000 AXNT20 KNHC 262334 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 705 PM EST FRI FEB 26 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 7N10W 4N20W 2N36W CROSSING THE EQUATOR AND INLAND OVER SOUTH AMERICA NEAR 44W. SCATTERED MODERATE/ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTION IS WITHIN 120 NM OF THE IVORY COAST WEST AFRICA FROM 2W-5W. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE THE MUCH OF THE GULF ANCHORED BY A 1018 MB HIGH OVER THE SW COAST OF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA. AT 26/2100 UTC...A COLD FRONT HAS ENTERED THE NW GULF EXTENDING OVER GALVESTON TEXAS TO INLAND OVER NE MEXICO OVER BROWNSVILLE TEXAS. SCATTERED SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS ARE WITHIN 60 NM E OF THE A SURFACE TROUGH THAT EXTENDS FROM JUST E OF LAKE CHARLES LOUISIANA INTO THE GULF TO NEAR 26N96W WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN 60 NM E OF THE FRONT MAINLY INLAND AND WITHIN 60 NM ALONG THE COAST OF E TEXAS/W LOUISIANA. THE UPPER SUPPORT IS A SHORTWAVE UPPER TROUGH THAT IS MOVING OVER NW GULF N OF 25N W OF 92W TO INLAND OVER TEXAS. A JETSTREAM HAS REESTABLISHED OVER THE ENTIRE GULF WITH WINDS OF 90 TO 140 KT. BROKEN/OVERCAST STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS ARE ACROSS THE S GULF S OF 27N BETWEEN 84W-96W. CARIBBEAN SEA... A COLD FRONT ENTERS THE CARIBBEAN FROM THE W/CENTRAL ATLC OVER THE VIRGIN ISLANDS/E PUERTO RICO ALONG 15N71W TO 12N77W. BROKEN/OVERCAST LOW/MID CLOUDS WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE N OF THE FRONT ACROSS THE GREATER ANTILLES E OF 70W. BROAD UPPER RIDGE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE CARIBBEAN AND THE W TROPICAL ATLC ANCHORED OFF THE COAST OF GUYANA SOUTH AMERICA DRAWING TROPICAL MOISTURE ACROSS CENTRAL AMERICA AND COUPLED WITH THE EASTERLY SURFACE FLOW IS GENERATING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS INLAND AND WITHIN 75 NM ALONG THE COAST OF W PANAMA AND COSTA RICA. BROKEN/OVERCAST STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS REMAIN OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN. DRY STABLE CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE REMAINDER OF THE CARIBBEAN PROVIDING MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AGAIN THIS EVENING. ATLANTIC OCEAN... A COLD FRONT ENTERS THE W/CENTRAL ATLC THROUGH 32N58W EXTENDING ALONG 25N58W ACROSS THE VIRGIN ISLANDS/E PUERTO RICO INTO THE CARIBBEAN. BROKEN/OVERCAST LOW/MID CLOUDS WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE WITHIN 180 NM E OF THE FRONT AND S OF 22N TO OVER THE GREATER ANTILLES E OF 74W TO THE FRONT. THE UPPER SUPPORT FOR THIS FRONT IS A LARGE UPPER LOW ALONG THE NEW ENGLAND COAST MOSTLY N OF 30N. A STRONG JETSTREAM WITH WINDS OF 90 TO 150 KT IS OVER THE W AND CENTRAL ATLC N OF 23N E OF 33W TO OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO. A REMNANT SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDS FROM THE E ATLC NEAR 23N30W ALONG 19N50W TO THE THE LEEWARD ISLANDS NEAR GUADELOUPE. A WEAKENING 1011 MB LOW IS JUST TO THE N OF THE SURFACE TROUGH NEAR 20N53W. A COMPLEX AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS OVER THE NE ATLC N OF 20N E OF 35W WITH A 997 MB LOW NEAR 28N28W AND A 992 MB LOW NEAR 31N24W. THE 997 MB LOW IS WEAKENING AND IS EXPECT TO DISSIPATE WHILE THE 992 MB LOW IS RAPIDLY INTENSIFYING AND IS EXPECTED TO MOVE WELL N OF THE REGION OVER THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ WALLACE