000 AXPZ20 KNHC 082209 TWDEP TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 2205 UTC MON FEB 08 2010 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 2100 UTC. ...ITCZ... AXIS ANALYZED ALONG 04N77W TO 04N81W TO 07N88W TO 04N94W TO 05N111W TO 07.5N123W TO 07N130W TO 09N135W TO 08N140W. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION WAS OCCURRING WITHIN 120 NM N OF AXIS BETWEEN 118W AND 134W. ...DISCUSSION... HIGH AMPLITUDE BLOCKING UPPER PATTERN EXTENDING FROM SRN HEMISPHERE ACROSS THE EQUATOR AND INTO S HALF OF AREA PAST TWO DAYS HAS BEGUN TO SHIFT S AND BACK INTO SRN HEMI...LEAVING BROAD WLYS ALOFT E OF 110W. A BROAD MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH S OF 21N BETWEEN ROUGHLY 130W AND 150W CONTINUES TO SHIFT VERY SLOWLY E TODAY...AND IS ALLOWING A MID LATITUDE MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL LOW NEAR 23N140W TO DIG SE INTO BACKSIDE OF BROAD LOWER LAT TROUGH. THESE FEATURES WILL GRADUALLY MERGE OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS AND DIG SE TO A POSITION FROM SRN CALIFORNIA TO 08N130W BY WED MORNING...WITH STRONG JET ENERGY FORECAST TO DIVE INTO BACKSIDE OF THIS TROUGH AND ROTATE THROUGH THE BASE AND THEN EXIT TO THE NE ACROSS THE N TWO-THIRDS OF MEXICO. THIS IS FORECAST TO INDUCE VERY ACTIVE CONVECTION ALONG THE ITCZ TO ABOUT 15N W OF 115W...AND ASSOCIATED LOW LEVEL REALIGNMENT OF THE EPAC SURFACE HIGH TO PRODUCE A VERY TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT N OF THE ITCZ LEADING TO 25-30 KT TRADES...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SMALL AREAS OF GALES. ADDITIONALLY...ABUNDANT TROPICAL MOISTURE WILL BE SHEARED AND TRANSPORTED ACROSS BAJA CALIFORNIA AND MEXICO AND COULD LEAD TO FLOOD PRODUCING RAINS LATE WEDNESDAY INTO THE WEEKEND...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE WRN SLOPES OF THE SIERRA MADRE OCCIDENTALES. AHEAD OF THIS EVOLVING UPPER TROUGH...A FLAT S/W UPPER RIDGE HAS CENTERED ALONG ABOUT 115W BETWEEN 13N AND 26N HAS PRODUCED A BROAD ZONE OF SWLY FLOW ALOFT TRANSPORTING HIGH CLOUDS ACROSS MEXICO AND INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO. CORE WIND SPEEDS AS ESTIMATED BY SATELLITE DERIVED WINDS WERE UP TO 120 KT. UNDERNEATH THIS WLY FLOW ALOFT E OF 110W WAS A MID LEVEL TUTT REFLECTION SNAKING FROM THE SE CARIBBEAN WWD AND INTO THE EPAC ALONG 90W...WHERE GENERALLY SUBSIDENCE PREVAILED N OF 10N E OF 105W. ELSEWHERE AT THE SURFACE... A TRIO OF SURFACE HIGHS ACROSS AND BEYOND THE NW PORTIONS OF THE AREA HAVE ALREADY INDUCED A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT AND LARGE AREA OF FRESH NELY TRADES S OF 22-24N AND W OF 118-120W. EARLY AFTERNOON ASCAT PASSES VERIFIED THESE WINDS...WITH A BROAD AREA OF SOLID 25 KT NE WINDS DEPICTED BETWEEN THE ITCZ AND 18N W OF 120W. THESE FRESH WINDS ARE QUICKLY BUILDING NELY WIND SWELL ACROSS THIS REGION THAT WILL SLOWLY SHIFT AND EXPAND E AND NE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS. OTHERWISE...SEAS ACROSS THE AREA WATERS ARE GENERALLY DOMINATED BY PULSE AFTER PULSE OF LONG PERIOD NW SWELL. MIXING OF THIS SWELL WITH THE NELY WIND SWELL WITHIN THE TRADES IS YIELDING SEAS UP TO 15 FT IN THIS REGION OF FRESH TRADES. ADDITIONALLY...LONG PERIOD S TO SW SWELL IS MOVING INTO W PORTIONS OF THE AREA TODAY. THE SURFACE HIGHS HAVE ALSO CREATED A MODEST PRESSURE GRADIENT ALONG THE COAST OF SRN CALIFORNIA EXTENDING S ALONG THE W COAST OF THE BAJA PENINSULA...PRODUCING NW WINDS AROUND 20 KT...AND SEAS 10 TO 12 FT IN NW SWELL. GAP WINDS... E WINDS NEAR 20 KT IN GULF OF PAPAGAYO SHOULD DIMINISH WITHIN NEXT 24 TO 30 HRS. THE PRES GRADIENT IN SW CARIBBEAN WILL STRENGTHEN IN 48 HOURS ENHANCING NORTHERLY FLOW INTO GULF OF PANAMA WITH FRESH N BREEZE EXPECTED EARLY WED. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE GULF OF MEXICO AND BAY OF CAMPECHE LATE TUE AND TUE NIGHT WITH NORTHERLY WINDS CROSSING THROUGH THE CHIVELAS PASS AND THROUGH THE GULF OF TEHAUNTEPEC... INCREASING TO 25-30 KT LATE TUE NIGHT...POSSIBLY REACHING GALE FORCE BEYOND THIS FORECAST PERIOD. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ STRIPLING