000 AXNT20 KNHC 232347 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 705 PM EST TUE FEB 23 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 1800 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 2315 UTC. ...ITCZ... THE ITCZ AXIS IS CENTERED ALONG 8N10W S OF THE EQUATOR NEAR 25N THEN INLAND OVER SOUTH AMERICA NEAR 1S47W. CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED MODERATE/ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTION ARE FROM 1N-5N BETWEEN 12W-21W. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... AT 23/2100 UTC...A DEVELOPING COLD FRONT ENTERS THE NW GULF JUST W OF THE BORDER OF LOUISIANA AND TEXAS EXTENDING ALONG 26N96W TO INLAND OVER MEXICO JUST N OF TAMPICO BECOMING STATIONARY ALONG THE SIERRA MADRE MOUNTAINS. OVERCAST LOW CLOUDS WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE W OF THE FRONT TO INLAND OVER TEXAS AND NE MEXICO WITH SNOW OVER TEXAS N OF 30N. STRONG WINDS ARE BEHIND THE FRONT AND ARE EXPECTED TO REACH GALE FORCE LATER THIS EVENING. THE UPPER SUPPORT IS A SHORTWAVE UPPER TROUGH MOVING OVER E TEXAS APPROACHING THE NW GULF OF MEXICO. AT 23/2100 UTC...THE REMNANTS OF A COLD FRONT ARE OVER THE FAR SE GULF EXTENDING ACROSS THE N COAST OF CUBA FROM 23N80W TO 23N85W WITH SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS INLAND OVER S FLORIDA AND THROUGH THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA. THE UPPER SUPPORT FOR THIS FRONT IS OVER THE W ATLC. A BROAD UPPER RIDGE ANCHORED OVER SOUTH AMERICA AND COVERING THE CARIBBEAN ALSO COVERS THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF OF MEXICO WITH NEAR ZONAL SOUTH-WESTERLY FLOW AND A JETSTREAM WITH WINDS OF 90 TO 150 KT ACROSS THE GULF N OF 21N. CARIBBEAN SEA... A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDS FROM OVER CUBA NEAR 23N80W ALONG 20N84W TO INLAND OVER HONDURAS NEAR 16N85W. BROAD UPPER RIDGE COVERS THE CARIBBEAN ANCHORED INLAND OVER SOUTH AMERICA AND DRAWING TROPICAL MOISTURE IN THE UPPER LEVELS ACROSS THE W CARIBBEAN. HOWEVER...WITH THE DRY STABLE CONDITIONS ACROSS THE REGION MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES DOMINATE THE ENTIRE AREA THIS EVENING. ATLANTIC OCEAN... AT 23/2100 UTC...A COLD FRONT ENTERS THE W ATLC NEAR 32N69W EXTENDING SW TO 29N70W WHERE IT DISSIPATES ACROSS THE BAHAMA ISLANDS NEAR 24N75W WITH THE REMNANTS EXTENDING IN THE THE GULF OF MEXICO ACROSS THE N COAST OF CUBA NEAR 23N80W. THE UPPER SUPPORT FOR THIS FRONT IS OVER THE W ATLC N OF 27N FROM 68W-76W. THE BROAD UPPER RIDGE THAT COVERS THE CARIBBEAN EXTENDS A RIDGE AXIS OVER THE W ATLC THROUGH 21N64W TO BEYOND 32N58W PROVIDING DIFFLUENCE ALOFT TO GENERATE OVERCAST MULTILAYERED CLOUDS WITH EMBEDDED SHOWERS N OF 22N FROM 56W-67W. THIS AREA OF CLOUDS AND MOISTURE IS MOVING RAPIDLY EASTWARD DUE TO THE UPPER LEVEL JETSTREAM WITH WINDS OF 90 TO 150 KT N OF 21N W OF 52W TO OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO. A BROAD BUT WEAK SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS FROM OVER THE E ATLC INTO THE CENTRAL ATLC ANCHORED BY A 1023 MB HIGH JUST S OF THE CANARY ISLANDS NEAR 26N17W. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ WALLACE