000 AXPZ20 KNHC 182149 TWDEP TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 2205 UTC TUE MAR 18 2008 TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN FROM THE EQUATOR TO 32N...EAST OF 140W. BASED ON 1800 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 2115 UTC. ...ITCZ... ITCZ AXIS IS ALONG THE LINE...3N78W 4N88W 4N100W 4N110W 5N120W 4N130W 2N140W. SCATTERED MODERATE/ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTION IS WITHIN 180 NM N OF THE AXIS BETWEEN 112W-116W...120W-123W AND WITHIN 90 NM S OF THE AXIS BETWEEN 83W-86W. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION EXISTS FROM 5N-7N BETWEEN 123W-127W. ...DISCUSSION... UPPER LEVELS... STRONG SHORTWAVE IS OVER MEXICO APPROACHING THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY. MULTI LEVEL CLOUDS ARE N OF 27N E OF 108W MOVING E. A LARGE AREA OF DRY AND CLOUD FREE MIDDLE AND UPPER LEVELS IS ELSEWHERE EAST OF 135W AND NORTH OF A LINE 23N135W 15N120W 17N110W 23N100W. THIS AREA IS ESSENTIALLY A WEAK MAINLY UPPER LEVEL TROUGH TRAILING BEHIND THE STRONG SHORTWAVE. A MID/UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IS AMPLIFYING OVER THE WRN PORTION OF THE AREA FROM 14N130W NW THROUGH 22N136W TO NW OF THE REGION AT 26N140W. MID/UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE IS STREAMING INTO THE REGION UP OVER THE RIDGE AND REACHES TO NEAR 130W. ELSEWHERE BROAD ANTICYCLONIC FLOW COVERS THE REGION W OF ABOUT 120W. AN AREA OF UPPER MOISTURE AND MULTI LEVEL CLOUDS WITH SOME EMBEDDED CONVECTION IS EMANATING FROM THE ITCZ E OF A LINE FROM THE ITCZ NEAR 120W TO 15N105W TO EXTREME SE TEXAS TO W OF 95W. SURFACE...A NEARLY STATIONARY 1033 MB HIGH IS N OF THE AREA NEAR 32N140W WITH A RIDGE SE THROUGH 27N130W 24N121W TO NEAR 20N111W. HIGH PRES COVERS THE AREA N OF 13N W OF 107W. A STRONG STRONG 996 MB LOW...A REFLECTION OF THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH...IS OVER SRN TEXAS WITH A COLD FRONT SSW TO NEAR ACAPULCO MEXICO. GAP WINDS IN THE GULF OF PAPAGAYO REGION ARE NE-E 20-25 KT...AND ARE FORECAST TO DIMINISH T0 20 KT IN ABOUT 24-36 HRS. GAP WINDS WILL BEGIN IN THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC WED AFTERNOON AND INCREASE TO GALE FORCE WEDNESDAY NIGHT. $$ AGUIRRE