000 AXNT20 KNHC 170458 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 205 AM EDT WED MAR 17 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 0315 UTC AND METEOSAT-7 IMAGERY THROUGH 0500 UTC... ...THE ITCZ... FROM THE COAST OF LIBERIA NEAR 6N10W TO 2N20W TO 1N30W 3N44W...CURVING INTO NORTHEASTERN COASTAL BRAZIL NEAR 1N53W. ISOLATED MODERATE SHOWERS COVER THE AREA FROM 1N TO 5N BETWEEN 4W AND 8W...AND FROM 2N TO 7N BETWEEN 12W AND THE COAST OF SOUTH AMERICA. ...DISCUSSION... FROM THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN...ACROSS MEXICO INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO...AND ISOLATED MODERATE SHOWERS FROM HONDURAS INTO THE YUCATAN PENINSULA... AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IS ALONG THE WESTERN MEXICO COAST FROM 20N INTO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. BROAD MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL CYCLONIC FLOW...TO THE NORTH OF 20N BETWEEN 85W AND 107W... ACCOMPANIES A CYCLONIC CIRCULATION CENTER THAT IS MOVING THROUGH THE GULF COASTAL AREA OF THE UPPER TEXAS GULF COAST/SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA GULF COAST. A TROUGH EXTENDS FROM THE CYCLONIC CENTER TO SOUTH CENTRAL MEXICO NEAR 20N102W. UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE IS MOVING ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO FROM THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE AREA BEYOND FLORIDA AND THE BAHAMAS...INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE TO THE NORTH OF 29N...OVER LAND... BETWEEN SOUTHEASTERN ALABAMA AND SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA. ISOLATED MODERATE SHOWERS ALSO COVER THE AREAS FROM SOUTH CENTRAL HONDURAS TO THE SOUTHERN YUCATAN PENINSULA/NORTHERN GUATEMALA. THE CARIBBEAN SEA... HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE THAT IS MOVING ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO SPILLS INTO THE NORTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE AREA...TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE LINE THAT RUNS THROUGH 22N79W IN CUBA BEYOND 18N88W. A STATIONARY FRONT GOES FROM 20N67W INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. ...ACROSS HISPANIOLA... TO 17N75W. SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE EVERYWHERE IN HISPANIOLA. THE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE AREA IS WEAK. ONE REGIME OF BROAD UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC WIND FLOW THAT ORIGINATES FROM THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THE ATLANTIC OCEAN COVERS THE AREA. A SECOND AREA OF UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC FLOW MOVES FROM THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN AND SOUTH AMERICA TO THE SOUTH OF 10N ACROSS THE SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN SEA. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... BROAD UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC FLOW COVERS THE AREA TO THE SOUTH OF 30N TO THE WEST OF 30W. MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL CYCLONIC FLOW COVERS THE AREA TO THE NORTH OF 30N TO THE WEST OF 30W. ONE AREA OF COMPLEX CYCLONIC FLOW...WITH MORE THAN ONE CYCLONIC CENTER...IS BETWEEN 45W AND 66W. A COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH 32N52W TO 26N60W AND 24N72W. BROKEN TO OVERCAST MULTILAYERED CLOUDS AND POSSIBLE SHOWERS ARE TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE LINE THAT PASSES THROUGH 33N41W 28N50W 25N60W 22N74W. A SECOND AREA OF CYCLONIC FLOW IS BETWEEN 20W AND 40W. THIS TROUGH SUPPORTS A COLD FRONT THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N36W TO 30N40W. A STATIONARY FRONT CONTINUES FROM 30N40W TO 26N50W 23N60W...TO 20N68W INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. BROKEN TO OVERCAST MULTILAYERED CLOUDS AND POSSIBLE SHOWERS ARE TO THE NORTH OF 24N BETWEEN 26W AND 53W. BROKEN TO OVERCAST HIGH CLOUDS ARE TO THE NORTH OF 23N BETWEEN AFRICA AND 27W. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PASSES THROUGH ALGERIA TO NORTHERN MAURITANIA...PARTS OF THE WESTERN SAHARA...TOWARD THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS. A SURFACE TROUGH HUGS THE COAST OF WESTERN AFRICA...THROUGH 32N10W 26N14W TO 15N15W. SURFACE ANTICYCLONIC FLOW COVERS THE AREA FROM 10N TO THE 32N36W 20N68W FRONTAL BOUNDARY...EASTWARD TO AFRICA...AROUND A 1018 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 20N31W. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ MT