000 AXNT20 KNHC 231735 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 205 PM EDT FRI APR 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 1200 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 1715 UTC... ...THE ITCZ... ITCZ AXIS IS CENTERED ALONG 8N13W 3N30W 2N50W. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS ALONG THE COAST OF WEST AFRICA FROM 4N-6N BETWEEN THE PRIME MERIDIAN AND 3W. WIDELY SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS FROM 3N-5N BETWEEN 14W-18W. ISOLATED MODERATE CONVECTION IS ALONG THE COAST OF SOUTH AMERICA FROM 2N-2S BETWEEN 40W-47W. ...DISCUSSION... THE GULF OF MEXICO... AS OF 1500 UTC...A 1019 MB HIGH IS CENTERED OVER THE W ATLANTIC N OF THE BAHAMAS NEAR 28N76W PRODUCING SE RETURN FLOW OVER THE ENTIRE GULF OF MEXICO AND MOSTLY FAIR WEATHER OVER FLORIDA AND THE E GULF. A COLD FRONT IS OVER CENTRAL TEXAS MOVING E TOWARDS THE NW GULF. THE W GULF W OF 90W HAS BROKEN TO OVERCAST MULTILAYERED CLOUDS. IN THE UPPER LEVELS...AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IS OVER THE GULF WITH AXIS ALONG 90W PRODUCING MOSTLY WESTERLY FLOW. CONSIDERABLE UPPER LEVEL HIGH CLOUDS AND UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE ARE OVER THE W GULF W OF 90W. EXPECT IN 24 HOURS...FOR THE COLD FRONT TO EXTEND FROM S LOUISIANA TO TAMPICO MEXICO WITH SHOWERS. ALSO EXPECT PREFRONTAL CONVECTION OVER THE NE GULF AND THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE. THE CARIBBEAN SEA... FRESH TO STRONG TRADEWINDS ARE OVER THE CARIBBEAN SEA WITH STRONGEST WINDS ALONG THE COASTS OF N COLOMBIA AND VENEZUELA. A 1006 MB LOW IS CENTERED S OF PANAMA NEAR 6N79W. SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE ALONG THE CARIBBEAN COASTS OF PANAMA AND COSTA RICA...AND OVER THE LEEWARD ISLANDS TO INCLUDE PUERTO RICO AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS. MOSTLY FAIR WEATHER IS OVER THE WINDWARD ISLANDS. IN THE UPPER LEVELS...AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IS OVER THE CARIBBEAN WITH RIDGE AXIS ALONG 10N BETWEEN 60W-90W PRODUCING LIGHT ANTICYCLONIC UPPER LEVEL WINDS. CONSIDERABLE UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE AND HIGH CLOUDS ARE OVER THE YUCATAN PENINSULA AND YUCATAN CHANNEL. STRONG SUBSIDENCE IS OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE CARIBBEAN. EXPECT LITTLE CHANGE OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... A 1018 MB HIGH IS CENTERED N OF THE BAHAMAS NEAR 28N77W MOVING E. A COLD FRONT IS OVER THE W ATLANTIC ALONG 32N57W 29N60W 26N66W. A 1018 MB HIGH IS FURTHER E OVER THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC NEAR 30N40W. A COLD FRONT IS OVER THE EASTERN ATLANTIC FROM 32N27W TO 27N33W 25N45W. SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE WITHIN 90 NM OF THE FRONT. FURTHER E...A 1018 MB HIGH IS CENTERED W OF THE CANARY ISLANDS NEAR 27N23W. IN THE UPPER LEVELS...A BROAD UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS OVER THE ATLANTIC N OF 20N W OF 40W. AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IS OVER THE E ATLANTIC N OF 20N E OF 40W. AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH IS CENTERED OVER THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC NEAR 12N42W. ANTICYCLONIC FLOW IS S OF 20N W OF 30W. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS OVER THE TROPICAL E ATLANTIC AND SW AFRICA S OF 20N E OF 30W. EXPECT IN 24 HOURS FOR THE TWO FRONTS TO MOVE E WITH SHOWERS. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORMOSA