632 AXPZ20 KNHC 242041 TWDEP Tropical Weather Discussion NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL 2205 UTC Tue Jan 24 2023 Tropical Weather Discussion for the eastern Pacific Ocean from 03.4S to 30N, east of 120W including the Gulf of California, and from the Equator to 30N, between 120W and 140W. The following information is based on satellite imagery, weather observations, radar, and meteorological analysis. Based on 1800 UTC surface analysis and satellite imagery through 2030 UTC. ...SPECIAL FEATURES... Gulf of Tehuantepec Gale Warning: High pressure will build across the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico Wed. This will support gale force winds across the Tehuantepec region Wed night through Sat morning. Winds will peak around 40 kt on Thu and into Thu night. Seas will peak near 16-17 ft Thu night and Fri. This gap wind will produce a swath fresh to strong winds and 8 ft seas or greater that will propagate well SW of the Tehuantepec region and reach beyond 100W by Thu night. Conditions will slowly improve Sat night into Sun. Please read the latest NWS High Seas Forecast issued by the National Hurricane Center at website https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/MIAHSFEP2.shtml for more details. ...INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE/MONSOON TROUGH... The monsoon trough extends from the coast of Panama near 08N78W to 03N88W. The ITCZ extends from 03N88W to 05N105W to 06N120W. A surface trough then stretches from 06N120W to 11N119W. The ITCZ continues from 07N127W to beyond 02N140W. Scattered moderate convection is noted from 04N to 16N between 112W to 133W. OFFSHORE WATERS WITHIN 250 NM OF MEXICO... Please see the Special Features section for information on the gale warning in the Gulf of Tehuantepec. A strong 1035 mb high pres is centered well northwest of the area. Moderate to locally fresh N to NE winds prevail over the Baja California offshore waters with seas to 9 ft. In the Gulf of California, gentle moderate winds are noted in the northern Gulf with fresh to strong winds in the central and southern Gulf. Seas are 5 to 7 ft with the highest in the southern Gulf. Light to gentle winds continue over the southwest and southern Mexico offshore waters. Seas range 4-6 ft over the southwest and southern Mexico offshore waters. For the forecast, moderate winds will prevail over the Baja California offshore waters into Wed night. Winds will increase fresh to strong on Thu as high pressure builds over the U.S. Great Basin. Fresh winds will continue across the Gulf of California through today with fresh to strong northerly winds occurring tonight through Fri. Conditions over Baja California and the Gulf of California will improve later on Fri and through the weekend. The next gale force gap winds in the Gulf of Tehuantepec are forecast to begin Wed night and end Sat. Seas are forecast to build to near 16 ft late Thu into Fri. OFFSHORE WATERS WITHIN 250 NM OF CENTRAL AMERICA, COLOMBIA, AND WITHIN 750 NM OF ECUADOR... Fresh to locally strong easterly gap winds prevail over the waters of the Gulf of Papagayo. Seas are 6-7 ft in this area. Moderate N winds are noted in the Gulf of Panama. Light to gentle winds prevail across the rest of the offshore waters with seas of 3-5 ft in mixed swell. For the forecast, fresh to strong NE winds will pulse nightly in the Gulf of Papagayo. Seas will build to near 7 ft tonight and 8-11 ft Thu night through Sat night. Meanwhile, seas will build to near 12 ft by Fri in the Guatemala and El Salvador offshore waters as swell from the Gulf of Tehuantepec expands into this area. A SW swell event will build seas to 7 ft from offshore Ecuador to the Galapagos Islands through Wed night. Elsewhere, light to gentle winds are forecast with seas of 3-5 ft. REMAINDER OF THE AREA... NW swell area is moving through the NW waters. The 12 ft seas extends N of 12N and W of 125W with seas peaking at 15 ft. Meanwhile, the pressure gradient between the 1035 mb high pressure near 39N136W and lower pressures in the deep tropics supports moderate to locally fresh easterly winds N of the ITCZ to 31N and west of 115W. The mixed swell found in these waters is producing seas of 8-11 ft. Gentle to moderate southerly winds are occurring south of the ITCZ. Seas are 5-8 ft in the waters described. For the forecast, the set of NW swell will continue progressing southeastward in the NW waters and reach as far south as the Equator and as far east as 100W through Fri. The swell will begin to subside by Sat. The locally fresh tradewinds will diminish tonight. $$ KONARIK