000 AXNT20 KNHC 202343 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 805 PM EDT SAT MAR 20 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... ITCZ AXIS IS CENTERED ALONG 7N11W 5N20W 6N27W CROSSING THE EQUATOR NEAR 43W AND INTO NE BRAZIL NEAR 1S46W. CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED MODERATE/STRONG CONVECTION ARE OVER W AFRICA FROM 3N-10N E OF 10W. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS ALSO FROM 5N-7N BETWEEN 15W-17W. A SURFACE TROUGH IS EMBEDDED WITHIN THE AXIS FROM 3N-9N ALONG 27W. SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE WITHIN 30 NM OF THE TROUGH AXIS. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... AS OF 2100 UTC...A COLD FRONT IS OVER THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO ALONG 30N94W 24N98W AND CONTINUES AS A STATIONARY FRONT ALONG THE BASE OF THE SIERRA MADRE ORIENTAL MOUNTAINS TO 25N100W 27N101W. RADAR IMAGERY SHOWS RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE COLD FRONT N OF 28N. WINDS W OF THE COLD FRONT ARE 25-30 KT FROM THE NW AND ARE FORECAST TO BE GALE FORCE WINDS SHORTLY. TEMPERATURES ALONG THE TEXAS COAST ARE ONLY IN THE 40'S AND 50'S. FURTHER EAST... A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDS FROM 27N92W TO 22N94W TO THE BAY OF CAMPECHE AT 18N93W. THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF OF MEXICO E OF THE SURFACE TROUGH HAS 10-15 KT SE WINDS AND MOSTLY FAIR WEATHER WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE 60'S AND 70'S. IN THE UPPER LEVELS... ZONAL FLOW IS OVER THE GULF WITH A 90-110 KT JETSTREAM N OF 26N. VERY STRONG UPPER LEVEL SUBSIDENCE DOMINATES THE AREA EXCEPT OVER LOUISIANA AND SURROUNDING WATERS. EXPECT IN 24 HOURS FOR...THE COLD FRONT TO EXTEND FROM NORTH FLORIDA TO THE YUCATAN PENINSULA WITH RAIN AND SHOWERS. CARIBBEAN SEA... AS OF 2100 UTC...A STATIONARY FRONT IS OVER N HAITI AND EXTENDS SW TO JAMAICA ALONG 20N72W 17N77W. BROKEN TO OVERCAST LOW CLOUDS AND RAIN AND SHOWERS ARE MOSTLY WITHIN 200 NM N OF THE FRONT. EASTERLY WINDS ARE ALONG THE COASTS OF PANAMA AND COSTA RICA PRODUCING OVERCAST LOW CLOUDS AND SHOWERS BETWEEN 81W-85W. A 1007 MB LOW IS CENTERED OVER N COLOMBIA NEAR 8N74W. SCATTERED MODERATE TO STRONG CONVECTION IS OVER N COLOMBIA FROM 8N-11N BETWEEN 72W-76W. IN THE UPPER LEVELS...AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH IS CENTERED OVER N COLOMBIA NEAR 11N75W. STRONG SUBSIDENCE IS OVER THE ENTIRE CARIBBEAN SEA AND CENTRAL AMERICA. EXPECT IN 24 HOURS FOR...THE YUCATAN PENINSULA TO HAVE FRONTAL ACTIVITY...AND ALSO FOR THE SW CARIBBEAN TO HAVE MORE RAIN AND SHOWERS. ATLANTIC OCEAN... A 1021 MB HIGH IS OVER THE W ATLANTIC NEAR 31N77W. FURTHER E... A SMALL 1018 MB LOW IS NOTED AS A SMALL SWIRL AT 30N68W. A COLD FRONT IS OVER THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC FROM 32N50W TO 29N51W TO 25N60W. A STATIONARY FRONT CONTINUES TO HAITI NEAR 20N72W. RAIN AND SHOWERS ARE WITHIN 150 NM N OF THE FRONTS. A 1027 MB HIGH IS CENTERED OVER THE E ATLANTIC NEAR 34N28W. IN THE UPPER LEVELS...ZONAL FLOW IS OVER THE W ATLANTIC W OF 60W. AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IS N OF 20N BETWEEN 30W-60W. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS OVER THE E ATLANTIC N OF 20N E OF 30W. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW IS CENTERED OVER THE TROPICAL E ATLANTIC NEAR 5N35W. UPPER LEVEL CYCLONIC FLOW IS S OF 15N BETWEEN 20W-50W. EXPECT IN 24 HOURS FOR...THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC STATIONARY FRONT TO MOVE N AS A WARM FRONT WHILE THE COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO MOVE E TO 32N38W WITH RAIN AND SHOWERS. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORMOSA