000 AXNT20 KNHC 280544 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 105 AM EST WED JAN 28 2015 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 0545 UTC. ...GALE WARNING IN W ATLC... A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT N OF 28N BETWEEN 67W-76W ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD FRONT THAT IS MOVING ACROSS THE W ATLANTIC INTO THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC. GALE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO SUBSIDE EARLY THIS MORNING. SEE HIGH SEAS FORECAST UNDER AWIPS/WMO HEADERS MIAHSFAT2/FZNT02 KNHC FOR MORE INFORMATION. ...ITCZ/MONSOON TROUGH... THE MONSOON TROUGH EXTENDS ACROSS AFRICA INTO THE E TROPICAL ATLC NEAR 07N12W TO 02N21W WHERE THE ITCZ BEGINS AND CONTINUES ALONG 02N36W INTO SOUTH AMERICA NEAR 00N51W. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS FROM 01N-04N BETWEEN 14W-36W. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... A SHARP UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH EXTENDS FROM NEW ENGLAND OVER W ATLANTIC AND INTO THE FAR NE GULF OF MEXICO SUPPORTING A COLD FRONT THAT IS ACROSS THE W ATLANTIC. A BROAD UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE EXTENDS FROM MEXICO INTO THE PLAIN STATES GIVING THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF NEAR ZONAL WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT. A SURFACE RIDGE COVERS THE GULF ANCHORED BY A 1022 MB HIGH CENTERED NEAR 24N95W. LATEST SATELLITE WATER VAPOR IMAGERY DEPICTS STRONG SUBSIDENCE AND DRY STABLE AIR DOMINATING THE BASIN THIS EVENING. A GENTLE ANTICYCLONIC FLOW PREVAILS W OF 90W WHILE A GENTLE TO MODERATE NORTHERLY FLOW IS DEPICTED IN SCATTEROMETER DATA E OF 90W. OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS...EXPECT FOR THE SURFACE RIDGE CURRENTLY OVER THE W GULF WILL DRIFT E AND NE BEFORE DISSIPATING. A HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE SE CONUS WILL DOMINATE THE BASIN AFTER THAT. CARIBBEAN SEA... AN UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE W ATLANTIC SUPPORTS A COLD FRONT THAT EXTENDS FROM THE W CENTRAL ATLANTIC INTO THE WINDWARD PASSAGE. A SHEAR LINE EXTENDS S FROM THE FRONT THROUGH THE CARIBBEAN 19N74W TO 11N82W. ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE SHEARLINE AFFECTING THE ADJACENT WATERS W OF HAITI...E OF JAMAICA AND N OF COSTA RICA AND PANAMA. A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDS FROM THE ATLANTIC ACROSS DOMINICAN REPUBLIC INTO THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN WATERS FROM 19N68W TO 16N71W WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED CONVECTION AFFECTING LA MONA PASSAGE AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. A BROAD UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE COVERS THE CARIBBEAN ANCHORED OVER COLOMBIA AND EXTENDING A RIDGE AXIS NE OVER THE E CARIBBEAN AND S CENTRAL ATLANTIC. STRONG SUBSIDENCE AND DRY STABLE AIR DOMINATE THE REMAINDER OF THE BASIN E OF THE SHEAR LINE WHICH KEEPS THE AREA UNDER A FAIR WEATHER REGIME. SLIGHT TO GENTLE TRADES PREVAIL E OF THE SHEAR LINE WHILE GENTLE TO MODERATE NORTHERLY FLOW PREVAILS W OF THE SHEARLINE. OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS...EXPECT FOR THE COLD FRONT OVER THE WINDWARD PASSAGE TO WEAKEN. FRESH TO STRONG WINDS WILL PERSIST NEAR THE COAST OF NICARAGUA. ...HISPANIOLA... SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE ACROSS THE ISLAND DUE TO THE PROXIMITY OF A COLD FRONT W OF THE ISLAND AND A SURFACE TROUGH OVER E DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. THE MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE FEATURES WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE AREA ENHANCING CONVECTION AS THE FRONT AND TROUGH MERGE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 HOURS AND STALL. ATLANTIC OCEAN... A SHARP UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH EXTENDS FROM NEW ENGLAND TO OVER THE W ATLANTIC AND THE FAR NE GULF OF MEXICO SUPPORTING A PAIR OF COLD FRONTS. THE FIRST ONE EXTENDS FROM 30N74W TO 40N63W. THE SECOND FRONT EXTENDS FROM 20N73W TO 31N61W. LATEST SCATTEROMETER DATA DEPICTS GALE FORCE WINDS BETWEEN THESE FRONTS THEREFORE A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THIS AREA. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE REFER TO THE SPECIAL FEATURES SECTION ABOVE. TO THE E OF THE FRONTS...A PRE-FRONTAL TROUGH EXTENDS FROM THE CARIBBEAN INTO THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC FROM 19N69W TO 27N62W. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS N OF 23N BETWEEN 57W-66W. THE REMAINDER OF THE BASIN IS DOMINATED BY A 1043 MB SURFACE HIGH CENTERED NEAR 39N29W. THE REFLECTION OF AN UPPER-LEVEL LOW IS DEPICTED AS A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDING FROM 20N32W TO 27N34W. EXPECT OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS FOR THE COLD FRONT THAT EXTENDS FROM THE ATLANTIC INTO THE WINDWARD PASSAGE TO MERGE WITH THE SURFACE TROUGH AND STALL. THE COLD FRONT BEHIND THIS ONE WILL CONTINUE MOVING E MERGING WITH THE STALLED FRONT IN 48 HOURS. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ ERA