000 AXNT20 KNHC 261014 TWDAT Tropical Weather Discussion NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL 1205 UTC Tue Jan 26 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 located N of the Caribbean Sea combined with the Colombian low will support minimal gale force winds just north of Colombia during the overnight and early morning hours through early Wed morning. Gale conditions are possible again Fri and Sat night. Wave heights of 10-14 ft are expected tonight into early Wed morning within the area of the strongest winds. Gulf of Mexico Gale Warning: A cold front currently located over the NW Gulf will stall there today. A reinforcing cold front will reach the stationary front by Wed morning, and the combined front will quickly move southeastward across the basin through Thu. Fresh to strong northerly winds will follow the front, with gales developing over W-central Gulf on Wed and over SW Gulf late Wed through Thu. Seas are forecast to build to 10-14 ft over the SW Gulf by early Thu morning. Atlantic Gale Warning: A strong cold front will move off the SE U.S coast Wed night while the associated low pressure rapidly intensifies north of the forecast region. Strong gale force winds and very large seas are expected with this system Wed night through Thu night, mainly N of 27N. Seas as high as 20 to 30 ft are expected across the western Atlantic, particularly N of 28N between 60W and 70W by Thu night, with seas of 12 ft reaching the waters just E of the NW and central Bahamas. These hazardous marine conditions will dominate the central Atlantic by Fri night. 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 extends from Sierra Leone near 07N13W to 05N16W. The ITCZ then continues from 05N16W to 02N30W to the coast of Brazil near 00N50W. Scattered moderate convection is noted from 00N-06N between 20W-51W. GULF OF MEXICO... Please refer to the Special Features section above for details about gale force winds in the W-central and SW Gulf. A cold front currently located over the far NW Gulf will stall there today. Scattered showers are along the frontal boundary. The remainder of the basin is under the influence of a ridge that extends westward across Florida into the Gulf. Recent scatterometer data provided observations of mainly gentle to moderate southerly winds across the area. 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 through tonight, with seas building to 6-8 ft. 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, continue to affect parts of Honduras and Nicaragua. A weakening frontal boundary will reach the northern Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola today bringing cloudiness and an increase in shower activity. In fact, satellite imagery shows the band of moisture associated with this front over the northern coast of Dominican Republic. A strong cold front will reach western Cuba and the NW Caribbean on Thu, followed by fresh to strong N-NE winds. The front will extend from eastern Cuba northern Belize by Thu night. At that time, fresh to strong NE winds are forecast in the wake of the front and across the Windward passage. N swell will propagate into the NE Caribbean passages and Tropical N Atlantic waters today through Thu. ATLANTIC OCEAN... A Gale Warning has been issued in association with the next cold front forecast to move off the SE U.S coast Wed night. Please, refer to the Special Features section above for details. A cold front extends across the central and western Atlantic from 31N39W to 23N50W to 19N68W. Fresh to strong winds are noted on either side of the front N of 26N based on recent satellite derived wind data. Convection has increase ahead of the front N of 26N. This system is forecast to move southward reaching the northern Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola today. The remainder of the Atlantic forecast area is under the influence of a ridge, anchored by a high pressure of 1028 mb located just N of the Madeira Islands. Gentle to moderate winds are along the southern periphery of the ridge. Winds increase to moderate to fresh between the Canary Islands and the W coast of Africa as well as from 20N-25N E of 28W. $$ GR