000 AXPZ20 KNHC 301553 TWDEP TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 1605 UTC FRI JAN 30 2015 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 1500 UTC. ...SPECIAL FEATURES... GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC GALE WARNING...A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS SOUTHERN MEXICO CONTINUES TO SUPPORT A LONG DURATION MINIMAL GALE EVENT IN THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC. A SCATTEROMETER PASS AT 30/0400 UTC SHOWED MAX WINDS AROUND 32 KT...INDICATING THAT THE INTENSITY MAY HAVE BEEN WANING OUTSIDE THE PEAK DIURNAL DRAINAGE FLOW PERIOD DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF TODAY. THE FORECAST IS THAT THE GALE-FORCE WIND SPEEDS WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 30 HOURS OR SO. A LARGE AREA OF 8-10 FT SEAS EXISTS FROM 04N TO 13N BETWEEN 93W AND 109W. THE GRADIENT WILL WEAKEN SLOWLY THROUGH SATURDAY. THE WINDS IN THE SOUTHWESTERN GULF OF MEXICO ARE FORECAST TO VEER TO THE SOUTHEAST IN RETURN FLOW. GULF OF PAPAGAYO GALE WARNING...A TIGHT PRES GRADIENT IN THE FAR WESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA CROSSES CENTRAL AMERICA. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT 12 HOURS OR SO. THE WIND SPEEDS WILL DIMINISH TO FRESH TO STRONG AND DECREASE CONSIDERABLY IN AREAL COVERAGE AFTER THE NEXT 12 HOURS OR SO. SWELL FROM PAPAGAYO IS COMBINING WITH SEAS GENERATED IN THE TEHUANTEPEC CASE...BUT WILL SUBSIDE AND SHRINK EASTWARD AS THE WIND SPEEDS DIMINISH THIS WEEKEND. ...INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE/MONSOON TROUGH...AND CONVECTIVE PRECIPITATION... .SURFACE TROUGH FROM 06N77W TO 03N80W. SCATTERED MODERATE ISOLATED STRONG FROM 03N TO 06N BETWEEN 77W AND 79W. ITCZ AXIS FROM 07N85W TO 03N97W TO 06N128W TO 06N140W. NUMEROUS STRONG FROM 05N TO 06N BETWEEN 110W AND 112W. SCATTERED MODERATE ISOLATED STRONG WITHIN 120 NM SOUTH OF ITCZ AND WITHIN 60 NM NORTH OF ITCZ BETWEEN 113W AND 123W. ...DISCUSSION... A MIDDLE LEVEL TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH PASSES THROUGH 32N117W TO 24N118W TO 18N118W TO 16N123W. BROKEN TO OVERCAST MULTILAYERED CLOUDS ARE FROM 15N NORTHWARD FROM 120W EASTWARD...HEADING INTO MEXICO AND THE SOUTHWESTERN PART OF THE U.S.A. THE TROUGH WILL SHIFT EASTWARD TODAY...AND THEN FORM A CUT-OFF CYCLONIC CIRCULATION CENTER IN NORTHERN ARIZONA ON SATURDAY. A SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS FROM A 1026 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS NEAR 35N132W...TO 27N135W AND 20N141W. ASCAT SCATTEROMETER PASSES HAVE BEEN SHOWING FRESH TO STRONG NE TRADES TO THE WEST OF 135W FROM THE ITCZ NORTHWARD. FRESH TRADE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE FROM 123W WESTWARD THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT THAT EXISTS BETWEEN A HIGH PRESSURE CENTER THAT IS IN THE GREAT BASIN AND TROUGHING THAT IS TO THE WEST OF THE SIERRA MADRE OCCIDENTAL IS INDUCING FRESH TO STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS IN THE SOUTH-CENTRAL GULF OF CALIFORNIA...WITH HIGHEST WINDS GREATER THAN 25 KNOTS NEAR 27N BASED ON THE 30/0400 UTC ASCAT PASS. THE WIND SPEEDS ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH BELOW 20 KT BY THIS AFTERNOON. FRESH TO STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO PULSE IN THE GULF OF PANAMA FOR THE NEXT 48 HOURS...IN INCREMENTS OF 12-HOUR PERIODS. THE FORECAST PERIOD STARTS WITH THE COVERAGE FROM 03N NORTHWARD. THE COVERAGE WILL CUT BACK AND REACH ONLY 6N OR 7N DURING THE WEAKER MOMENTS...AND THE COVERAGE WILL REACH 03N DURING THE TIMES OF GREATER COVERAGE IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN. $$ MT