000 AXNT20 KNHC 241018 TWDAT Tropical Weather Discussion NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL 1205 UTC Sun Jan 24 2021 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 1000 UTC. ...SPECIAL FEATURES... Caribbean Gale Warning: High pressure due north of the Caribbean Sea combined with the Colombian/Panamanian low will continue to support pulsing winds to gale force within about 90 nm of the coast of Colombia through at least early Wed morning. Wave heights generated by these winds are forecast to be in the range of 10-13 ft, mainly around daybreak each day. Please read the latest NWS High Seas Forecast issued by the National Hurricane Center at the website https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/MIAHSFAT2.shtml for more details. ...MONSOON TROUGH/ITCZ... The monsoon trough axis extends from the coast of Liberia near 05N09W to 05N15W. The ITCZ continues from 05N15W to 03N30W to 04N38W to 01N50W. Scattered moderate convection is from 03N-05N between 07W-12W, and from 02N-05N between 20W-43W. GULF OF MEXICO... A stationary front extends across the northern Gulf coastal waters. This front will slowly retreat northward as a warm front today. Dense fog, reducing visibility to less than one mile, is expected N of the boundary, particularly from Lake Charles, Louisiana to Brownsville, Texas. Moderate easterly winds are noted N of the front based on scatterometer data. A surface trough is near the W coast of the Yucatan peninsula producing mainly moderate winds. Light to gentle winds are observed elsewhere across the Gulf waters. High clouds are moving from central Mexico into the Gulf region due to strong southwesterly flow aloft. Building high pressure over the SE U.S. will bring increasing southerly return flow and building seas over the western Gulf today and Mon. The ridge will weaken late Mon as a weak cold front moves into the western Gulf, stalling by early Tue. The front will then get reinforced on Wed and progress eastward across the basin through Thu night. Frequent gusts to gale force are expected in the wake of the front on Wed, with gale conditions possible in the Veracruz area Wed night into Thu. Seas are forecast to build up to 13 or 14 ft with the strongest winds. CARIBBEAN SEA... Pulsing winds to gale force are expected during the overnight and early morning hours near the coast of Colombia. Please, refer to the Special Features section above for details. Elsewhere, mainly moderate to fresh trades will prevail, pulsing to fresh to strong over the Gulf of Honduras Tue and Tue night with seas building to 5-7 ft. Fresh to locally strong winds are also expected in the Windward passage tonight, and south of Dominican Republic tonight through Mon night. Shallow moisture embedded in the trade winds flow is seen across the basin producing isolated to scattered passing showers. Patches of low level moisture with possible light showers, carried by the trade winds, are affecting most of Honduras and north-central Nicaragua. Northerly swell will impact the NE Caribbean passages on Tue with additional pulses of N swell reaching the same area Thu night into Fri. Northerly swell will also propagate into the Tropical North Atlantic waters Mon night through Thu night. A cold front currently located along 26N W of 60W with continue to move southward, approaching the Atlantic waters of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola by Mon night. This front could bring an increase in the likelihood of rain over these islands on Tue. Another cold front is forecast to reach the Yucatan Channel Thu night followed by fresh to strong northerly winds. ATLANTIC OCEAN... A cold front extends across the central and Western Atlantic from 31N48W to 26N65W to near West Palm Beach, FL. Doppler radar shows a few showers associated with the front between the NW Bahamas and the coast of Florida. This system is forecast to move southward reaching 25N by Sun morning, 22N-23N by Sun night, and 21N by Mon morning. It will bring a slight chance of showers to South Florida tonight. A pre-frontal trough extends from 30N47W to 23N70W. Scattered showers are ahead of the trough N of 26N. A reinforcing cold front will slide across the waters north of 27N and east of 70W today and Mon, bringing strong to near gale force winds and building seas to the waters north of 29N between 55W-65W. large northerly swell will follow the front, building seas to 15-18 ft across the central Atlantic near 31N by tonight. Southerly flow will increase across the waters E of north-central Florida Mon into Tue. A stronger cold front will move off the SE U.S coast Thu while the associated low pressure rapidly intensifies N of the area through the end of the week. Gale force winds and very large seas are likely with this system. The remainder of the Atlantic forecast area is under the influence of a ridge anchored by a high pressure of 1023 mb located just SE of the Madeira Islands. Moderate to fresh winds are along the southern periphery of the ridge. $$ GR