COLD FRONT TO APPROACH THE TEXAS COAST BY SAT AND THEN SLOWLY MOVING INTO THE NW GULF. CARIBBEAN SEA... FRESH TO STRONG TRADEWINDS PREVAIL ACROSS THE EAST AND CENTRAL CARIBBEAN WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS OF 25-30 KT NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA. THE LATEST SCATTEROMETER DATA ONCE AGAIN CONFIRMED THE PRESENCE OF THESE WIND SPEEDS. SEE THE SPECIAL FEATURES ABOVE FOR MORE INFORMATION. A COLD FRONT IS MOVING ACROSS THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN ALONG WESTERN CUBA TO HONDURAS. GENTLE TO MODERATE NORTHERLY WINDS ARE BLOWING ACROSS THE NW CARIBBEAN BEHIND OF THE FRONT WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS ALONG THE BOUNDARY. SHALLOW MOISTURE EMBEDDED IN THE TRADE WIND FLOW CONTINUES TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION PRODUCING ISOLATED PASSING SHOWERS AFFECTING THE LESSER ANTILLES AND PUERTO RICO. GENTLE TRADEWINDS PREVAIL ELSEWHERE WITH FAIR WEATHER DUE TO STRONG SUBSIDENCE. EXPECT FOR THE COLD FRONT TO STALL FROM WESTERN CUBA TO THE GULF OF HONDURAS AND GRADUALLY DISSIPATE THROUGH FRI. FRESH NORTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT. MODEL GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT A WEAKENING FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL REACH THE GREATER ANTILLES ON SUNDAY WITH A BAND OF MOISTURE EXTENDING ACROSS PUERTO RICO...HISPANIOLA AND EASTERN CUBA. HISPANIOLA... A DRY AIR MASS CONTINUES ACROSS THE ISLAND SUPPORTING FAIR WEATHER. SHALLOW MOISTURE EMBEDDED IN THE TRADE WIND FLOW CONTINUES TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION PRODUCING WEAK...ISOLATED PASSING SHOWERS. A WEAKENING FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL BRING SOME INCREASE IN MOISTURE AND POSSIBLY ENHANCING CONVECTION BY SUNDAY. ATLANTIC OCEAN... THE COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO MOVE E ACROSS THE SW PORTION OF THE BASIN...EXTENDING FROM 44N64W TO WESTERN CUBA NEAR 23N80W THEN S ACROSS THE W CARIBBEAN. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION REMAINS N OF 30N BETWEEN 55W-68W. A 1023 MB HIGH IS E OF THE FRONT CENTERED NEAR 32N59W AND EXTENDING A RIDGE ACROSS THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC AND THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA. MODERATE TO LOCALLY FRESH EASTERLY WINDS ARE NOTED ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE RIDGE. TO THE E...ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS PRODUCING SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION N OF 21N BETWEEN 24W- 46W. THIS BOUNDARY EXTENDS FROM 32N70W TO WESTERN CUBA. EXPECT FOR THE COLD FRONT ACROSS THE W ATLANTIC TO WEAKEN AND STALL ENHANCING CONVECTION ACROSS THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC AND CARIBBEAN WHILE THE FRONT ACROSS THE E ATLANTIC WILL CONTINUE MOVING E WITH CONVECTION. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ DGS