000 AXNT20 KNHC 262314 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 805 PM EDT FRI MAY 26 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 2245 UTC. ...TROPICAL WAVES... WEAK TROPICAL WAVE IS ALONG 57W/58W COMPLETELY INLAND OVER SOUTH AMERICA WITH NO ASSOCIATED DEEP CONVECTION. ...ITCZ... ITCZ AXIS IS CENTERED ALONG 9N11W 3N25W 4N40W 1N51W. SCATTERED MODERATE/STRONG CONVECTION IS INLAND AND ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST OF AFRICA FROM 9N-12N. SCATTERED CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION DOTS THE AREA WITHIN 200-250 NM OF THE AXIS ACROSS THE ENTIRE ATLC. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE E US DIPS INTO THE NE GULF N OF 28N FROM 80W-91W. BROAD UPPER RIDGE ANCHORED OVER CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN EXTENDING ACROSS S MEXICO AND THE YUCATAN PENINSULA COVERING THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF. A SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS FROM THE W ATLC ACROSS FLORIDA NEAR LAKE OKEECHOBEE INTO THE E GULF NEAR 26N85W. E PACIFIC UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE CONTINUES TO BE ADVECTED ACROSS S MEXICO...YUCATAN PENINSULA/CHANNEL OVER THE SE GULF INCLUDING W CUBA AND FAR S FLORIDA GENERATING SCATTERED SHOWERS/ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA S OF A LINE FROM MEXICO NEAR VERACRUZ ALONG 25N90W ACROSS FLORIDA JUST S OF TAMPA. AFTERNOON SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED FURTHER N ON THE FLORIDA PENINSULA AND ARE MOVING E INTO THE FAR W ATLC AND WILL BEGIN TO DISSIPATE OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF REMAINS CLOUD AND SHOWER FREE. CARIBBEAN SEA... BROAD UPPER RIDGE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE THE CARIBBEAN NOW ANCHORED OVER CENTRAL AMERICA NEAR 14N85W WITH A LONG UPPER RIDGE AXIS EXTENDING W OVER S MEXICO AND E ACROSS THE LESSER ANTILLES TO 14N58W. E PACIFIC UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE IS BEING ADVECTED ACROSS THE YUCATAN PENINSULA AND CENTRAL AMERICA ACROSS THE NW CARIBBEAN INCLUDING MOST OF CUBA AND THE YUCATAN CHANNEL. CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED MODERATE/STRONG CONVECTION IS BEING GENERATED INLAND OVER SE MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA MOVING INTO THE GULF OF HONDURAS S OF 19N W OF 86W. SIMILAR CONVECTION IS S OF 10N FROM COLOMBIA TO COSTA RICA DUE TO THE CLOSE PROXIMITY OF A SURFACE LOW AND TROPICAL WAVE LOCATED S OF PANAMA. THE REMAINDER OF THE CARIBBEAN REMAINS CLOUD AND SHOWER FREE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF WIDELY ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING INLAND OVER HAITI AND JAMAICA. ATLANTIC OCEAN... THE FAR W ATLC IS DOMINATED BY AN UPPER RIDGE ANCHORED OVER THE CENTRAL AMERICA NEAR 14N85W COVERING THE W ATLC S OF 30N W OF 73W. E PACIFIC UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE IS BEING ADVECTED ACROSS THE GULF INTO THE W ATLC BEING DRAWN ACROSS THE BAHAMA ISLANDS GENERATING SCATTERED SHOWERS S OF 27N W OF 74W. AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE THE FLORIDA PENINSULA MOVING INTO THE W ATLC W OF 80W AND WILL BEGIN TO DISSIPATE OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. BROAD UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS OVER THE W/CENTRAL ATLC N OF 26N BETWEEN 41W-73W WITH A COLD FRONT ENTERING THE AREA NEAR 32N44W EXTENDING SW ALONG 25N51W TO 21N61W. A 1023 MB HIGH CONTINUES TO BUILD BEHIND THE FRONT CENTERED NEAR BERMUDA. AN UPPER RIDGE AXIS EXTENDS FROM JUST E OF THE LESSER ANTILLES NEAR 14N58W NE ALONG 20N48W TO BEYOND 32N34W NARROWING UPPER TROUGH OVER THE E ATLC EXTENDING FROM AN UPPER LOW OVER NW AFRICA W ALONG 33N25W THEN SW INTO THE TROPICS TO NEAR 11N48W. E/W UPPER RIDGE COVERS THE REMAINDER TROPICAL ATLC S OF 18N E OF 38W WITH THE AXIS ALONG 7N/8N. AT THE SURFACE...A RIDGE EXTENDS FROM A 1029 MB HIGH LOCATED NE OF THE AZORES SW ALONG 32N32W TO 24N38W. $$ WALLACE