000 AXNT20 KNHC 221045 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 705 AM EST WED DEC 22 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 1015 UTC. ...THE ITCZ... FROM THE LIBERIA COAST NEAR 6N10W TO 5N20W 4N30W 4N39W...INTO NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL NEAR 2N50W. NUMEROUS STRONG RAINSHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FROM 2N TO 10N BETWEEN 43W AND 53W...INCLUDING THE COASTAL PLAINS AND COASTAL WATERS FROM NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL NEAR THE EQUATOR TO FRENCH GUIANA. ISOLATED MODERATE RAINSHOWERS ARE WITHIN 15 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF A LINE THAT GOES FROM 4.7N24W TO 4N34W TO 5N41.6W. WARMING CLOUD TOP TEMPERATURES AND WEAKENING PRECIPITATION ARE FROM 1S TO 2N BETWEEN 14W AND 23W. OTHER ISOLATED AND DISORGANIZED RAINSHOWERS ARE TO THE SOUTH OF 5N TO THE EAST OF 12W. ...DISCUSSION... FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ALONG 67W INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO... BROAD UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC FLOW SPANS THE AREA BETWEEN 80W ALONG FLORIDA AND 110W IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN. A SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS FROM THE SOUTHEASTERN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TO 22N76W...TO A 1021 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 26N84W OFF THE FLORIDA WEST COAST...TOWARD THE MIDDLE TEXAS GULF COAST. IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN BETWEEN 40W AND 65W...AND INTO THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA... BROAD CYCLONIC FLOW ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY COVERS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN BETWEEN 40W AND 80W. A COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH 32N43W TO 23N50W TO 20N55W...INTO THE GUADELOUPE PASSAGE JUST TO THE SOUTH OF ANTIGUA. A SURFACE TROUGH CONTINUES FROM ANTIGUA TO 14N70W. GALE FORCE WINDS ARE IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE NORTH OF 28N BETWEEN THE FRONT AND 64W...WITH SEA HEIGHTS RANGING FROM 18 FEET TO 30 FEET. ISOLATED MODERATE RAINSHOWERS ARE WITHIN 240 NM TO 360 NM TO THE EAST OF THE FRONT TO THE NORTH OF 24N... AND WITHIN 60 NM TO THE EAST OF THE FRONT MOSTLY FROM 20N TO 24N. COLD-AIR STRATIFORM CLOUDS COVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE NORTH OF 20N TO THE WEST OF THE FRONT. SCATTERED STRONG RAINSHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA FROM 14N TO 15N BETWEEN 66W AND 69W. BROKEN TO OVERCAST LOW LEVEL TO MIDDLE LEVEL CLOUDS ARE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA IN GENERAL FROM 13N TO 20N BETWEEN 60W AND 77W. GALE FORCE WINDS ARE TO THE NORTH OF 28N BETWEEN THE FRONT AND 64W...WITH SEA HEIGHTS RANGING FROM 18 FEET TO 30 FEET. THE REST OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA... A 1009 MB LOW PRESSURE CENTER IS NEAR 13N60W...ABOUT 20 NM TO THE EAST OF GRENADA...BEING RE-LOCATED BASED ON SURFACE OBSERVATIONS. A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDS FROM 15N55W TO 14N58W... CURVING TO THE LOW CENTER...ACROSS NORTHWESTERN TRINIDAD TO NORTHEASTERN VENEZUELA NEAR 9N63W. RAINSHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE FROM 11N TO 14N BETWEEN 61W AND 64W. UPPER LEVEL WINDS ARE NOT CONDUCIVE FOR SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT INTO A TROPICAL CYCLONE...AND CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN UNFAVORABLE FOR DEVELOPMENT DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. THIS SYSTEM WILL ENHANCE RAINFALL AND WINDS ACROSS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN CORNER OF THE AREA DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDS FROM THE PENINSULA DE LA GUAJIRA OF NORTHEASTERN COLOMBIA TO 15N76W. WIDELY SCATTERED MODERATE RAINSHOWERS AND ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS COVER THE AREA FROM 12N TO 16N BETWEEN 71W AND 76W. THE REST OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... BROAD UPPER LEVEL CYCLONIC FLOW IS TO THE NORTH OF 20N TO THE EAST OF 20W ACROSS AFRICA. A COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH 32N9W IN COASTAL MOROCCO...TO THE SOUTHERN CANARY ISLANDS...CURVING NORTHWESTWARD TO 31N30W. A STATIONARY FRONT CONTINUES NORTHWESTWARD BEYOND 32N32W. SURFACE ANTICYCLONIC WIND FLOW COVERS THE AREA FROM THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS NEAR 15N TO THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE CANARY ISLANDS AND 42W. THE ANTICYCLONIC FLOW MOVES AROUND A 1018 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 25N33W. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ MT