000 AXNT20 KNHC 121147 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 805 AM EDT TUE MAR 12 2013 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 PASSES THROUGH SOUTHWESTERN COASTAL SENEGAL NEAR 13N17W TO 10N20W 8N23W AND 5N24W. THE ITCZ CONTINUES FROM 5N24W...TO 2N33W CROSSING THE EQUATOR ALONG 39W...TO 2S42W. CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION... ISOLATED MODERATE TO LOCALLY STRONG TO THE SOUTH OF 6N TO THE EAST OF 50W... AND TO THE SOUTH OF 10N BETWEEN 50W AND 60W. GULF OF MEXICO... MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW COVERS THE ENTIRE AREA. THE TROUGH THAT SUPPORTS THE CURRENT GULF OF MEXICO COLD FRONT IS INLAND...LEAVING ONLY THE SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW IN THE GULF WATERS. A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL RIDGE PASSES THROUGH 32N74W IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN...TO 26N76W...TO 19N80W IN THE NORTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA. A COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE/FLORIDA BIG BEND NEAR 31N84W...TO 26N85W...TO THE NORTHERN COAST OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA... CUTTING ACROSS THE NORTHWESTERN CORNER OF GUATEMALA...TO 16N93W IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC. CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION... SCATTERED MODERATE TO ISOLATED STRONG WITHIN 180 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF THE LINE THROUGH 32N76W IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN...TO 29N82W IN FLORIDA...TO 25N90W IN THE GULF OF MEXICO. ISOLATED MODERATE TO LOCALLY STRONG RAINSHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE IN THE EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA. RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE ELSEWHERE TO THE SOUTH OF 25N TO THE WEST OF 85W. A SURFACE RIDGE PASSES THROUGH CENTRAL AND EAST TEXAS...TO A 1024 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 23N99W IN MEXICO...TO THE CENTRAL ISTHMUS OF TEHUANTEPEC OF SOUTHERN MEXICO. FAIR SKIES ARE IN THE DEEP SOUTH OF TEXAS...EDINBURG IS REPORTING 5 MILES OF VISIBILITY AND HAZE. FAIR SKIES/CLEAR SKIES COVER THE REST OF THE TEXAS GULF COASTAL PLAINS. THE 1 TO 3 MILE VISIBILITY AND FOG IN PASCAGOULA MISSISSIPPI HAS CLEARED UP COMPARATIVELY SPEAKING... DURING THE LAST HOUR. CLEAR SKIES/FAIR SKIES THE COASTAL PLAINS FROM TEXAS TO THE FLORIDA BORDER. THE SKIES ARE CLEARING TO THE WEST OF THE COLD FRONT AS THE FRONT CROSSES THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE/THE FLORIDA BIG BEND. RAIN IS FALLING IN INTRACOASTAL CITY IN LOUISIANA. FAIR SKIES/CLEAR SKIES COVER THE REST OF THE COASTAL PLAINS BETWEEN FLORIDA AND EAST TEXAS. PRECIPITATION AND CLOUDS COVER FLORIDA NEAR THE COLD FRONT. FAIR SKIES COVER THE REST OF THE FLORIDA GULF COASTAL PLAINS THAT ARE TO THE SOUTH OF 27N. FOR THE OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING SITES THAT ARE IN THE GULF OF MEXICO TO THE NORTH OF 27N TO THE WEST OF 88W... FAIR SKIES ARE OBSERVED AT THE SITES THAT ARE IMMEDIATELY OFF THE TEXAS GULF COAST. BROKEN LOW CLOUDS ARE TO THE EAST OF 90W AND STATION KGBK. FAIR SKIES ARE ELSEWHERE. FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN INTO THE CARIBBEAN SEA... A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH EXTENDS FROM A WATER VAPOR LEVEL CYCLONIC CIRCULATION CENTER THAT IS NEAR 34N48W...TO 32N50W 23N54W...TOWARD THE NORTHEASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA NEAR 18N61W... TO THE COASTAL WATERS OF VENEZUELA NEAR 11N64W. THE TROUGH SUPPORTS A COLD FRONT AND A 997 MB GALE CENTER. THE 997 MB GALE CENTER IS NEAR 34N47W. A SURFACE TROUGH PASSES THROUGH 32N39W TO 25N44W AND 15N55W. A SECOND TROUGH PASSES THROUGH 32N48W TO 28N50W AND 20N59W. CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION...SCATTERED MODERATE TO THE NORTH OF 25N BETWEEN 40W AND 54W...SCATTERED MODERATE TO STRONG WITHIN 90 NM TO 120 NM ON EITHER SIDE OF 21N47W 27N40W BEYOND 32N34W. RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE ELSEWHERE TO THE WEST AND NORTHWEST OF THE LINE THAT PASSES THROUGH 32N28W 23N36W 17N43W 13N60W. RAINSHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA ACROSS TO THE NORTH OF 17N TO THE EAST OF THE WINDWARD PASSAGE...INCLUDING ACROSS HISPANIOLA AND PUERTO RICO...AND THE REST OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA TO THE SOUTH OF 17N. THE REST OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA... A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL RIDGE PASSES THROUGH 32N74W IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN...TO 26N76W...TO 19N80W IN THE NORTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA. A SURFACE RIDGE PASSES THROUGH 32N69W IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... TO 26N70W AND 17N68W JUST TO THE SOUTH OF THE MONA PASSAGE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA. A SECOND SURFACE RIDGE PASSES FROM 26N70W TO CUBA NEAR 22N78W... TO THE COASTAL WATERS OF EASTERN NICARAGUA. THE REST OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... A SURFACE RIDGE PASSES THROUGH 32N69W IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... TO 26N70W AND 17N68W JUST TO THE SOUTH OF THE MONA PASSAGE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA. A SECOND SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS FROM 26N70W TO CUBA NEAR 22N78W... TO THE COASTAL WATERS OF EASTERN NICARAGUA. A SURFACE RIDGE PASSES THROUGH 32N8W...TOWARD THE CANARY ISLANDS... TO AN EASTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN 1018 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 28N23W...TO 22N34W 16N43W AND 14N50W. A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONIC CIRCULATION CENTER IS NEAR 12N32W. ANTICYCLONIC WIND FLOW IS WITHIN A 360 NM TO 420 NM RADIUS OF THE CENTER. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ MT