000 AXNT20 KNHC 102317 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 705 PM EST FRI MAR 10 2006 TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR NORTH AMERICA...CENTRAL AMERICA...THE GULF OF MEXICO...THE CARIBBEAN SEA...NORTHEASTERN SECTIONS OF SOUTH AMERICA...AND THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE AFRICAN COAST FROM THE EQUATOR TO 32N. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS BASED ON SATELLITE IMAGERY...WEATHER OBSERVATIONS... RADAR...AND METEOROLOGICAL ANALYSIS. BASED ON 1800 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 2300 UTC. ...ITCZ... ITCZ AXIS IS CENTERED ALONG 6N11W 2N20W 1N31W EQ36W 2S44W. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION FROM 2N-6N BETWEEN 10W-16W. WIDELY SCATTERED CONVECTION FROM EQ-3N BETWEEN 23W-30W AND 2N-4N BETWEEN 40W-44W. ...DISCUSSION... THE GULF OF MEXICO... UPPER RIDGE OVER THE CARIBBEAN IS KEEPING A SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW OVER THE GULF WATERS. THE CARIBBEAN SEA... UPPER LEVEL HIGH CENTERED OVER THE CUBA WITH THE WATER VAPOR LOOP SHOWING STRONG SUBSIDENCE ACROSS THE ENTIRE CARIBBEAN. UPPER LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW EXTENDS FROM CENTRAL COLOMBIA...ACROSS NW VENEZUELA AND THE LESSER ANTILLES. AT THE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE W ATLANTIC WILL KEEP A SELY FLOW ACROSS THE AREA. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... ANTICYCLONIC FLOW FROM A MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL RIDGE COVERS THE AREA NORTH OF 20N WEST OF 50W. A COLD FRONTPASSES THROUGH 32N41W TO 25N45W TO 15N55W. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS ARE WITHIN 240 NM E OF THE FRONT N OF 23N. UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC FLOW FROM A RIDGE TO THE EAST OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA COVERS THE ATLANTIC WATERS W OF THE FRONT. MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL EASTERN ATLANTIC LOW CENTER IS NEAR 24N29W. UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC FLOW IN A BIG RIDGE IN THE NORTHEASTERN ATLANTIC WATERS COVERS THE AREA NORTH OF THE 23N29W LOW CENTER. AN EASTERN ATLANTIC SURFACE RIDGE RUNS FROM 32N23W 15N48W. THE LATEST VISIBLE SAT PIC SHOWS AREA OF WIDESPREAD DUST EXTENDING OVER THE E ATLANTIC FROM 6N-23N E OF 35W...AND FROM 18N-32N BETWEEN 27W-40W. $$ FETS