000 AXNT20 KNHC 080559 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 205 AM EDT FRI MAY 08 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 0515 UTC. ...SPECIAL FEATURES... SUBTROPICAL STORM ANA IS CENTERED NEAR 31.5W 77.7W AT 07/0600 UTC OR ABOUT 145 NM SSE OF MYRTLE BEACH SOUTH CAROLINA MOVING NNW AT 2 KT. ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 1004 MB. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WIND SPEED IS 40 KT WITH GUSTS TO 50 KT. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS FROM 29N-32N BETWEEN 77W- 81W...AND FROM 32N-34N BETWEEN 76W-78W. SEE LATEST NHC FORECAST/ ADVISORY UNDER AWIPS/WMO HEADERS MIATCMAT1/WTNT21 KNHC FOR MORE DETAILS. ...ITCZ/MONSOON TROUGH... THE MONSOON TROUGH EXTENDS FROM THE AFRICAN COAST NEAR 07N13W TO 05N16W. THE INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE AXIS EXTENDS FROM 05N16W TO THE EQUATOR NEAR 34W. SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS FROM 01N-05N BETWEEN 18W-22W...AND FROM 01N-04N BETWEEN 30W-39W. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... A MIDDLE TO UPPER RIDGE IS NOTED ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY OVER THE WESTERN GULF WITH AXIS EXTENDING FROM OVER SOUTHERN MEXICO NEAR 20N96W TO OVER THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY NEAR 32N91W. NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT INFLUENCES MOST OF THE BASIN WHICH REMAINS DRY AND STABLE PROMOTING OVERALL FAIR WEATHER AND GENERALLY CLEAR SKIES THIS EVENING. IN ADDITION...SURFACE RIDGING HOLDS ACROSS BASIN ANCHORED BY A 1018 MB HIGH CENTERED NEAR 28N85W WITH AXIS EXTENDING SOUTHWESTWARD TO THE MEXICO COAST NEAR TUXPAN. THE RIDGE IS PROVIDING MODERATE TO FRESH E-SE WINDS. LOOKING AHEAD...THIS OVERALL SYNOPTIC PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH SATURDAY WITH SE WINDS ACROSS THE WESTERN GULF FORECAST TO INCREASE BY SUNDAY. CARIBBEAN SEA... BROAD UPPER LEVEL TROUGHING IS NOTED OVER THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL CARIBBEAN WITH AXIS GENERALLY ALONG 79W/80W. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATES DRY AND STABLE AIR EMBEDDED WITHIN THE TROUGHING AS WELL AS TO THE EAST AS SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT PREVAILS. THE RESULT AT THE SURFACE IS MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND FAIR CONDITIONS FOR THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD INTO FRIDAY. THE MAIN IMPACT WILL CONTINUE TO BE FRESH TO STRONG TRADES E OF 82W DUE TO A STRENGTHENED PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN LOWER PRESSURE ACROSS NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA AND SURFACE RIDGING EXTENDING FROM THE CENTRAL ATLC. THESE TRADES WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND GRADUALLY EXPAND IN AREAL COVERAGE BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. ...HISPANIOLA... CURRENTLY MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES ARE NOTED ON SATELLITE IMAGERY ACROSS THE ISLAND THIS EVENING. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATES RELATIVELY DRY AND STABLE AIR REMAINS ALOFT OVER THE REGION PROMOTING THE OVERALL FAIR WEATHER. THESE SYNOPTIC CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEKEND. ATLANTIC OCEAN... ASIDE FROM THE SPECIAL FEATURES SUBTROPICAL STORM ANA IMPACTING NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE SW NORTH ATLC REGION...THE REMAINDER OF THE SW NORTH ATLC E OF 70W...CENTRAL...AND EASTERN ATLC ARE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A SURFACE RIDGE ANCHORED BY A 1026 MB HIGH CENTERED NEAR 29N40W. THE RIDGING IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH SATURDAY WHEN A COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO MOVE S OF 30N BETWEEN 30W-50W. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ HUFFMAN