000 AXNT20 KNHC 271203 TWDAT Tropical Weather Discussion NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL 803 AM EDT Tue Mar 27 2018 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 1100 UTC. ...SPECIAL FEATURES... ...GALE WARNING FOR THE SOUTH-CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA... A surface ridge in the western Atlantic Ocean and relatively strong low pressure in northern parts of South America support winds pulsing to gale force near the coast of Colombia. The gale force winds will recur each night during the evening and overnight hours, through Friday morning, while this surface weather pattern persists. Please read the High Seas Forecast issued by the National Weather Service under AWIPS/WMO headers MIAHSFAT2/FZNT02 KNHC for more details. This information also is found at the following website: www.nhc.noaa.gov/marine. ...MONSOON TROUGH/ITCZ... The monsoon trough passes through the coastal sections of Sierra Leone near 07N12W to 05N17W. The ITCZ continues from 05N17W, crossing the Equator along 32W, to the coast of Brazil near 03S43W. Precipitation: widely scattered moderate to isolated strong from 04N southward between 24W and 35W. rainshowers are possible elsewhere from 10N southward from 60W eastward. ...DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... As of 27/0300 UTC, a dissipating cold front extends from S Florida near 26N80W to S Alabama near 30N88W. Isolated showers are over S Florida. The remainder of basin is void of precipitation. Upper level anticyclonic wind flow is moving from the eastern Pacific Ocean, across Mexico, and into the westernmost parts of the Gulf of Mexico. Ridge axis is along 90W. A surface ridge that extends from the western Atlantic Ocean into the central Gulf of Mexico will maintain SE return flow through Thursday. A cold front entering the NW Gulf of Mexico on Thursday will reach from the Florida Panhandle to the SW Gulf on Friday, and then weaken from central Florida to the Yucatan Peninsula on Friday night. CARIBBEAN SEA... Please read the SPECIAL FEATURES section for details about the gale warning for the coastal areas near Colombia. Undersea volcano Kick'em Jenny, north of Grenada near 12.18N 61.38W, is in a state of unrest. The government of Grenada advises mariners to observe a 5 km or 3.1 nm exclusion zone around Kick'em Jenny. Please refer to the web page, www.nadma.gd, for additional information. Scattered rainshowers are noted over the Windward Islands, inland over Hispaniola, and over N Colombia. An upper level trough passes across the Bahamas, Cuba, and Hispaniola, and the central Caribbean with axis along 72W. High pressure in the western Atlantic Ocean will support fresh to locally strong trade winds in the south central Caribbean Sea during the next several days. The winds will pulse to minimal gale force along the NW coast of Colombia during the overnight hours through Friday morning. Large N to NE swells will propagate into NE Caribbean passages on Wednesday and Thursday. ATLANTIC OCEAN... A cold front extends over the W Atlantic from 32N58W to 27N64W to 25N67W to 24N75W to S Florida near 26N80W. Scattered showers are within 60 nm of the front. A surface trough, the remnanats of a dissipating stationary front is over the central Atlantic from 28N56W to 22N62W. Scattered showers are within 60 nm of the trough. A 1034 mb high is centered E of the Azores near 38N21W. A ridge axis extends SW from the high to the E Atlantic near 26N50W. An upper level cyclonic circulation center is near 27N26W, about 600 nm to the west of the coast of the Western Sahara. The current cold front will push southward across the Bahamas today. Strong NE winds will pulse in the Windward Passage through Friday. Large NE swell will impact the waters NE of the Bahamas through Thursday. A cold front will move off NE Florida on Friday night, and then stall on Saturday. For additional information please visit http://www.hurricanes.gov/marine $$ MT