000 AXNT20 KNHC 051740 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 105 PM EST THU MAR 05 2015 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 1645 UTC. ...SPECIAL FEATURES... ...GALE WARNING FOR THE SW CARIBBEAN... A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE COASTAL WATERS OF COLOMBIA FROM 10.5N TO 13.5N BETWEEN 74W AND 77W. THE WINDS WILL BE BELOW GALE FORCE LATER THIS AFTERNOON THEN WILL RESUME LATER THIS EVENING AND WILL PULSE OVERNIGHT FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST HIGH SEAS FORECAST UNDER AWIPS/WMO HEADERS MIAHSFAT2/FZNT02 KNHC FOR MORE DETAILS. ...GALE WARNING FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO... A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NW GULF W OF A COLD FRONT THAT AT 05/1200 UTC EXTENDS FROM SE LOUISIANA TO TAMPICO. GALE CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE AS THE FRONT SHIFTS SE THROUGH SAT MORNING. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST HIGH SEAS FORECAST UNDER AWIPS/WMO HEADERS MIAHSFAT2/FZNT02 KNHC FOR MORE DETAILS. ...ITCZ/MONSOON TROUGH... THE MONSOON TROUGH EXTENDS ACROSS AFRICA INTO THE TROPICAL ATLC NEAR 9N13W ALONG 4N15W TO 2N17W WHERE THE ITCZ BEGINS AND CONTINUES S OF THE EQUATOR NEAR 31W. CLUSTERS OF ISOLATED MODERATE CONVECTION ARE FROM 2N TO S OF THE EQUATOR BETWEEN 33W- 47W. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... AN UPPER TROUGH IS MOVING ACROSS THE PLAIN STATES TOWARD THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY SUPPORTING A COLD FRONT THAT AT 05/1500 UTC ENTERS THE GULF NEAR PENSACOLA FLORIDA ALONG 26N93W TO INLAND OVER MEXICO NEAR 20N97W. SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE WITHIN 45 NM E OF THE FRONT N OF 28N. STRONG TO GALE FORCE WINDS WITH DENSE LOW TO MID CLOUDS AND POSSIBLE ISOLATED SHOWERS COVERS THE GULF W OF THE FRONT. A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH IS IN THE SW GULF EXTENDING FROM 22N96W TO S MEXICO NEAR 18N95W. AN UPPER RIDGE IS ANCHORED IN THE E PACIFIC REGION WITH AN UPPER RIDGE AXIS EXTENDING ACROSS THE YUCATAN PENINSULA...THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA AND INTO THE W ATLC GIVING THE GULF SW FLOW ALOFT. A SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS ACROSS THE W ATLC AND THE FLORIDA PENINSULA TO OVER THE E GULF TO 90W. THIS SURFACE RIDGE WILL GIVE WAY TO THE COLD FRONT AS IT MOVES SE. THE FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM CENTRAL FLORIDA TO THE CENTRAL BAY OF CAMPECHE BY TONIGHT BEFORE STALLING OVER THE SE GULF LATE FRI AND DISSIPATING SAT. CARIBBEAN SEA... AN UPPER RIDGE IS ANCHORED IN THE E PACIFIC REGION WITH AN UPPER RIDGE AXIS EXTENDING ACROSS THE YUCATAN PENINSULA...THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA AND INTO THE W ATLC COVERING THE NW CARIBBEAN WHILE AN UPPER TROUGH EXTENDS FROM AN UPPER LOW IN THE E ATLC THROUGH THE W TROPICAL ATLC INTO THE CARIBBEAN ACROSS THE LEEWARD ISLANDS TO THE SW CARIBBEAN NEAR COSTA RICA. RELATIVELY DRY AND STABLE AIR WITH STRONG SUBSIDENCE ALOFT COVERS THE ENTIRE BASIN. THE SURFACE RIDGE OVER THE ATLC IS PRODUCING A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT TO GIVE STRONG EASTERLY TRADE WINDS ACROSS THE BASIN WITH THE WINDS PULSING TO GALE FORCE ALONG THE COAST OF COLOMBIA. THESE EASTERLY TRADE WINDS ARE GENERATING ISOLATED SHOWERS ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN S OF 20N E OF 79W AND S OF 17N W OF 79W. ...HISPANIOLA... THE EASTERLY TRADE WINDS ARE GENERATING ISOLATED SHOWERS ACROSS THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC THIS AFTERNOON. THESE ISOLATED SHOWERS COULD CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. ATLANTIC OCEAN... AN UPPER RIDGE IS ANCHORED IN THE E PACIFIC REGION WITH AN UPPER RIDGE AXIS EXTENDING ACROSS THE YUCATAN PENINSULA...THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA AND INTO THE W ATLC TO BEYOND 32N65W. AN UPPER TROUGH EXTENDS FROM THE E ATLC ALONG 32N36W TO AN UPPER LOW NEAR 27N42W CONTINUING INTO THE W TROPICAL ATLC NEAR 20N51W THEN ACROSS THE LEEWARD ISLANDS INTO THE CARIBBEAN. AT THE SURFACE...A BROAD SURFACE RIDGE COVERS THE ATLC BASIN THAT IS SPLIT N OF 32N BY A WEAK COLD FRONT. A 1032 MB HIGH IS IN THE CENTRAL ATLC NEAR 33N51W AND A 1031 MB HIGH IN THE E ATLC NEAR 34N31W. THE GULF OF MEXICO COLD FRONT WILL MOVE OFF THE SE GEORGIA COAST LATE TONIGHT AND EXTEND FROM NEAR BERMUDA TO CENTRAL FLORIDA FRI. THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE FRONT WILL STALL AND DISSIPATE OVER THE SE GULF OF MEXICO/W ATLC THROUGH SAT WHILE THE NORTHERN PART OF THE FRONT SHIFTS E INTO THE CENTRAL ATLC LATE SAT. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ PAW