000 AXNT20 KNHC 221139 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 805 AM EDT FRI JUN 22 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 1100 UTC. ...SPECIAL FEATURES... TROPICAL STORM CHRIS IS CENTERED NEAR 44.8N 44.5W AT 22/0900 UTC OR ABOUT 380 NM E-SE OF CAPE RACE NEWFOUNDLAND MOVING NW AT 12 KT. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 989 MB. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WIND SPEED IS 45 KT WITH GUSTS TO 55 KT. CHRIS CONTINUES TO WEAKEN TRANSITIONING TO A POST-TROPICAL CYCLONE AND IS VOID OF ANY DEEP CONVECTION. SEE LATEST NHC FORECAST/ADVISORY UNDER AWIPS/WMO HEADERS MIATCMAT3/WTNT23 KNHC FOR MORE DETAILS. SHOWER ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE LOCATED JUST NORTH OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA IS CURRENTLY DISORGANIZED. THE 1005 MB LOW IS ANALYZED AT 22/0900 UTC JUST N OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA NEAR 22N89W WITH A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDING FROM THE N GULF NEAR 29N87W THROUGH THE LOW TO OVER THE YUCATAN NEAR 20N90W TO 17N93W. SURFACE PRESSURES CONTINUE TO FALL ACROSS THE AREA...AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS APPEAR TO BE CONDUCIVE FOR A TROPICAL DEPRESSION TO FORM DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO AS THIS SYSTEM BEGINS TO MOVE SLOWLY NORTHWARD. THIS SYSTEM HAS A HIGH CHANCE OF BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS. INTERESTS ALONG THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES GULF COAST SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS DISTURBANCE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. SCATTERED SHOWERS/ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE IN THE E GULF S OF 30N E OF THE SURFACE TROUGH TO OVER FLORIDA AND A PORTION OF THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA AND IN THE W CARIBBEAN W OF 84W. HEAVY RAINS AND LOCALIZED FLOODING ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE YUCATAN PENINSULA...WESTERN CUBA...AND SOUTHERN FLORIDA THROUGH SATURDAY. AN AIR FORCE RESERVE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT IS SCHEDULED TO INVESTIGATE THE SYSTEM THIS AFTERNOON...IF NECESSARY. ...TROPICAL WAVES... TROPICAL WAVE IS ANALYZED FROM 17N29W TO 7N35W MOVING W-NW NEAR 10 KT. NO ASSOCIATED DEEP CONVECTION. ...ITCZ/MONSOON TROUGH... THE MONSOON TROUGH EXTENDS ACROSS W AFRICA INTO THE E TROPICAL ATLC NEAR 12N16W ALONG 8N23W TO 6N30W WHERE THE ITCZ CONTINUES ALONG 5N41W 6N48W TO INLAND OVER SOUTH AMERICA NEAR 6N58W. CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED MODERATE/ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTION ARE FROM 3N-8N BETWEEN 7W-15W INCLUDING THE COAST OF SW AFRICA AND FROM 3N-9N BETWEEN 23W-29W. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... BROAD UPPER RIDGE DOMINATES THE GULF ANCHORED OVER S MEXICO NEAR 19N97W EXTENDING A RIDGE AXIS NE ACROSS THE GULF TO NEAR TAMPA FLORIDA. THE ACTIVITY OVER THE E GULF IS DESCRIBED IN THE SPECIAL FEATURES ABOVE. THE NE SURFACE FLOW W OF THE SURFACE REMAINS. HOWEVER THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW HAS SHIFTED REDUCING THE ACTIVITY OVER THE W GULF. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN OVER THE GULF W OF THE SURFACE TROUGH. THE LOW WILL SLOWLY MOVE N INTO THE CENTRAL GULF THROUGH SUN POSSIBLY AS A TROPICAL CYCLONE. THE LOW IS THEN EXPECTED TO TRACK NE ACROSS THE E GULF MON AND TUE. CARIBBEAN SEA... AN UPPER RIDGE AXIS REMAINS ALONG THE GREATER ANTILLES BUT IS NOW ANCHORED OVER THE YUCATAN CHANNEL AND STILL GIVING MOST OF THE CARIBBEAN NE FLOW ALOFT. THE ACTIVITY IN THE NW CARIBBEAN IS DESCRIBED IN THE SPECIAL FEATURES ABOVE. THIS LEAVING THE REMAINDER OF THE CARIBBEAN UNDER MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES THIS MORNING. HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE ATLC WILL MAINTAIN MODERATE TO FRESH E TO SE TRADE WINDS OVER MUCH OF THE CARIBBEAN WITH OCCASIONALLY HIGHER WINDS ALONG THE N COAST OF SOUTH AMERICA THROUGH THE PERIOD. ATLANTIC OCEAN... A CUT OFF UPPER LOW IS CENTERED OVER THE W ATLC NEAR 28N71W COVERING THE AREA N OF 23N BETWEEN 64W-78W AND SUPPORTING A WEAKENING SURFACE TROUGH THAT AT 22/0900 UTC EXTENDS FROM 31N68W ALONG 29N71W TO 27N75W. THE UPPER RIDGE AXIS OVER THE GREATER ANTILLES EXTENDS S OF THE CUT OFF UPPER LOW PROVIDING DIFFLUENCE ALOFT AND COUPLED WITH A SURFACE TROUGH THAT EXTENDS FROM 24N71W TO THE E TIP OF CUBA ARE GENERATING SCATTERED TO HEAVY SHOWERS WITH CLUSTERS OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FROM 20N-24N BETWEEN 67W-74W WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS/ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN THE BAHAMAS AND THE GREATER ANTILLES W OF 74W INTO THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA. A SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS FROM A 1026 MB HIGH IN THE NE ATLC OFF THE COAST OF PORTUGAL THROUGH 32N26W ALONG 24N38W TO A 1018 MB HIGH NEAR 23N59W. THE SURFACE TROUGH WILL DRIFT NW THROUGH FRI NIGHT WHILE WEAKENING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD ALONG 25N THROUGH SUN. ANOTHER SURFACE TROUGH WILL BUILD ALONG 25N THROUGH SUN. A TROUGH WILL EXTEND FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO INTO FAR NW WATERS MON AND TUE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ PAW