000 AXNT20 KNHC 100601 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 105 AM EST SUN JAN 10 2010 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 0000 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 0515 UTC. ...ITCZ... THE ITCZ AXIS IS CENTERED ALONG 8N12W 4N21W 4N36W CROSSING THE EQUATOR NEAR 50W. CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED MODERATE/ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTION ARE FROM 2N-5N E OF 18W TO ACROSS THE PRIME MERIDIAN. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... HIGH PRESSURE NOW DOMINATES THE GULF ANCHORED BY A STRONG 1040 MB HIGH OVER THE CENTRAL PLAIN STATES AND A WEAKER 1033 MB HIGH ALONG THE COAST OF MEXICO NEAR TAMPICO. THE COLD FRONT THAT PASSED THROUGH THE AREA FRI NIGHT/SAT MORNING HAS LEFT IN ITS WAKE DENSE CLOUD COVER WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS S OF A LINE FROM NEAR NAPLES FLORIDA TO JUST N OF VERACRUZ MEXICO AND COLD AIR STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS COVERING THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF WITH THE EXCEPTION OF CLEAR SKIES WITHIN 60/90 NM ALONG THE N GULF COAST. STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS REMAIN BEHIND THE FRONT AND WILL PERSIST THROUGH TODAY DIMINISHING LATER TONIGHT THROUGH WED AS HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS FROM THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TO OVER THE GULF. RETURN SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL INCREASE OVER THE W GULF WED NIGHT AND THU AHEAD OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT WHICH WILL MOVE OFF THE TEXAS COAST LATE THU. CARIBBEAN SEA... A COLD FRONT ENTERS THE CARIBBEAN FROM THE W ATLC ACROSS CENTRAL CUBA NEAR SANCTI SPIRITUS EXTENDING ALONG 19N83W THE INLAND OVER HONDURAS NEAR 14N87W. AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE THE ENTIRE CARIBBEAN ANCHORED OVER NW VENEZUELA PROVIDING STRONG SUBSIDENCE AND DRY AIR TO THE MID/UPPER LEVELS ACROSS THE E CARIBBEAN WITH UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE BEING INTRODUCED FROM THE E PACIFIC REGION OVER THE W CARIBBEAN PRODUCING DENSE CLOUD COVER WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS OVER THE AREA W OF A LINE FROM THE TIP OF E CUBA ACROSS JAMAICA ALONG 16N80W TO COSTA RICA NEAR THE PANAMA BORDER. THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SE TODAY WITH STRONG TO NEAR GALE FORCE NORTHERLY WINDS BEHIND IT. THE FRONT WILL REACH FROM THE MONA PASSAGE TO PANAMA BY EARLY TUE WHERE IT WILL THEN STALL OUT AND BECOME NEARLY STATIONARY. FRESH TO STRONG NE WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH WED DUE TO A TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT THEN WILL DIMINISH THU WITH EASTERLY TRADES INCREASING ACROSS THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN. ATLANTIC OCEAN... A COLD FRONT ENTERS THE W/CENTRAL ATLC NEAR 32N60W AND EXTENDS SW ALONG 27N72W ACROSS THE BAHAMAS AND INTO THE CARIBBEAN ACROSS CENTRAL CUBA NEAR SANCTI SPIRITUS. THE UPPER TROUGH THAT IS SUPPORTING THIS FRONT EXTENDS FROM AN UPPER LOW IN THE N/CENTRAL ATLC E OF THE CANADIAN MARITIMES SW TO OVER THE W ATLC N OF 25N W OF 70W. DENSE CLOUD COVER WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE WITHIN 225 NM OF LINE FROM CENTRAL CUBA NEAR 22N79W TO BEYOND 32N68W AND COLD AIR STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS COVERING THE REMAINDER OF THE W ATLC W OF LINE FROM S FLORIDA NEAR MIAMI TO BEYOND 32N74W WITH THE EXCEPTION OF CLEAR SKIES WITHIN 60/90 NM ALONG THE US E COAST. A SECOND COLD FRONT ENTERS THE E ATLC NEAR 32N16W EXTENDING SSW OVER THE CANARY ISLANDS TO 25N20W WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED SHOWERS WITHIN 60 NM EITHER SIDE OF THE FRONT. THE REMAINDER OF THE ATLC IS DOMINATED BY A SURFACE RIDGE ANCHORED BY A 1024 MB HIGH NEAR 30N34W. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE. $$ WALLACE