000 AXPZ20 KNHC 261003 TWDEP TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 1005 UTC MON JAN 26 2015 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 0600 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 0945 UTC. ...SPECIAL FEATURES... A GALE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC WHERE WINDS ARE PRESENTLY N-NE AT 30-35 KT WITH SEAS IN THE 9-13 FT RANGE. THESE CONDITIONS EXTEND SOUTHWARD TO 14.5N BETWEEN 94W AND 96W. THESE WINDS ARE FORECAST TO QUICKLY INCREASE TO 35-40 KT AROUND DAYBREAK THIS MORNING AS ANOTHER SHOT OF STRONG HIGH PRES SURGES SEWD ACROSS EASTERN AND SE MEXICO BRINGING MORE COLD DENSE AIR ACROSS THE GULF. SEAS ARE FORECAST TO BUILD TO 11-17 FT IN THE GULF AS THESE WIND CONDITIONS INCREASE. SEAS WILL BE FURTHER TO AROUND 19 FT BY LATE TONIGHT...AND ONLY SUBSIDE SLIGHTLY TUE AND WED AS LITTLE LET UP IS EXPECTED WITH THE GALE WINDS. THIS GALE WIND EVENT IS FORECAST TO BE OF LONG DURATION...LASTING THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK. ...INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE/MONSOON TROUGH... MONSOON TROUGH EXTENDS FROM 10N85W TO 05N90W TO 04N98W WHERE SCATTEROMETER WINDS INDICATE THE ITCZ BEGINS...AND EXTENDS TO 07N110W TO 08N121W TO 07N130W TO 06N140W. NO SIGNIFICANT CONVECTION IS NOTED. ...DISCUSSION... ALOFT...A RIDGE/TROUGH/RIDGE PATTERN DOMINATES THE FORECAST AREA W OF 100W. A STRONG CUT-OFF LOW IS CLEARLY EVIDENT ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY TO NEAR 28N122W WITH A TROUGH EXTENDING FROM THE LOW TO SE TO SRN BAJA CALIFORNIA AND TO NEAR 10N105W. ABUNDANT MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE IS STREAMING NE AHEAD OF THE TROUGH AXIS FURTHER ENHANCED BY A VERY ACTIVE SUBTROPICAL JET STREAM BRANCH THAT EXTENDS FROM 17N117W NEWD TO ACROSS BAJA CALIFORNIA...NW MEXICO...MOST OF SRN CALIFORNIA AND THE SW CONUS. A QUITE IMPRESSIVE DIFFLUENT PATTERN ALOFT IS TO THE SE OF THE LOW AND JET STREAM BRANCH...AND IS HELPING TO TRIGGER OFF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSTMS TO THE SE OF THE TROUGH TO NEAR 104W. A SHIELD OF PRECIPITATION CONSISTING OF SCATTERED SHOWERS IS N OF 24N TO THE E AND SE OF THE LOW AND TROUGH REACHING EASTWARD TO JUST W OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA. TO THE W OF THE UPPER LOW AND TROUGH...A NARROW RIDGE IS ALONG 131W N OF 21N...AND IS SLIDING EASTWARD. A RATHER NARROW LONGWAVE WAVE TROUGH HAS ENTERED THE FAR WESTERN PORTION OF THE AREA ALONG 139W AND N 13N. OVER THE FAR EASTERN PORTION OF THE AREA...BROAD MID/UPPER LEVEL RIDGING IS PRESENT E OF ABOUT 100W WITH A RIDGE AXIS STRETCHING FROM THE TEXAS PANHANDLE SEWD TO SE MEXICO...AND TO ACROSS CENTRAL AMERICA. AT THE SURFACE...THE STRONG HIGH PRES THAT WAS LOCATED WELL N OF THE AREA DURING THE PREVIOUS DAYS CONTINUES TO WEAKEN AS A COLD FRONT ENTERS THE FAR NW CORNER OF THE AREA. THIS STATIONARY HIGH PRES OF 1019 MB LOCATED NEAR 34N127W EXTENDS A RIDGE SW TO COVER MOST OF THE DISCUSSION AREA N OF 20N. WINDS HAVE DIMINISHED ALONG THE THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE RIDGE WITH RECENT SCATTEROMETER DATA SHOWING MAINLY GENTLE TO MODERATE NE WINDS FROM 15N TO 21N W OF 120W. A WEAK TROUGH...REFLECTION OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED UPPER LEVEL LOW..IS ANALYZED FROM 24N115W TO 20N114W TO 16N115W. AN AREA OF FRESH TO STRONG E TO SE WINDS WAS CAPTURED MULTIPLE ASCAT PASSES FROM LATE LAST NIGHT WITHIN 120 NM E OF THE TROUGH FROM 21N TO 24N. SEAS THERE ARE IN THE 8-10 FT RANGE. THIS TROUGH IS FORECAST TO WEAKEN THROUGH TONIGHT...AND DISSIPATE TUE NIGHT INTO WED WITH THE CULPRIT PRES GRADIENT OF THE FRESH TO STRONG WINDS RELAXING. AN AREA OF LARGE LONG PERIOD NW SWELLS...ASSOCIATED WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED COLD FRONT IS PROPAGATING SEWD TO THE W OF A LINE FROM ABOUT 32N125W TO 17N130W TO 09N140W. THESE SWELLS ARE RESULTING IN MAX COMBINED SEAS OF UP TO 11 FT WITH PERIODS OF 16- 17 SECONDS. THE COLD FRONT WILL REACH A POSITION FROM 30N136W TO WEAK LOW PRES 25N138W AND TO 21N140W BY LATE TONIGHT...AND GRADUALLY TRANSITION TO A DISSIPATING STATIONARY FRONT BY LATE TUE NIGHT. A TIGHT GRADIENT WILL BRIEFLY DEVELOP W OF THE FRONT AND LOW TONIGHT ALLOWING FOR FRESH TO STRONG N-NE WINDS THERE WITH SEAS IN THE 9-10 FT. THESE WINDS AND SEAS DIMINISH TUE NIGHT AS THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY DISSIPATES. GAP WINDS... FRESH TO STRONG NE-E WINDS THROUGH THE GULF OF PAPAGAYO WILL CONTINUE THROUGH WED AS STRONG HIGH PRES BUILDS ACROSS THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN. THESE WINDS SHOULD INCREASE TO AROUND 30 KT EARLY ON WED. FRESH TO STRONG N WINDS SEEPING THROUGH THE GULF OF PANAMA REACH S TO NEAR 05N AND BETWEEN 79W-81W. THESE WINDS WILL CHANGE LITTLE THROUGH WED WITH THERE TO 8 OR 9 FT. $$ AGUIRRE