000
AXNT20 KNHC 040553
TWDAT 

TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL  
105 AM EST THU MAR 04 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 GOES-12 SATELLITE IMAGERY 
THROUGH 0345 UTC AND METEOSAT-9 IMAGERY THROUGH 0530 UTC...

...THE ITCZ...
FROM SOUTHERN SIERRA LEONE NEAR 8N12W TO 4N20W 2N30W 
1N40W...CROSSING THE EQUATOR ALONG 45W...INTO NORTHEASTERN 
BRAZIL NEAR 1S47W. SCATTERED MODERATE TO STRONG SHOWERS AND 
THUNDERSTORMS FROM 2N TO 5N BETWEEN 13W AND 25W.

...DISCUSSION...

THE GULF OF MEXICO...THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE WEST OF 50W...
AND THE CARIBBEAN SEA EVERYWHERE ELSE AWAY FROM THE STATIONARY 
FRONT...
BROAD SURFACE ANTICYCLONIC FLOW COVERS THE GULF OF MEXICO...
AROUND A 1020 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 29N95W ALONG
THE UPPER TEXAS COAST. A RIDGE GOES FROM THE HIGH CENTER TO THE 
NORTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA...INTO EASTERN 
HONDURAS AND EVENTUALLY INTO THE CARIBBEAN SEA COASTAL SECTIONS 
OF COSTA RICA. CYCLONIC FLOW COVERS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ON THE 
SURFACE MAP TO THE NORTH OF 25N BETWEEN 53W AND 80W. BROAD 
MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL CYCLONIC FLOW COVERS THE GULF OF 
MEXICO...THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE WEST OF 60W...AND THE 
CARIBBEAN SEA TO THE NORTH OF 20N. THE CYCLONIC CIRCULATION 
CENTER AROUND WHICH THIS SYSTEM IS BASED...IS NEAR 39N68W ON 
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY...AND AS A 982 MB STORM CENTER NEAR 38N68W
ON THE SURFACE MAP ANALYSIS. THE COLD FRONT THAT EMANATES FROM
THE 982 MB STORM CENTER PASSES THROUGH 32N60W TO 25N64W 21N70W 
TO CENTRAL HAITI. A STATIONARY FRONT CONTINUES FROM CENTRAL 
HAITI INTO THE CARIBBEAN SEA NEAR 15N78W...CURVING TO THE PANAMA 
COAST THAT IS NEAR 9N80W. ISOLATED MODERATE SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE 
THUNDERSTORMS COVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE NORTH OF 24N 
BETWEEN 50W AND 65W. BROKEN LOW TO MIDDLE LEVEL CLOUDS ARE 
MOVING SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE AREA THAT IS TO THE NORTHWEST OF 
THE STATIONARY FRONT IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA. PRECIPITATION IS 
POSSIBLE TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE STATIONARY FRONT IN THE 
CARIBBEAN SEA...EVEN THOUGH IT IS NOT READILY APPARENT JUST
FROM SATELLITE IMAGERY ALONE. A WARM FRONT ALSO IS PART OF THIS 
SYSTEM...GOING FROM A TRIPLE POINT THAT IS NEAR 35N60W AND 
PASSING THROUGH 32N58W TO 26N53W. THE COLD FRONT IS MARKED BY
A ROPE CLOUD ON SATELLITE IMAGERY THAT IS MOST CLEARLY EVIDENT
TO THE WEST OF 60W. 
  
THE REST OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA...
BROAD UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC WIND FLOW COVERS THE REST OF
THE AREA. A WEAK SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT EXISTS ACROSS
THE CARIBBEAN SEA.

THE REST OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN...
A MIDDLE TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PASSES THROUGH 32N28W TO 22N26W 
TO 11N34W. A CYCLONIC CIRCULATION CENTER IS NEAR 38N26W ON WATER 
VAPOR SATELLITE IMAGERY. ONE 999 MB LOW PRESSURE CENTER IS NEAR 
39N29W...AND A SECOND 999 MB LOW PRESSURE CENTER IS NEAR 38N36W.
THE COLD FRONT THAT EMANATES FROM THE 38N26W LOW PRESSURE CENTER 
PASSES THROUGH 32N25W TO 27N30W TO 23N40W. SURFACE ANTICYCLONIC 
FLOW MOVES AROUND A 1019 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 
25N21W...FROM 10N TO 30N TO THE EAST OF THE 32N25W 23N40W COLD 
FRONT. SURFACE ANTICYCLONIC FLOW MOVES AROUND A 1020 MB HIGH 
PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 24N45W...FROM 16N TO 30N BETWEEN 
41W AND 51W.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT 
HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE

$$
MT