000 AXNT20 KNHC 271051 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 805 AM EDT THU APR 27 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 0600 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 0945 UTC. ...THE ITCZ... ITCZ FROM 5N AT THE PRIME MERIDIAN...TO 4N10W 2N20W...TO THE EQUATOR AT 24W...ALONG THE EQUATOR TO 41W...TO 2N51W. SCATTERED MODERATE TO ISOLATED STRONG SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FOUND FROM 2N TO 4N BETWEEN PRIME MERIDIAN AND 10W...FROM 1N TO 3N BETWEEN 14W AND 18W...FROM 2N TO 4N BETWEEN 20W AND 40W...AND FROM THE EQUATOR TO 5N BETWEEN 40W AND 52W. ...DISCUSSION... THE GULF OF MEXICO... A MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL LOW CENTER IS NEAR 31N118W JUST OFF THE NORTHERN BAJA CALIFORNIA COAST. MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL MARITIME TROPICAL AIR TO THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST OF THIS FEATURE IS MOVING ACROSS INTERIOR MEXICO AND TURNING ANTICYCLONICALLY THROUGH CENTRAL TEXAS...33N100W...TOWARD THE GULF WATERS. THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE NOW IS PRETTY MUCH ALONG 100W. A MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS SWINGING THROUGH THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A. WITH ITS BASE REACHING THE GULF WATERS NEAR 27N87W. THIS MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SUPPORTS A SURFACE COLD FRONT WHICH PASSES THROUGH THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE NEAR 30N85W TO 28N90W TO 26N95W... AND THEN FROM 26N95W TO THE MEXICO COAST NEAR 25N98W AND 27N101W. THE UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC FLOW FROM THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN CURVES ANTICYCLONICALLY THROUGH THE GULF TO 25N86W AND THEN SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL TO THE BORDER OF GUATEMALA AND EL SALVADOR NEAR 100W AND BEYOND TO THE SOUTHWEST. A SURFACE RIDGE RUNS FROM THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS TO 24N82W AND 24N91W. THE CARIBBEAN SEA... A LONG RIDGE STARTS OUT IN THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC WATERS NEAR 6N33W TO 8N46W 9N57W 14N76W TO 16N83W JUST EAST OF HONDURAS. MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL CLOUDS COVER THE CARIBBEAN WATERS WEST OF 70W. SOME OF THE ANTICYCLONIC FLOW WITH THIS RIDGE EVEN EXTENDS TO THE NORTH OF THE GREATER ANTILLES TO THE BAHAMAS AND INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN NEAR 24N70W. NUMEROUS STRONG SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALONG THE EASTERN SHORES OF LAKE MARACAIBO IN NORTHWESTERN VENEZUELA...AND SCATTERED MODERATE TO STRONG SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COVER THE COASTAL COLOMBIA IN THE GULF OF URABA...PROBABLY RELATED TO THE ITCZ. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL WESTERLY FLOW PREVAILS IN THE ATLANTIC WATERS NORTH OF 20N WEST OF 55W. SOME OF THE WESTERLY FLOW COMES FROM THE POSITIONING WITH RESPECT TO THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC RIDGE WHICH EXTENDS INTO THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA. THE FLOW EVENTUALLY BECOMES MORE CYCLONIC AS IT MOVES TOWARD THE MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL LOW CENTER NEAR 28N46W. THE MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL FLOW TO THE SOUTH OF THIS LOW CENTER...SOUTH OF 20N...IS FROM THE SOUTHWEST...AROUND THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC RIDGE. THE 28N46W LOW CENTER APPEARS TO BE MORE IN PHASE NOW WITH WHAT HAS BEEN A DEEP LAYER LOW AND TROUGH FOR THE LAST WEEK. THIS DEEP LAYER FEATURE HAS BEEN SUPPORTING THE SURFACE STATIONARY FRONT NOW PASSING THROUGH 31N32W TO 28N39W...AND A DISSIPATING STATIONARY FRONT FROM 28N39W TO 25N46W 24N59W AND 20N63W. BROAD LARGE SCALE CYCLONIC FLOW COVERS THE ATLANTIC WATERS NORTH OF 20N BETWEEN 20W AND 55W...WITH WHAT REMAINS OF THIS DEEP LAYER LOW AND TROUGH. A TROUGH REMAINS FROM A LOW CENTER IN NORTHEASTERN ALGERIA TO THE CANARY ISLANDS EMBEDDED IN MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL DRY AIR. $$ MT