000 AXNT20 KNHC 270505 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 205 AM EDT TUE MAR 27 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 0000 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 0515 UTC. ...ITCZ/MONSOON TROUGH... THE MONSOON TROUGH EXTENDS ACROSS W AFRICA TO THE COAST OF SIERRA LEONE AT 8N13W TO 5N20W. THE ITCZ CONTINUES FROM 5N20W TO 1N30W TO S OF THE EQUATOR AT 1S40W TO THE COAST OF BRAZIL AT 2S44W. ISOLATED MODERATE CONVECTION IS FROM 3N-4S BETWEEN 25W-35W...AND FROM 2N-1S BETWEEN 41W-50W. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... AS OF 0300 UTC...A 1018 MB HIGH IS CENTERED S OF MISSISSIPPI AT 29N89W PRODUCING FAIR WEATHER. 10-15 KT ANTICYCLONIC SURFACE WINDS ARE NOTED OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO. WIDELY SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS INLAND HOWEVER OVER S TEXAS AND NE MEXICO FROM 23N-28N BETWEEN 98W-101W. IN THE UPPER LEVELS...THE BASE OF AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IS OVER THE GULF WITH AXIS ALONG 93W. STRONG SUBSIDENCE COVERS THE ENTIRE GULF WHILE CONSIDERABLE UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE AND HIGH CLOUDS ARE OVER TEXAS AND N MEXICO. EXPECT SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING TO PREVAIL OVER THE GULF FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ALSO EXPECT SCATTERED SHOWERS OVER S TEXAS AND NE MEXICO...AS WELL AS OVER S FLORIDA...WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS. CARIBBEAN SEA... AS OF 0300 UTC...THE TAIL END OF A COLD FRONT IS OVER CUBA FROM 21N76W TO 22N84W. SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE S OF W CUBA. A SURFACE TROUGH IS OVER THE YUCATAN PENINSULA FROM 21N89W TO GUATEMALA AT 16N90W. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND RAIN ARE WITH 45 NM OF THE TROUGH. RAIN AND SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE OVER HISPANIOLA...JAMAICA... NICARAGUA...AND THE COASTS OF COSTA RICA AND W PANAMA. 10-15 KT TRADEWINDS DOMINATE THE CARIBBEAN. IN THE UPPER LEVELS...SW FLOW PREVAILS. UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE AND HIGH CLOUDS ARE NOTED OVER SOUTH AMERICA...AND THE WINDWARD ISLANDS. STRONG SUBSIDENCE IS OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA. EXPECT THE COLD FRONT TO MOVE E TO N OF HISPANIOLA OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS WITH SHOWERS. ATLANTIC OCEAN... A COLD FRONT IS OVER THE W ATLANTIC FROM 31N65W TO E CUBA AT 21N76W. RAIN AND SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE WITHIN 120 NM E OF THE FRONT. A 1024 MB HIGH IS OVER THE W ATLANTIC NEAR 34N43W PRODUCING FAIR WEATHER. THE TAIL END OF ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS OVER THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC FROM 31N28W TO 25N40W. SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE WITHIN 30 NM OF THE FRONT. A PLUME OF AFRICAN DUST IS OVER THE E ATLANTIC N OF 10N E OF 25W AS NOTED FROM THE GOES-R PG DUST IMAGERY. IN THE UPPER LEVELS...AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS N OF 25N BETWEEN 70W-80W SUPPORTING THE W ATLANTIC FRONT. ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS OVER THE E ATLANTIC N OF 20N E OF 40W SUPPORTING THE OTHER FRONT. EXPECT OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS FOR BOTH FRONTS TO STEADILY MOVE E. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORMOSA