000 AXNT20 KNHC 101116 TWDAT TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 705 AM EST WED FEB 10 2016 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. ...SPECIAL FEATURES... ATLANTIC GALE WARNING...A COLD FRONT EXTENDS ACROSS THE W ATLANTIC FROM 31N65W TO 22N76W. GALE-FORCE WINDS ARE N OF 27N W OF 77W. SEAS IN THIS REGION RANGE FROM 12 TO 16 FT. WINDS ARE FORECAST TO DIMINISH BELOW GALE-FORCE BY EARLY THU MORNING. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST NWS HIGH SEAS FORECAST UNDER AWIPS/WMO HEADERS MIAHSFAT2/FZNT02 KNHC FOR MORE DETAILS. CARIBBEAN GALE WARNING...A COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM THE SW N ATLC TO THE NW CARIBBEAN WILL MERGE WITH A STATIONARY FRONT AHEAD OF IT LATER TODAY. THE PRES GRADIENT WILL INCREASE IN THE SW CARIBBEAN LEADING TO GALE FORCE WINDS ALONG THE N COAST OF COLOMBIA BY EARLY THURSDAY MORNING...PULSING AGAIN EARLY FRIDAY. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST NWS HIGH SEAS FORECAST UNDER AWIPS/WMO HEADERS MIAHSFAT2/FZNT02 KNHC FOR MORE DETAILS. ...ITCZ/MONSOON TROUGH... THE MONSOON TROUGH EXTENDS ACROSS LIBERIA AFRICA INTO THE E TROPICAL ATLANTIC NEAR 05N09W TO 04N18W WHERE THE ITCZ BEGINS AND CONTINUES ALONG 01N32W TO THE NORTHERN COAST OF BRAZIL NEAR 00N50W. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ARE WITHIN 60 NM OF THE ITCZ BETWEEN 20W AND 23W AND W OF 45W. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... A SURFACE RIDGE HAS ESTABLISHED ACROSS THE GULF IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONT CURRENTLY OVER SW N ATLC AND NW CARIBBEAN WATERS. THE RIDGE IS ANCHORED OVER THE NW GULF BY A 1027 MB HIGH THAT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE E TO OVER NORTH CENTRAL WATERS BY EARLY THU. FRESH TO STRONG NW WIND COVERS THE BASIN E OF 90W AS WELL AS LOUISIANA ADJACENT WATERS N OF 25N. LIGHT TO MODERATE VARIABLE FLOW DOMINATES ELSEWHERE AND IS FORECAST TO EXPAND TO EASTERN WATERS LATER THIS MORNING AS THE BROAD LOW ASSOCIATED WITH THE COLD FRONT IN THE W ATLC MOVES NE...THUS REDUCING THE PRES GRADIENT. CARIBBEAN SEA... A COLD FRONT EXTENDS ACROSS SW N ATLC WATERS AND ENTERS THE CARIBBEAN ACROSS EASTERN CUBA FROM 20N77W AND CONTINUES SW ALONG 18N82W TO WESTERN HONDURAS COASTAL WATERS. AHEAD OF THIS FRONT...A STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDS THROUGH THE WINDWARD PASSAGE SW TO EASTERN JAMAICA TO COSTA RICA COASTAL WATERS. SHALLOW MOISTURE BETWEEN THESE FRONTS AND DIVERGENCE ALOFT SUPPORT SCATTERED TO ISOLATED SHOWERS BETWEEN 78W AND 84W. FRESH TO STRONG NORTHERLY FLOW IS ALSO BETWEEN THE FRONTS S OF 19N. FRESH TO STRONG TRADES ARE AHEAD OF THE STATIONARY FRONT IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL CARIBBEAN AND ARE EXPECTED TO REACH GALE-FORCE BY EARLY THU MORNING. SEE SPECIAL FEATURES. THE COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SE AND WILL MERGE WITH THE STATIONARY FRONT LATER TODAY...THEN DISSIPATE THU NIGHT. HISPANIOLA... UPPER LEVEL RIDGING AND DRY AIR SUBSIDENCE FROM ALOFT CONTINUES TO SUPPORT STABLE AND FAIR WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE ISLAND. CLOUDINESS IS MAINLY OVER NORTHERN HAITI AS A STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDS ACROSS THE WINDWARD PASSAGE...POSSIBLY ENHANCING SCATTERED TO ISOLATED SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON. A COLD FRONT OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN WILL MERGE WITH THIS FRONT LATER TODAY AND WILL STALL THROUGH THU NIGHT WHEN IT IS FORECAST TO DISSIPATE. SHOWERS ARE FORECAST ACROSS THE ISLAND THIS EVENING AND THU NIGHT. ATLANTIC OCEAN... A COLD FRONT EXTENDS ACROSS THE W ATLANTIC FROM 31N65W TO 22N76W. GALE-FORCE WINDS ARE N OF 27N W OF 77W. SEAS IN THIS REGION RANGE FROM 12 TO 16 FT. WINDS ARE FORECAST TO DIMINISH BELOW GALE-FORCE BY EARLY THU MORNING. SEE SPECIAL FEATURES. TO THE E...A STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDS FROM 31N61W TO 20N73W THEN INTO THE SW CARIBBEAN. SCATTERED TO ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE BETWEEN BOTH BOUNDARIES. A SURFACE RIDGE DOMINATES THE REMAINDER OF THE BASIN E OF 65W...ANCHORED BY A 1035 MB HIGH S OF THE AZORES. THE COLD FRONT WILL MERGE WITH THE STATIONARY FRONT LATER TODAY AND WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE TO CENTRAL ATLC WATERS THROUGH LATE FRI. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ RAMOS