000 AXPZ20 KNHC 220211 TWDEP TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 0405 UTC TUE DEC 22 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 0000 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 0300 UTC. ...INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE/MONSOON TROUGH... A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDS FROM 06N77W TO 04N82W. THE ITCZ AXIS EXTENDS FROM 06N96W TO08N110W TO 05N125W TO 06N132W TO BEYOND 01N140W. SCATTERED MODERATE TO ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTION IS NOTED WITHIN 180 NM N OF ITCZ BETWEEN 113WAND 119W. ...DISCUSSION... N OF 15N E OF 120W...MODERATE TO FRESH NW TO N WINDS PERSIST OFF THE EAST COAST OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA...BETWEEN RIDGING ALONG ROUGHLY 28N TO THE WEST OF THE AREA AND BROAD TROUGHING OVER NW MEXICO. THIS MAY INCLUDE OFF CABO CORRIENTES WHERE THE SURFACE RIDGE AXIS TERMINATES. WAVE HEIGHTS ARE 8 TO 9 FT OFF THE COAST LARGELY DUE TO 15 SECOND NW SWELL PROPAGATING TO THE SSE...AND WILL REACH SOCORRO ISLAND LATER TONIGHT. AN UPPER DISTURBANCE WILL SWING THROUGH MEXICO FROM THE NW TONIGHT AND TUE...SUPPORTING AN AREA OF STRONG NW WINDS OFF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA COAST BY EARLY TUE. THIS WILL BE REINFORCED THROUGH MID WEEK AND THE AREA OF STRONG NW WINDS WILL EXPAND W OF 120W THROUGH WED...ACCOMPANIED BY ANOTHER ROUND OF NW SWELL WITH 12 TO 15 FT COMBINED SEAS. LOOKING AHEAD...A STRONGER IMPULSE WILL APPROACH THE AREA FRI INTO SAT. AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA AND GULF OF CALIFORNIA WILL BRING STRONG TO NEAR GALE FORCE WINDS TO THE BAJA COAST AND AT LEAST THE NORTHERN GULF OF CALIFORNIA. GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC...NORTHERLY 20-25 KT WINDS IN THE GULF WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH TO 15-20 KT ON TUE AS WINDS VEER TO THE E-SE ACROSS THE SW GULF OF MEXICO. LIGHT WINDS ARE THEN EXPECTED THROUGH FRI. S OF 15N E OF 110W...STRONG HIGH PRES CONTINUES TO DOMINATE THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO AND THE WESTERN ATLC. FRESH EASTERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO FUNNEL ACROSS CENTRAL AMERICA INTO THE EASTERN PACIFIC REGION. AN EARLIER WINDSAT PASS INDICATED FRESH TO STRONG NE WINDS ACROSS THE GULF OF PAPAGAYO AND DOWNSTREAM TO NEAR 09N91W. THE PRES GRADIENT WILL RELAX SOME TONIGHT WITH 20- 25 KT CONDITIONS THEN EXPECTED THROUGH TUE EVENING. LARGE AND LONG PERIOD SWELLS FROM THE NW AND SW CONTINUE TO AFFECT MUCH OF THE WATERS W OF 110W MIXING WITH SHORT PERIOD WIND WAVES. MAXIMUM SEA HEIGHTS OF 13-14 FT IN MIXED NE AND NW SWELL ARE EXPECTED WITHIN THE AREA OF THE TRADE WINDS BY TUE. ELSEWHERE...A 1033 MB HIGH PRES LOCATED NEAR 32N148W EXTENDS A RIDGE ACROSS THE NORTHERN FORECAST WATERS TO NEAR 28N125W THEN SE TO TOWARD THE SOUTHERN TIP OF THE BAJA CALIFORNIA PENINSULA. THE PRES GRADIENT BETWEEN THE RIDGE AND LOWER PRES IN THE VICINITY OF THE ITCZ SUPPORTS A LARGE AREA OF FRESH TO STRONG WINDS COVERING MAINLY THE WATERS FROM 04N TO 22N W OF 125W. THE HIGH PRES SYSTEM WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...KEEPING A TIGHT PRES GRADIENT ACROSS THE FORECAST REGION AND MAINTAINING THE LARGE AREA OF FRESH TO STRONG TRADE WINDS. LOOKING AHEAD...THE RIDGE WILL WEAKEN AFTER MID WEEK ALLOWING THE STRONG TRADE WINDS TO DIMINISH SLIGHTLY AND SHRINK IN AREAL COVERAGE. PRIMARILY NW SWELL IN EXCESS OF 8 FT WILL PERSIST THROUGH LATE WEEK HOWEVER. $$ CHRISTENSEN