000 AXNT20 KNHC 131134 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 705 AM EST MON FEB 13 2012 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...WEATHER OBSERVATIONS...RADAR...AND METEOROLOGICAL ANALYSIS. BASED ON 0600 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 1115 UTC. ...ITCZ/MONSOON TROUGH... THE MONSOON TROUGH EXTENDS ACROSS W AFRICA INTO THE E TROPICAL ATLC NEAR 10N12W ALONG 7N17W TO 1N22W WHERE THE ITCZ AXIS CONTINUES FROM THERE ALONG THE EQUATOR BETWEEN 25W-34W THEN S OF THE EQUATOR TO INLAND OVER SOUTH AMERICA NEAR 3S45W. SMALL CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED MODERATE/ISOLATED STRONG ARE FROM 1N-5N BETWEEN 8W-12W. CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION ARE FROM 1N-5N W OF 25W TO INLAND OVER SOUTH AMERICA. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... BROAD UPPER RIDGE DOMINATES THE GULF WITH THE AXIS EXTENDING FROM THE CARIBBEAN THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL TO OVER THE N GULF COAST NEAR PENSACOLA FLORIDA. A SURFACE RIDGE ALSO COVERS THE GULF ANCHORED BY A 1029 MB HIGH OVER CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. THE SE RETURN FLOW IS OVER THE NW GULF WHILE THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF IS UNDER NE TO E SURFACE FLOW. THE SURFACE FLOW CONVERGING OVER THE W GULF WITH THE UPPER FLOW IS PRODUCING DENSE CLOUD COVER AND SCATTERED SHOWERS W OF 89W LEAVING THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF UNDER CLEAR SKIES THIS MORNING. SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW WILL SPREAD E ACROSS THE ENTIRE GULF TODAY. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE OFF THE TEXAS COAST LATER TONIGHT AND ACROSS THE N GULF THROUGH TUE BEFORE STALLING FROM THE FLORIDA BIG BEND TO THE CENTRAL GULF WED. REMNANTS OF THE FRONT WILL LIFT N ON WED. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL MOVE OFF THE TEXAS COAST ON THU EXTENDING FROM SE LOUISIANA TO NE MEXICO BY THU AFTERNOON AND SHIFTING OUT OF THE GULF FRI NIGHT. CARIBBEAN SEA... AN UPPER TROUGH OVER THE W ATLC IS DRAPING A COLD FRONT ACROSS THE W ATLC TO OVER HISPANIOLA WHERE TI BEGINS TO DISSIPATE AS IT ENTERS THE CARIBBEAN NEAR 18N70W TO JUST OFF THE NE NICARAGUA COAST NEAR 14N83W. REMNANT MOISTURE WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE WITHIN 120/150 NM W OF THE ENTIRE CARIBBEAN FRONT AND WITHIN 120 NM E OF THE FRONT E OF 73W. COLD AIR STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS ARE DOTTING THE REMAINDER OF THE NW CARIBBEAN W OF THE FRONT. THE SURFACE RIDGE OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO AND W ATLC EXTENDS OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN W OF THE FRONT. A BROAD UPPER RIDGE EXTENDS FROM OVER SOUTH AMERICA AND COLOMBIA ACROSS THE SW CARIBBEAN TO OVER NICARAGUA AND CENTRAL AMERICA THEN TURNS N THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO. THE REMAINDER OF THE CARIBBEAN IS UNDER CLEAR SKIES THIS MORNING. DISSIPATING COLD FRONT WILL BECOME DIFFUSE ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN LATER TONIGHT. ATLANTIC OCEAN... A BROAD UPPER TROUGH COVERS THE W ATLC SUPPORTING A COLD FRONT THAT ENTERS THE W/CENTRAL ATLC NEAR 32N54W CONTINUING SW ALONG 25N61W TO OVER HISPANIOLA WHERE IT DISSIPATES INTO THE CARIBBEAN NEAR 18N70W. SCATTERED SHOWERS/ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE WITHIN 120 NM E OF THE FRONT N OF 26N WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS WITHIN 45 NM E OF THE REMAINDER OF THE FRONT. DENSE LOW/MID CLOUDS WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE WITHIN 200 NM W OF THE ENTIRE FRONT WITH COLD AIR STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS COVERING THE REMAINDER OF THE W ATLC TO 80W. A SURFACE RIDGE CONTINUES TO BUILD EASTWARD BEHIND THE FRONT ANCHORED BY A 1029 MB HIGH OVER CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. A SECOND BROAD UPPER TROUGH DOMINATES THE E ATLC WITH THE AXIS EXTENDING THROUGH 32N34W ALONG 23N36W TO 14N56W SUPPORTING A SURFACE LOW WELL N OF THE DISCUSSION AREA AND GENERATING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN 120 NM OF LINE FROM 29N34W TO BEYOND 32N29W. A SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE ATLC WITH THE AXIS EXTENDING FROM NEAR 31N38W SW TO 21N60W. THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE CENTRAL ATLC MON WHERE IT WILL STALL AND WEAKEN THROUGH TUE AND DISSIPATE BY TUE NIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT THROUGH MIDWEEK WITH SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW SETTING UP OVER THE NW ATLC TUE. A SECOND FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH THE W ATLC N OF 28N WED AND THU. A THIRD FRONT WILL MOVE OFF THE N FLORIDA COAST FRI. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ PAW