000 AXNT20 KNHC 272357 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 705 PM EST MON DEC 27 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. ...THE ITCZ... FROM 7N14W TO 5N28W TO 2N40W...INTO EXTREME NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL NEAR 1N51W. BROKEN TO OVERCAST MULTILAYERED CLOUDS AND ISOLATED MODERATE RAINSHOWERS TO LOCALLY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE WITHIN 180 NM TO 240 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF 7N11W 3N18W...AND WITHIN 120 NM TO 180 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF 3N18W 3N32W 2N43W 1N54W. ...DISCUSSION... THE GULF OF MEXICO... UPPER LEVEL WESTERLY WIND FLOW COVERS THE AREA. THE LAST REMAINS OF THE DEEP LAYER TROUGH THAT HAS BEEN SUPPORTING THE LAST COLD FRONT THAT MOVED THROUGH THE AREA 24 HOURS AGO REACH THE BAHAMAS AND BARELY THE EASTERN FLORIDA STRAITS. ONE SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS FROM THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS TOWARD THE LOUISIANA COAST ALONG 92W. A SECOND SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS FROM THE LOUISIANA COAST ALONG 92W INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE AREA. FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO THE WEST OF 55W INTO THE CARIBBEAN SEA ACROSS HISPANIOLA AND INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA... CYCLONIC FLOW ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY IS WITHIN 360 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF THE LINE THAT RUNS THROUGH 32N72W TO THE FLORIDA STRAITS. THE CYCLONIC FLOW A BEYOND 32N72W. CYCLONIC FLOW AT THE SURFACE COVERS THE AREA TO THE WEST OF 58W. THE WESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH 32N59W TO 25N64W...ACROSS CENTRAL HISPANIOLA...CURVING THROUGH 14N78W IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA...AND FINALLY TO THE PANAMA COAST ALONG 80W/81W. SCATTERED MODERATE RAINSHOWERS TO ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE WITHIN 30 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF 29N57W 27N60W 24N63W. COLD-AIR STRATIFORM CLOUDS ARE TO THE WEST OF THE FRONT. GALE FORCE WIND CONDITIONS ARE TO THE NORTH OF 26N BETWEEN THE COLD FRONT AND 78W WITH SEA HEIGHTS RANGING FROM 10 FEET IN THE WEST TO 28 FEET IN THE NORTHEASTERN SECTION IN NORTHWESTERLY SWELL...AND TO THE NORTH OF 25N WITHIN 240 NM TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE FRONT WITH SEA HEIGHTS RANGING FROM 9 FEET TO 14 FEET. RAINSHOWERS ARE WITHIN 15 NM TO 30 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF THE LINE THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N70W TO 27N73W. COLD-AIR STRATIFORM CLOUDS ARE TO THE WEST OF THE FRONT IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. BROKEN TO OVERCAST MULTILAYERED CLOUDS AND ISOLATED MODERATE RAINSHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS ARE WITHIN 120 NM TO 180 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF THE LINE THAT PASSES THROUGH 20N66W...THROUGH THE MONA PASSAGE... TO 16N72W IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA...TO 13N75W TO THE PANAMA NEAR 9N78W. THE REST OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA... UPPER LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW IS EVERYWHERE ELSE...AND EVEN ON TOP OF THE AREA OF THE COLD FRONT. NORTHERLY SURFACE WIND FLOW IS TO THE WEST OF THE FRONT...AND NORTHEASTERLY WIND FLOW IS TO THE EAST OF THE FRONT. SCATTERED STRONG RAINSHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE IN NORTHERN COLOMBIA FROM 9N TO 12N IN THE COASTAL WATERS BETWEEN THE BORDER WITH VENEZUELA AND 75W. THE REST OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... AN EASTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN TROUGH IN WATER VAPOR IMAGERY PASSES THROUGH 32N26W TO 18N31W TO 10N35W. THIS TROUGH SUPPORTS A COLD FRONT THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N17W JUST OFF THE MADEIRA ARCHIPELAGO...TO 27N28W AND 21N40W. THE MOST APPARENT PRECIPITATION THAT IS FOUND IN SATELLITE IMAGERY IS TO THE NORTH OF 30N BETWEEN 16W AND 26W. A 1021 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER IS NEAR 28N45W. SURFACE ANTICYCLONIC WIND FLOW COVERS THE AREA TO THE NORTH OF 20N BETWEEN THE 32N17W 21N40W COLD FRONT AND 56W. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ MT