000 AXPZ20 KNHC 211851 AAA TWDEP TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION...AMENDED NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 1845 UTC MON AUG 21 2006 TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN FROM THE EQUATOR TO 32N...EAST OF 140W. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS BASED ON SATELLITE IMAGERY...WEATHER OBSERVATIONS...RADAR...AND METEOROLOGICAL ANALYSIS. BASED ON 1500 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 1815 UTC. ...SPECIAL FEATURES... TROPICAL STORM HECTOR NEAR 21.8N 135.4W 1005 MB AT 1500 UTC AUG 21 MOVING NW OR 315 DEG AT 6 KT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN 35 KT WITH GUSTS TO 45 KT. MOST RECENT SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES THAT THE LOW LEVEL CENTER IS TOTALLY EXPOSED WITH SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION WELL REMOVED FROM THE CENTER AND LOCATED GENERALLY BETWEEN 125 AND 175 NM IN THE NORTHERN SEMICIRCLE. HECTOR REMAINS IN A VERY HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT CHARACTERIZED BY DRY AIR ENTRAINING INTO THE CIRCULATION AND CONTINUED WESTERLY SHEAR. HECTOR SHOULD BE DOWNGRADED TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION LATER TODAY AND A REMNANT LOW WITHIN THE NEXT 18-24 HOURS AS THE SYSTEM TRACKS OVER INCREASINGLY COOLER WATERS AND REMAINS IN THE HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT. SEE LATEST NHC FORECAST/ADVISORY UNDER AWIPS/WMO HEADERS MIATCMEP4/WTPZ24 KNHC FOR MORE DETAILS. TROPICAL DEPRESSION TEN-E HAS DEVELOPED NEAR 12,8N 102.8W AT 1600 UTC MOVING NW OR 305 DEG AT 9 KT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE 30 KT GUSTS 40 KT. THE DEPRESSION IS WELL ORGANIZED WITH BANDS OF STRONG CONVECTION WITHIN 180 TO 210 NM OF THE CENTER. UPPER LEVEL OUTFLOW IS EXCELLENT DESPITE THE SYSTEM'S LOCATION TO THE SOUTH OF A CYCLONIC CIRCULATION OVER THE COAST OF MEXICO NEAR VERACRUZ. THE SYSTEM IS ALSO WELL SOUTHEAST OF AN UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONE OVER SOUTHERN BAJA CALIFORNIA IN AN AREA OF DIFFLUENT UPPER LEVEL FLOW. THE SYSTEM IS TRACKING WWD INTO AN INCREASINGLY FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR INTENSIFICATION AND SHOULD BECOME A TROPICAL STORM WITHIN THE NEXT 12 HOURS. ...TROPICAL WAVES... A TROPICAL WAVE ALONG 127W FROM 4N TO 15N MOVING W AT 10-15 KT. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS WITHIN 240 NM EITHER SIDE OF THE WAVE AXIS AND GENERALLY ALONG THE ITCZ BUT WITH NO ORGANIZATION. ...ITCZ... THE ITCZ AXIS IS ALONG 7N78W 9N100W 13N98W 8N117W 17N135W 16N140W. SCATTERED MODERATE WITHIN 120 NM N OF AXIS BETWEEN 88W AND 95W...AND WITHIN 120-150 NM S OF THE AXIS BETWEEN 122W AND 131W. SCATTERED STRONG CONVECTION WITHIN 90-120 NM OF THE COAST OF MEXICO FROM 20N TO 23N AND NEAR THE ENTRANCE TO THE SEA OF CORTEZ. SCATTERED MODERATE TO STRONG CONVECTION FROM 3N TO 6N BETWEEN 78W AND 82W. ...DISCUSSION... W OF 100W... OVERALL FLOW HAS AMPLIFIED WITH FAIRLY STRONG WESTERLIES CONFINED TO THE AREA W OF 135W AND N OF 27N E OF 135W. AREAS OF MODERATE TO STRONG UPPER LEVEL SUBSIDENCE/DRY AIR WERE INDICATED N OF 2ON W OF 130W AND N OF 27N E OF 125W. STRUGGLING TROPICAL STORM HECTOR IS EMBEDDED WITHIN THIS HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT WHICH HAS CONTRIBUTED TO RAPID WEAKENING OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS. A WEAK ANTICYCLONE WAS LOCATED NEAR 23N125W AND A DOWNSTREAM SHARP UPPER LEVEL SHEAR AXIS/TROUGH HAS FRACTURED WITH A CYCLONIC CIRCULATION NEAR 16N118W MOVING W 10 KT AND A REMNANT SHEAR AXIS EXTENDING FROM NORTHERN BAJA CALIFORNIA SWD TO 14N116W. DIFFUSE ANTICYCLONE WAS CENTERED OVER SOUTHERN BAJA CALIFORNIA NEAR 24N111W. DIFFLUENT FLOW WAS NOTED OVER THE DEEP TROPICS IN THE VICINITY OF THE ITCZ WITH ACTIVE CONVECTION NOTED WITHIN 120-150 NM OF THE AXIS BETWEEN 122W AND 131W. E OF 100W... DIFFLUENT FLOW SOUTH OF THE ANTICYCLONE NEAR 24N111W AND THE CYCLONIC CIRCULATION ALONG THE EAST COAST OF MEXICO NEAR VERACRUZ/20N97W DOMINATED MOST OF THE TROPICAL PACIFIC E OF 100W. THIS AREA OF DIFFLUENCE WAS ENHANCING CLUSTERS OF STRONG CONVECTION AND PROVIDING A FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF A 1008 MB LOW NEAR 12N103W. $$ COBB