000 AXNT20 KNHC 201201 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 705 AM EST MON DEC 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 0600 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 1115 UTC. ...THE ITCZ... FROM THE SIERRA LEONE COAST NEAR 9N13W TO 6N20W 5N30W TO 5N44W. IT IS NOT EASY TO LOCATE THE ITCZ AFTER 5N44W. SCATTERED STRONG RAINSHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FROM 5N TO 9N BETWEEN 19W AND 31W...AND IN THE COASTAL WATERS OF FRENCH GUIANA AND SURINAME. ISOLATED MODERATE RAINSHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS ARE TO THE SOUTH OF 3N BETWEEN 10W AND 14W...AND WITHIN 60 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF 9N31W 5N35W...TO THE EQUATOR AT 39W...AND TO THE SOUTH OF 3N BETWEEN 40W AND 45W. A SURFACE TROUGH IS ALONG 14N50W TO A 1008 MB LOW PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 11N53W... TO 6N52W. SCATTERED MODERATE RAINSHOWERS TO ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE FROM 9N TO 13N BETWEEN 46W AND 53W. ...DISCUSSION... THE GULF OF MEXICO... UPPER LEVEL NORTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW CONTINUES AFTER THE LATEST TROUGH HAS MOVED ACROSS THE AREA. A SURFACE RIDGE IS ALONG 24N94W 28N91W...BEYOND SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA...SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI...AND SOUTHWESTERN ALABAMA. A SURFACE TROUGH GOES FROM THE NORTHERN ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC OF MEXICO TO 21N97W TO COASTAL MEXICO NEAR 24N98W. MULTILAYERED CLOUDS ARE TO THE SOUTH OF 25N TO THE WEST OF 93W. COLD-AIR STRATIFORM CLOUDS REMAIN TO THE SOUTH OF 28N TO THE EAST OF 88W. FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE WEST OF 60W INTO THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA...AND INTO THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA... A LONGWAVE TROUGH ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY PASSES THROUGH NORTH CAROLINA TO 32N76W TO 26N74W TOWARD NORTHERN COASTAL HAITI. THIS TROUGH SUPPORTS THE COLD FRONT THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N66W TO 25N66W...CUTTING ACROSS THE NORTH CENTRAL DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TO HAITI. A DISSIPATING COLD FRONT CONTINUES FROM HAITI TO JAMAICA TO THE EASTERN YUCATAN PENINSULA. CLUSTERS OF LOW LEVEL CLOUDS ARE ALONG AND TO THE NORTH OF THE DISSIPATING COLD FRONT. A SURFACE TROUGH IS ALONG 24N65W TO THE EASTERN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC...INTO THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA NEAR 15N70W TO THE VENEZUELA COASTAL WATERS THAT ARE FROM 11N TO 12N ALONG 71W. BROKEN TO OVERCAST MULTILAYERED CLOUDS AND ISOLATED MODERATE RAINSHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS ARE TO THE NORTH OF 30N BETWEEN 52W AND 62W...AND WITHIN 60 NM TO 120 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF 30N58W 24N62W 20N66W IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN...AND WITHIN 30 NM TO 60 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF 20N66W...THROUGH THE WINDWARD PASSAGE...TO 15N68W 11N71W AT THE VENEZUELA COAST. GALE-FORCE WINDS ARE IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE NORTH OF 28N WITHIN 300 NM TO THE EAST OF THE COLD FRONT. SEA HEIGHTS ARE RANGING FROM 10 FEET TO 15 FEET. THE REST OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA... CLOUDS AND RAINSHOWERS COVER THE WATERS FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN FROM 12N TO 16N BETWEEN 58W AND 67W. A SURFACE-TO-LOW LEVEL TROUGH IS ALONG 65W/66W FROM 11N TO 17N. THE REST OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... A LONGWAVE TROUGH ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY PASSES THROUGH 32N25W TO 25N29W TO 20N40W. UPPER LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW IS TO THE SOUTH OF 14N45W 17N40W 26N20W BEYOND THE WESTERN SAHARA AND MAURITANIA. A COLD FRONT IS ALONG 32N15W TO THE WESTERN CANARY ISLANDS...TO 22N27W. A TROUGH CONTINUES FROM 22N27W TO 20N35W 19N40W 18N49W. BROKEN LOW LEVEL TO MIDDLE LEVEL CLOUDS AND POSSIBLE RAINSHOWERS ARE WITHIN 30 NM TO 45 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF THE ENTIRE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. SURFACE ANTICYCLONIC FLOW MOVES AROUND A 1018 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 29N45W... FROM 20N TO 30N BETWEEN 35W AND 60W. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ MT