000 AXPZ20 KNHC 221609 TWDEP TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 1605 UTC WED MAY 22 2013 TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN FROM THE EQUATOR TO 32N...EAST OF 140W. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS BASED ON SATELLITE IMAGERY...WEATHER OBSERVATIONS...RADAR...AND METEOROLOGICAL ANALYSIS. BASED ON 1200 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 1330 UTC. ...INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE/MONSOON TROUGH... MONSOON TROUGH AXIS EXTENDS FROM SW CARIBBEAN NEAR 11N82W TO 12.5N90W TO 13N100W TO 09.5N115W...WHERE IT TRANSITIONS TO ITCZ...CONTINUING ON TO 07.5N123W TO 11.5N131W TO 03.5N140W. SCATTERED TO LOCALLY NUMEROUS MODERATE TO STRONG CONVECTION NOTED WITHIN 120 NM N AND 210 NM S OF TROUGH AXIS BETWEEN 98W AND 103W. SCATTERED MODERATE ISOLATED STRONG CONVECTION NOTED WITHIN 150 NM N AND 90 NM S OF AXIS BETWEEN 113W AND 120W. SCATTERED MODERATE TO STRONG CONVECTION NOTED WITHIN 120 NM N OF ITCZ BETWEEN 128W AND 135W. ...DISCUSSION... A SURFACE RIDGE DOMINATES W AND NW PORTIONS OF THE AREA THIS MORNING...ANCHORED ON A 1036 MB HIGH CENTERED NEAR 44N143W WITH RIDGE EXTENDING SE TO NEAR 18N116W. A STRONG PRES GRADIENT ALONG THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA IS PRODUCING GALE FORCE N-NW WINDS...WITH 20-25 KT WINDS EXTENDING S INTO THE DISCUSSION AREA N OF 28N BETWEEN 119W AND 132W...WHERE SEAS ARE RUNNING 8 TO 10 FT. SATELLITE IMAGERY THIS MORNING ALSO DEPICTS THE ELONGATED REMNANTS OF FORMER T.S. ALVIN EMBEDDED ALONG THE ITCZ IN THE VICINITY OF 134W. THE PRES GRADIENT BETWEEN THE RIDGE AND THIS LOW PRESSURE ARE PRODUCING A SMALL AREA OF NE WINDS 20-25 KT FROM ROUGHLY 12N TO 16N BETWEEN 129W AND 136W...WHERE SEAS ARE 8 TO 10 FT. OTHERWISE...MODERATE TO FRESH ANTICYCLONIC FLOW PREVAILS ACROSS THE AREA W OF 120W...WITH SEAS GENERALLY 7 TO 8 FT IN MIXED NORTHERLY AND SW CROSS EQUATORIAL SWELL. THE HIGH IS FORECAST TO SINK S DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS WITH NORTHERLY WINDS 20-25 KT PUSHING A BIT FARTHER S INTO THE AREA TO 27.5N BETWEEN 118.5W AND 126W BY FRIDAY MORNING. N-NW TO N SWELL GENERATED OFFSHORE OF CALIFORNIA WILL CONTINUE TO PROPAGATE SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE REGIONAL WATERS THROUGH THE WEEKEND...PEAKING AT 12 TO 15 FT OFFSHORE OF BAJA CALIFORNIA NORTE THURSDAY MORNING. MEANWHILE...THE REMNANTS OF ALVIN WILL CONTINUE TO SHIFT WWD THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND MAINTAIN A MODEST AREA OF NE WINDS 20-25 KT AND SEAS 8-9 FT WITHIN 180 NM TO THE NW. MONSOONAL FLOW HAS BECOME WELL ESTABLISHED ACROSS THE FAR EASTERN PACIFIC E OF 110W...WITH MODERATE SW TO W WINDS EXTENDING AS FAR N AS 11N BETWEEN 95W AND 110W. UPPER LEVEL RIDGING PREVAILS ACROSS THE AREA E OF 110W AND IS PRODUCING A FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR SUSTAINED DEEP CONVECTION. A BROAD LOW TO MIDDLE LEVEL CYCLONIC CIRCULATION IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP ALONG 80W-82W...STRADDLING CENTRAL AMERICA AND EXTENDING INTO BOTH THE SW CARIBBEAN AND THE EPAC. GLOBAL MODELS FORECAST THIS FEATURE TO SHIFT W DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS WITH SOME POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVED ORGANIZATION AND GRADUAL INTENSIFICATION. FRESHENING GAP WIND FLOW THROUGH THE GULFS OF PAPAGAYO AND TEHUANTEPEC BEGINNING SATURDAY WILL FLOW ACROSS THE N AND INTO PORTIONS OF THIS WESTWARD MOVING FEATURE...AND COULD CONTRIBUTE TO BAROTROPIC GROWTH AND INTENSIFICATION. FRESHENING WINDS TO 25 KT ARE EXPECTED DOWNSTREAM OF PAPAGAYO BY EARLY SUNDAY...AT WHICH TIME NORTHERLY FLOW IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN TO FRESHEN THROUGH THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC. NOTE...A GOES-E/GOES-13 ANOMALY OCCURRED LAST NIGHT PRIOR TO 0400 UTC AND HAS IMPACTED THE FULL SUITE OF IMAGERY AVAILABLE FROM THIS SATELLITE...AND IS LIMITING CONFIDENCE IN SATELLITE INTERPRETATION ACROSS THE REGION BETWEEN APPROXIMATELY 60W AND 100W. NESDIS ENGINEERS ARE WORKING ON RECOVERY EFFORTS AT THIS TIME. GOES-14 IS BEING ACTIVATED AND THE FIRST IMAGES ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME AVAILABLE AROUND 0500 UTC THU MAY 23. $$ STRIPLING