000 AXNT20 KNHC 050556 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 105 AM EST SUN DEC 05 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 SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 0515 UTC. ...THE ITCZ... FROM THE COAST OF GUINEA-BISSAU NEAR 12N16W TO 7N28W 8N37W 5N50W. A SURFACE TROUGH IS ALONG 51W FROM 2N TO 10N...PARTIALLY IN EXTREME NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL NEXT TO FRENCH GUIANA. NUMEROUS STRONG RAINSHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FROM 6N TO 10N BETWEEN 42W AND 46W. OTHER ISOLATED MODERATE RAINSHOWERS ARE TO THE SOUTH OF 10N BETWEEN 40W AND 60W...AND TO THE SOUTH OF 8N TO THE EAST OF 40W. ...DISCUSSION... THE GULF OF MEXICO... UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC FLOW COVERS THE AREA AS A RESULT OF THE RIDGE THAT RUNS FROM GUATEMALA TO CENTRAL MEXICO BEYOND WEST TEXAS. SURFACE ANTICYCLONIC WIND FLOW MOVES AROUND A 1021 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 25N88W. A COLD FRONT IS PASSING THROUGH SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA TO EAST TEXAS...THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE TEXAS BIG BEND. IT IS EASILY POSSIBLE TO SEE THE COLD FRONT ENTER THE NORTHWESTERN GULF COASTAL WATERS DURING THE NEXT 6 HOUR TO 12 HOURS. THE CARIBBEAN SEA... THE 24-HOUR RAINFALL TOTAL IN CURACAO FOR THE PERIOD ENDING AT 05/0000 UTC IS 5.01 INCHES. PERSISTENT RAINSHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS COVER THE AREA FROM 10N TO 13N BETWEEN 60W AND 70W...IN BROAD SURFACE LOW PRESSURE AND IN THE AREA OF A 700 MB INVERTED TROUGH. THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW IS SOLIDLY FROM THE SOUTHWEST IN THE AREA THAT IS TO THE EAST OF THE LINE THAT GOES FROM NICARAGUA BEYOND HISPANIOLA. UPPER LEVEL NORTHWESTERLY-TO- WESTERLY WIND FLOW COVERS THE REST OF THE AREA. A COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH THE ATLANTIC OCEAN THROUGH 23N60W TO 20N66W TO THE EASTERN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. A REMNANT CLOUD LINE/SHEAR AXIS CONTINUES FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TO JUST TO THE SOUTH OF JAMAICA...TOWARD NORTHEASTERN NICARAGUA. SCATTERED TO BROKEN LOW TO MIDDLE LEVEL CLOUDS AND POSSIBLE RAINSHOWERS ARE WITHIN 60 NM TO 120 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF 21N65W 19N72W 16N78W 13N85W. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... A SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO 1021 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 25N88W...ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE BAHAMAS...TO 25N66W AND 26N60W. THE DEEP LAYER TROUGH THAT IS IN THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL ATLANTIC OCEAN SUPPORTS THE COLD FRONT THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N54W TO 26N56W 23N60W 20N66W BEYOND THE EASTERN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. RAINSHOWERS ARE WITHIN 60 NM TO 75 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF THE LINE THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N49W 27N55W 20N65W BEYOND THE MONA PASSAGE. SURFACE ANTICYCLONIC FLOW MOVES AROUND A 1017 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 20N54W...COVERING THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ROUGHLY FROM 16N TO 26N BETWEEN 44W AND THE COLD FRONT. DEEP LAYER CYCLONIC FLOW COVERS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE EAST OF 14N TO THE EAST OF 40W. A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS ALONG 32N25W 22N29W 13N33W. A COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH 32N17W TO THE WESTERN CANARY ISLANDS...TO 26N20W. A STATIONARY FRONT CONTINUES FROM 26N20W TO 18N33W. A REMNANT CLOUD LINE/SHEAR AXIS CONTINUES FROM 18N33W TO 12N40W. ISOLATED MODERATE RAINSHOWERS ARE FROM 11N TO 14N BETWEEN 37W AND 42W...AND POSSIBLE WITHIN 30 NM TO 60 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARIES. WIDELY SCATTERED MODERATE RAINSHOWERS ARE TO THE NORTH OF 27N BETWEEN 17W AND 27W. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ MT