000
AXPZ20 KNHC 260325
TWDEP 

TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION    
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
0405 UTC THU FEB 26 2009

TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN FROM 
THE EQUATOR TO 32N...EAST OF 140W. 

BASED ON 0000 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 
0300 UTC.

...ITCZ...

THE INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE...AXIS 04N77W TO 02N110W TO 
04N120W TO 04N140W. NO SIGNIFICANT CONVECTION NOTED.

...DISCUSSION...

A MID/UPPER LEVEL RIDGE CENTERED ALONG ROUGHLY 110W COVERING THE 
BAJA PENINSULA IS FLATTENING OUT AS A VIGOROUS UPPER LOW PUSHES 
INTO WASHINGTON STATE. THIS IS ALSO CUTTING OFF ANOTHER UPPER 
LEVEL LOW CENTERED NE OF HAWAII NEAR 36N146W. AT THE 
SURFACE...1024 MB HIGH PRES IS CENTERED NEAR 29N123W. AN ASCAT 
PASS FROM 17Z SHOWS PERSISTENT 20 KT FLOW BETWEEN THE HIGH PRES 
AND THE BAJA COAST. THE HIGH PRES IS BLOCKING A WEAK SURFACE 
TROUGH FROM 30N135W TO 28N140W. THE UPPER PATTERN BECOMES MORE 
AMPLIFIED BY LATE THU AS UPPER ENERGY REINFORCES THE TROUGH AND 
OPENS UP THE THE CUTOFF LOW NE OF HAWAII...SUPPORTING 
DEVELOPMENT OF A WEAK COLD FRONT IN THE FAR NW DISCUSSION AREA 
BY EARLY FRI. WINDS OFF THE BAJA COAST DIMINISH AS THE SURFACE 
HIGH SHIFTS EASTWARD AHEAD OF THE REINFORCED TROUGH...ALTHOUGH 
THIS ALSO ALLOWS INCREASING NORTHERLY FLOW TO FUNNEL THROUGH THE 
SOUTHERN HALF OF THE GULF CALIFORNIA THU AND FRI. MEANWHILE A 
LARGE SWATH OF NORTHERLY SWELL PUSHES SOUTHWARD MAINLY W OF 
125W. PERSISTENT TRADES TO 25 KT CONTINUE S OF THE SURFACE 
HIGH...MAINLY S OF 15N. GAP WINDS ARE RAPIDLY DIMINISHING 
THROUGH THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC...AND MORE GRADUALLY THROUGH THE 
GULF OF PAPAGAYO. WEAK NORTHERLY WINDS THROUGH THE ISTHMUS OF 
PANAMA DIMINISH THROUGH THU AFTERNOON.

$$
CHRISTENSEN