000 AXNT20 KNHC 292349 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 805 PM EDT SUN MAR 29 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 1800 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 2315 UTC. ...ITCZ... ITCZ AXIS IS CENTERED ALONG 5N1W 1N10W...DIPPING S OF THE EQUATOR NEAR 12W...AND CONTINUING ALONG 1S30W AND INTO NE BRAZIL NEAR 4S38W. SCATTERED MODERATE TO STRONG CONVECTION IS INLAND ACROSS W AFRICA OVER PORTIONS OF THE IVORY COAST AND LIBERIA. CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION ARE S OF 3N BETWEEN 15W-30W. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... AS OF 2100 UTC...A COLD FRONT EXTENDS FROM THE W ATLC ACROSS SRN FLORIDA AND INTO THE SE GULF NEAR 26N82W THEN CONTINUES ALONG 23N85W AND INTO THE NW CARIBBEAN THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSTMS ARE ACROSS THE SRN FLORIDA PENINSULA EXTENDING SW WITHIN 70 NM EITHER SIDE OF THE FRONT TO NEAR 23N86W. THIS FRONT IS SUPPORTED BY AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ACROSS THE NE U.S. AND IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE W ATLC BY LATE MONDAY. ELSEWHERE...THE WRN GULF W OF 87W IS UNDER A 1018 MB HIGH CENTERED JUST OFF THE SE TEXAS COAST NEAR 28N94W. MOSTLY FAIR WEATHER WITH LIGHT NLY WINDS ARE OBSERVED ACROSS THE CENTRAL GULF WHILE 15-20 KT SE RETURN FLOW IS ACROSS THE FAR NW GULF AHEAD OF THE NEXT DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS. THIS DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE AREA OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS WILL USHER IN THE NEXT COLD FRONT TO THE NW GULF LATE TUESDAY. CARIBBEAN SEA... THE TAIL END OF A COLD FRONT POSITIONED ACROSS THE SE GULF OF MEXICO ENTERS THE NW CARIBBEAN THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL AND EXTENDS S ALONG 22N86W TO 19N87W. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE ISOLATED TSTMS ARE WITHIN 30 NM EITHER SIDE OF THE FRONT. ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE CARIBBEAN...MODERATE TO FRESH TRADEWINDS ARE OBSERVED WITH PATCHES OF SCATTERED LOW CLOUDS EVIDENT ON VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY. IN THE UPPER LEVELS...A RIDGE IS OVER THE CARIBBEAN AND CENTRAL AMERICA WITH AXIS EXTENDING FROM THE SW CARIBBEAN NE OVER HISPANIOLA AND INTO THE W ATLC. STRONG SUBSIDENCE N OF 12N IS OVER THE CARIBBEAN AND CENTRAL AMERICA. ATLANTIC OCEAN... AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ACROSS THE NE CONUS IS SUPPORTING A COLD FRONT THAT ENTERS THE DISCUSSION AREA NEAR 32N79W AND EXTENDS INLAND ACROSS THE FLORIDA PENINSULA NEAR CAPE CANAVERAL. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSTMS ARE WITHIN 90 NM EITHER SIDE OF THE FRONT N OF 26N. FARTHER TO THE E...A 1022 MB HIGH IS OVER THE W ATLC CENTERED NEAR 29N59W. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS ACROSS THE CENTRAL ATLC AND SUPPORTS A COLD FRONT THAT ENTERS THE AREA NEAR 32N31W AND EXTENDS ALONG 28N33W 23N50W WHERE IT CONTINUES AS A STATIONARY FRONT TO 17N54W. ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE WITHIN 50 NM OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE ALSO OVER THE CANARY ISLANDS AS NLY WINDS ADVECT BROKEN STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS OVER THE ISLANDS. IN THE UPPER LEVELS...AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH CENTERED OVER THE TROPICAL ATLC NEAR 9N12W IS PROVIDING UPPER DIFFLUENCE TO SUPPORT THE CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE ITCZ. $$ HUFFMAN