000 AXNT20 KNHC 290541 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 105 AM EST WED DEC 29 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... ITCZ AXIS IS ANALYZED ALONG 9N13W 3N23W 2N37W CROSSING THE EQUATOR NEAR 46W. CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED MODERATE/ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTION ARE FROM 1N-5N BETWEEN THE PRIME MERIDIAN AND 13W. CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION ARE FROM 2N-7N BETWEEN 15W-23W AND FROM 1N-6N BETWEEN 25W-40W. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... SURFACE RIDGE REMAINS IN CONTROL OF THE GULF AGAIN TONIGHT EXTENDING INTO THE W ATLC AND ANCHORED BY A 1025 MB HIGH IN THE GULF JUST S OF MOBILE BAY ALABAMA AND A PAIR OF 1026 MB HIGH OVER NE ALABAMA AND NEAR NASHVILLE TENNESSEE. ZONAL WESTERLY FLOW DOMINATES THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE GULF. RETURN FLOW CONTINUES TO BANK LOW CLOUDS WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED SHOWERS OVER THE NW GULF WITHIN 90 NM ALONG THE COAST OF TEXAS TO INLAND OVER E TEXAS W OF GALVESTON. TEMPERATURES AVE MODERATED OVER TEXAS AND LOUISIANA TONIGHT WHILE THE TEMPERATURES OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF COAST ARE HOVERING NEAR OR JUST BELOW FREEZING. BROKEN TO OVERCAST COLD AIR STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS COVER A SMALLER PORTION OF THE GULF WITHIN 120 NM OF LINE FROM 26N87W TO OVER THE YUCATAN CHANNEL NEAR 22N86W. THE RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO SHIFT SLOWLY EASTWARD WITH THE NEXT COLD FRONT TO ENTER THE GULF LATE FRI/EARLY SAT. CARIBBEAN SEA... THE SURFACE RIDGE OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO AND W ATLC COVERS THE NW CARIBBEAN N OF 16N W OF A COLD FRONT THAT EXTENDS FROM THE CENTRAL ATLC ACROSS THE VIRGIN ISLANDS NEAR 18N63W TO NEAR 15N70W. BROKEN/OVERCAST LOW/MID CLOUDS WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE WITHIN 90/120 NM OF LINE FROM 14N75W TO ACROSS THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO NEAR 18N65W. BROKEN TO OVERCAST COLD AIR STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS ARE W OF A LINE FROM HISPANIOLA NEAR THE HAITI DOMINICAN REPUBLIC BORDER ALONG 15N78W TO THE PANAMA/COSTA RICA BORDER. THE ENTIRE CARIBBEAN IS UNDER SW TO W FLOW ALOFT IN RESPONSE TO AN UPPER RIDGE ANCHORED IN THE TROPICS. DIFFLUENCE ALOFT OVER THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN COMBINED WITH THE STRONG N TO NE SURFACE WINDS ARE GENERATING AN AREA SCATTERED SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN 60/75 NM OF LINE FROM 15N75W TO 14N80W. THIS IS LEAVING THE SE CARIBBEAN UNDER CLEAR SKIES AGAIN TONIGHT. ATLANTIC OCEAN... BROAD UPPER TROUGH COVERS THE W ATLC N OF 22N W OF 47W TO THE FLORIDA PENINSULA SUPPORTING A COLD FRONT THAT ENTERS THE W/CENTRAL ATLC NEAR 32N48W ALONG 23N55W ACROSS THE VIRGIN ISLANDS INTO THE CARIBBEAN NEAR 18N63W. BROKEN TO OVERCAST COLD AIR STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS COVER THE W ATLC W OF THE FRONT WITH SKIES BEGINNING TO CLEAR ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD N OF PALM BEACH FLORIDA. AN UPPER RIDGE AXIS IS JUST TO THE E EXTENDING FROM THE TROPICS NEAR 12N56W TO BEYOND 32N37W ENHANCING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN 75/90 NM OF LINE FROM ACROSS THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO NEAR 18N65W ALONG 24N54W TO BEYOND 32N45W. A SURFACE RIDGE COVERS THE REMAINDER OF THE CENTRAL ATLC INTO THE E ATLC ANCHORED BY A 1019 MB HIGH NEAR 29N34W. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH REMAINS IN THE E ATLC N OF 10N E OF 30W TO JUST INLAND ALONG THE COAST OF W AFRICA SUPPORTING A DISSIPATING COLD FRONT THAT ENTERS THE E ATLC NEAR 32N14W EXTENDING ACROSS THE CANARY ISLANDS TO 24M21W. A SURFACE RIDGE IS E OF THE FRONT COVERING AFRICA ANCHORED BY A 1026 MB HIGH OVER ALGERIA NEAR 31N5W. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ PAW