000 AXNT20 KNHC 262357 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 705 PM EST SAT DEC 26 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. ...THE ITCZ... FROM NORTHERN COASTAL LIBERIA TO 5N20W TO 1N35W...INTO NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL AT 1N50W. SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE TO THE SOUTH OF 6N. ...DISCUSSION... THE GULF OF MEXICO... UPPER LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW MOVES FROM THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN NEAR 14N109W...ACROSS MEXICO NEAR 20N100W... ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO AND BEYOND FLORIDA INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. THIS SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW IS PART OF LARGER-SCALE UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC FLOW THAT SPANS THE AREA FROM MEXICO INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN NEAR 55W. A SURFACE TROUGH IS ALONG 27N96W 23N95W 20N95W...NO PRECIPITATION. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE COVERS THE REST OF THE GULF OF MEXICO. FROM THE WESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN INTO THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA... A COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH 32N74W IN THE WESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN TO 27N75W...ACROSS THE BAHAMAS NEAR 25N77W...TO CUBA NEAR 22N79W...INTO THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA NEAR 21N81W. A STATIONARY FRONT CONTINUES FROM 21N81W TO 19N84W AND 16N84W. SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE TO THE NORTH OF 17N TO THE WEST OF 81W... FROM JAMAICA NORTHWARD TO THE TIP OF CUBA THAT IS BETWEEN 77W AND 78W...AND WITHIN 45 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF 19N71W 15N77W... FROM THE WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC SOUTHWESTWARD INTO THE CARIBBEAN SEA. THE REST OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA... BROAD MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC FLOW COVERS THE AREA. UPPER LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW COVERS ONLY THE EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN SECTIONS. A MIDDLE LEVEL TROUGH PASSES OVER GUADELOUPE AND REACHES NORTHERN COASTAL VENEZUELA NEAR 68W. THE REST OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... LARGE SCALE DEEP LAYER CYCLONIC FLOW COVERS THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC OCEAN. CYCLONIC FLOW ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY IS TO THE NORTH OF 25N BETWEEN 30W AND 55W. CYCLONIC FLOW ON THE SURFACE MAP ANALYSIS COVERS THE AREA TO THE NORTH OF 22N BETWEEN 27W AND 53W. A COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH 32N28W TO 23N40W TO 20N53W. THE FRONT IS STATIONARY FROM 20N53W TO 19N60W AND 21N70W. BROKEN TO OVERCAST MULTILAYERED CLOUDS AND POSSIBLE PRECIPITATION ARE WITHIN AT LEAST 300 NM TO THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST OF THE FRONT TO THE EAST OF 50W...AND FROM 19N TO 20N BETWEEN 50W AND 64W ELSEWHERE. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE COVERS THE AREA TO THE EAST OF THE FRONT...FROM 10N TO 30N BETWEEN AFRICA AND 40W...AROUND A 31N14W 25N18W 17N30W 15N47W SURFACE RIDGE. A 1018 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER IS NEAR 25N18W. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE IS TO THE WEST AND NORTHWEST OF THE 32N28W 21N70W FRONT...AROUND A 64W/65W RIDGE...TO THE NORTH OF 23N. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE. $$ MT