000 AXNT20 KNHC 061153 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 705 AM EST TUE JAN 06 2009 TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR NORTH AMERICA...CENTRAL AMERICA...GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA...NORTHERN SECTIONS OF SOUTH AMERICA...AND ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE AFRICAN COAST FROM THE EQUATOR TO 32N. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS BASED ON SATELLITE IMAGERY...METEOROLOGICAL ANALYSIS...WEATHER OBSERVATIONS...AND RADAR. BASED ON 0600 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 1115 UTC. ...THE ITCZ... 7N10W 5N20W 4N30W 3N40W...CROSSING THE EQUATOR ALONG 49W...INTO NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL NEAR 1S51W. SCATTERED MODERATE TO STRONG SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN INDIVIDUAL CLUSTERS FROM 2N TO 6N BETWEEN 22W AND 46W. ISOLATED MODERATE SHOWERS ARE ELSEWHERE SOUTH OF 10N. ...DISCUSSION... THE GULF OF MEXICO... UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC FLOW IS ON TOP OF THE AREA. A SHALLOW COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA...TO A 1010 MB LOW PRESSURE CENTER NEAR 27N94W. A STATIONARY FRONT CONTINUES FROM THE LOW PRESSURE CENTER TO 22N98W ALONG THE MEXICO COAST... CURVING NORTHWESTWARD TO THE TEXAS BIG BEND. MUCH OF THE MOISTURE IS ALONG AND TO THE NORTH OF THE FRONT. BROAD SURFACE SOUTHERLY WIND FLOW PREVAILS. A SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS FROM AN ATLANTIC OCEAN 1024 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER NEAR 30N50W TO CENTRAL FLORIDA TO 26N89W. THE CARIBBEAN SEA... SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE IN LINES OF CONFLUENT SURFACE WIND FLOW. MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL DRY AIR IN SUBSIDENCE EVERYWHERE. BROAD UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC FLOW COVERS THE AREA. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... THE SOUTHERNMOST EXTENT OF A DEEP LAYER TROUGH REACHES NEAR 32N BETWEEN 35W AND 40W. A SEPARATE MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS ALONG 32N48W TO 13N53W. POSSIBLE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FROM 16N TO 32N BETWEEN 39W AND 60W. UPPER LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW IS SOUTH OF 12N61W 18N50W BEYOND 23N36W. A SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS FROM A 1028 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER NEAR 32N31W TO A 1024 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER NEAR 30N50W TO 29N73W ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO. A MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PASSES THROUGH THE MADEIRA ARCHIPELAGO TO THE CANARY ISLANDS TO 18N21W. $$ MT