008 AXNT20 KNHC 240606 TWDAT Tropical Weather Discussion NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL 0605 UTC Thu Dec 24 2020 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 0540 UTC. ...SPECIAL FEATURES... ...GULF OF MEXICO GALE WARNING... The 24-hour forecast consists of a cold front from 29N82W to 18N92W. Expect NW-to-N gale-force winds, and sea heights ranging from 10 feet to 17 feet, S of 23N W of the cold front. ...ATLANTIC OCEAN GALE WARNING... The 24-hour forecast consists of a cold front across Florida. Expect S-to-SW gale-force winds, and sea heights ranging from 10 feet to 12 feet, N of 29N between 75W and 81W. Please, read the latest NWS High Seas Forecast, that is issued by the National Hurricane Center, at the website: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/MIAHSFAT2.shtml, for more details. Gale-force winds are forecast to continue in the areas IRVING and METEOR, for METEO-FRANCE. Please, read the latest forecasts, from the webpage: http://www.gmdss.org/bulletins/METAREA2.HIGH_SEAS_WARNING.1951.23 195147713.html, for more details. ...MONSOON TROUGH/ITCZ... The monsoon trough passes through the coastal border sections of Sierra Leone and Liberia, to 07N16W. The ITCZ continues from 07N16W, to 06N20W, 05N30W, 05N51W at the coast of French Guiana. Precipitation: widely scattered moderate to isolated strong is from 02N to 10N between 07W and 60W. GULF OF MEXICO... A surface ridge extends from NE Florida to the Yucatan Peninsula. Surface anticyclonic wind flow spans the Gulf of Mexico. A cold front is inland in Texas, still. The forecast is for the cold front to move into the Gulf of Mexico during the overnight/midnight hours. Gale-force winds are expected to the north and northwest of the cold front. Precipitation: widely scattered to scattered moderate and isolated strong is from 27N northward from 91W westward, in the NW corner of the Gulf of Mexico. A strong cold front will enter the NW Gulf of Mexico tonight. Widespread gale-force winds are expected immediately behind the front, as it races southeastward across the entire basin through early Friday. A broad area of large seas in excess of 10 feet will build behind the front on Thursday and Thursday night. CARIBBEAN SEA... An upper level anticyclonic circulation center is in NW Venezuela. Upper level anticyclonic wind flow spans the Caribbean Sea. Upper level dry air in subsidence covers the Caribbean Sea also. A surface trough is along 23N66W in the Atlantic Ocean, across the western sections of Puerto Rico, to 14N67W in the Caribbean Sea. Precipitation: broken to overcast multilayered clouds, and isolated moderate, are from the Caribbean Sea islands to 23N between 60W and 70W, to the north of the Caribbean Sea. Isolated moderate from 14N to 20N between 60W and 70W. The monsoon trough extends from northern Colombia near 11N73W, across Panama, beyond southern Costa Rica, and into the eastern Pacific Ocean. Precipitation: isolated moderate is from 13N southward from 70W westward. Rainshowers are possible elsewhere, in scattered to broken low level clouds that are moving through the area, from 70W eastward, and from 13N northward from 70W westward. Strong trade winds in the central Caribbean Sea will pulse to near gale-force tonight near the coast of Colombia. A strong cold front will reach the Yucatan Channel on Thursday night, extend from central Cuba to the Gulf of Honduras on Friday morning, from eastern Cuba to SE Nicaragua on Saturday morning, then stall and weaken on Sunday. ATLANTIC OCEAN... A stationary front is along 31N51W to 27N60W 24N70W, across the Bahamas, to the coast of Cuba near 23N80W. Precipitation: broken to overcast multilayered clouds, and isolated moderate to locally strong, are within 210 nm of the front on the northern side of the front, and within 150 nm of the front on the southern side of the front. A surface trough is along 23N66W in the Atlantic Ocean, across the western sections of Puerto Rico, to 14N67W in the Caribbean Sea. Precipitation: broken to overcast multilayered clouds, and isolated moderate, are from the Caribbean Sea islands to 23N between 60W and 70W. A second surface trough is along 26N50W 24N52W 22N55W. Precipitation: broken to overcast multilayered clouds and isolated moderate are from 18N to 26N between 50W and 60W. A third surface trough is along 43W/44W from 21N to 30N. Precipitation: broken to overcast multilayered clouds, and isolated moderate, are from 20N to 30N between 40W and 48W. A 1013 mb low pressure center is near 29N26W. A warm front curves away from the 1013 mb low pressure center, beyond 32N25W. A stationary front curves away from the 1013 mb low pressure center, to 26N25W, to 23N30W. Precipitation: widely scattered moderate to isolated strong is from 25N northward between 17W and 30W. Rainshowers are possible from 20N to 25N between 20W and 30W. The current stationary front will weaken and drift northward, as southerly winds increase in advance of a strong cold front that will move to the east of Florida on Thursday night. Strong southerly winds to gale-force are expected offshore NE Florida in advance of the front on Thursday night. The front will extend from 31N75W to northern Cuba on Friday morning, slow and weaken from 31N66W to eastern Cuba on Saturday morning, and then become stationary from 31N60W to eastern Cuba on Sunday morning. $$ mt/dm