000 AXNT20 KNHC 282326 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 705 PM EST SAT FEB 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 1800 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 2315 UTC. ...SPECIAL FEATURES... ...GALE WARNING FOR THE SW CARIBBEAN... GALE FORCE WINDS WILL DEVELOP ONCE AGAIN TONIGHT OFF THE COAST OF COLOMBIA FROM 10.5N TO 13N BETWEEN 73W AND 77W. THESE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST HIGH SEAS FORECAST UNDER AWIPS/WMO HEADERS MIAHSFAT2/FZNT02 KNHC FOR MORE DETAILS. ...ITCZ/MONSOON TROUGH... THE MONSOON TROUGH EXTENDS ACROSS AFRICA INTO THE TROPICAL ATLANTIC NEAR 05N08W TO 01S16W WHERE THE ITCZ BEGINS AND CONTINUES ALONG 04S28W TO THE NORTHERN COAST OF BRAZIL NEAR 04S38W. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS FROM 01N-07S BETWEEN 21W-30W. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... A BROAD SURFACE RIDGE ANCHORED BY A STRONG 1044 MB HIGH CENTERED OVER THE NE US IS PROVIDING A GENTLE TO MODERATE NE TO E SURFACE FLOW ACROSS MOST OF THE BASIN. A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDS FROM SW TX NEAR 29N98W TO THE BAY OF CAMPECHE NEAR 19N93W. WINDS E OF THE TROUGH REMAIN EASTERLY AND MODERATE WHILE TO THE W...SLIGHT TO GENTLE NE WINDS PREVAIL. ISOLATED CONVECTION IS OBSERVED ALONG THE TROUGH. TO THE E...A FRONTAL SYSTEM CONTINUES OVER THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE GULF AND EXTENDING E ACROSS THE FLORIDA PENINSULA THEN INTO THE ATLANTIC. IT BEGINS AS A DEVELOPING WARM FRONT FROM 22N95W TO 24N91W...THEN IT TRANSITIONS TO A DISSIPATING STATIONARY FRONT AND CONTINUES TO 24N85W TO 25N81W. ISOLATED CONVECTION IS ALONG THESE BOUNDARIES. THE COMBINATION OF UPPER-LEVEL DIFFLUENCE FROM THE EXIT REGION OF THE SUBTROPICAL JET STREAM AND CONVERGENCE NEAR THE STATIONARY FRONT IS SUPPORTING SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS N OF THE STATIONARY FRONT ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE GULF AND THE FLORIDA PENINSULA. OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS...EXPECT FOR THE SURFACE TROUGH OVER THE W GULF WILL PERSIST WITH CONVECTION. THE STATIONARY FRONT WILL CONTINUE WEAKENING OVER THE SE GULF. THE CONVECTION ACROSS THE E GULF IS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH AS THE UPPER-LEVEL SUPPORT WEAKENS. CARIBBEAN SEA... A STABLE ATMOSPHERE PREVAILS ACROSS THE W AND CENTRAL CARIBBEAN AS AN UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE CENTERED OVER THE HONDURAS/GUATEMALA BORDER EXTENDS ACROSS THE AREA SUPPORTING FAIR WEATHER. TO THE E...AN INVERTED UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH PREVAILS. ABUNDANT LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE CONTINUES TO BE TRANSPORTED BY THE GENTLE TO MODERATE TRADE WINDS AND GENERATING ISOLATED CONVECTION ACROSS THE LESSER ANTILLES...PUERTO RICO AND HISPANIOLA. GALE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED ONCE AGAIN TONIGHT OFF THE COAST OF COLOMBIA. FOR MORE DETAILS...PLEASE REFER TO THE SPECIAL FEATURES SECTION ABOVE. SIMILAR WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ...HISPANIOLA... A SHALLOW MOIST AIRMASS CONTINUES TO MOVE ACROSS THE ISLAND SUPPORTING CLOUDINESS AND SCATTERED SHOWERS. THESE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ATLANTIC OCEAN... A 1025 MB LOW N OF THE AREA OF DISCUSSION SUPPORTS A STATIONARY FRONT THAT EXTENDS SW INTO OUR AREA AS A STATIONARY FRONT FROM 31N65W TO 26N80W. UPPER-LEVEL DIFFLUENCE ALONG THE EXIT REGION OF THE SUBTROPICAL JET IS COMBINING WITH LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE AND CONVERGENCE IN THE VICINITY OF THIS FRONT TO PRODUCE SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THAT EXTENDS FROM THE E GULF...ACROSS THE FLORIDA PENINSULA AND INTO THE ATLANTIC WITHIN 180 NM N OF THE FRONT. TO THE E...A LARGE RIDGE ANCHORED BY A 1038 MB HIGH CENTERED S OF THE AZORES SUPPORTS FAIR WEATHER ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN ATLANTIC S OF 32N. A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE AZORES HIGH AND LOWER PRESSURE OVER THE SUBTROPICAL E ATLANTIC IS PRODUCING STRONG TO NEAR GALE FORCE WINDS OFF THE COAST OF N MOROCCO. OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS...THE STATIONARY FRONT IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN AND LATER DISSIPATE BUT STILL ENHANCING CONVECTION IN ITS VICINITY. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ ERA