000 AXPZ20 KNHC 060327 TWDEP TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 2205 UTC THU MAR 05 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 0000 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH 0300 UTC. ...SPECIAL FEATURES... A STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC. WINDS IN THIS AREA WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE TONIGHT AS A STRONG HIGH PRES BUILDS INTO SOUTHERN MEXICO BEHIND A COLD FRONT CURRENTLY MOVING ACROSS THE CENTRAL BAY OF CAMPECHE. COLD DENSE AIR IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT WILL FUNNEL THROUGH THE CHIVELA PASS TO ACCELERATE ACROSS THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC. WINDS WILL QUICKLY REACH GALE FORCE BY TONIGHT...WITH PEAK WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 KT FORECAST TO PERSIST TO FRI EVENING. WINDS WILL FURTHER INCREASE TO MINIMAL STORM INTENSITY FRI EVENING THROUGH SAT MORNING. EXPECT A PROLONGED PERIOD OF GALE FORCE WINDS IN THE AREA THROUGH SUN MORNING. MAX SEAS WILL RAPIDLY BUILD TO 18-19 FT FRI MORNING...AND REACH A PEAK AROUND 20-22 FT BY FRI NIGHT. ...INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE/MONSOON TROUGH... THE ITCZ EXTENDS FROM 09N125W TO BEYOND 08N140W. NO SIGNIFICANT CONVECTION. DURING MARCH AND APRIL OF EACH YEAR...A DOUBLE ITCZ IS PRESENT IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE OF THE EASTERN PACIFIC BASIN. THIS RATHER SPECIAL FEATURE IS ANALYZED ON THE 0000 UTC MAP ALONG 01S102W TO BEYOND 03S120W. ...DISCUSSION... A 1026 MB HIGH PRES LOCATED N OF AREA NEAR 37N126W EXTENDS A RIDGE SE ACROSS THE FORECAST REGION TO NEAR 20N108W. ON THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE RIDGE...SCATTEROMETER DATA SHOWED AN AREA OF FRESH TO STRONG TRADE WINDS FROM 08N TO 13N W OF 120W WHILE AN ALTIMETER PASS INDICATED SEA HEIGHTS OF 8-10 FT. EXPECT THE TRADES TO WEAKEN SLIGHTLY THROUGH FRI AS HIGH PRES N OF THE AREA MOVES NORTHWARD AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT FORECAST TO BE NEAR 30N140W BY SAT MORNING. FRESH TO STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED AHEAD OF THE FRONT WITH SEAS TO 9 FT. ADDITIONAL PULSES OF NW SWELL WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT. GAP WINDS... EXPECT INCREASING WINDS IN THE GULF OF PAPAGAYO AREA SHORTLY AFTER THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC GAP WIND EVENT STARTS. AS STRONG HIGH PRES BUILDS ACROSS THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN AND NORTHERN CENTRAL AMERICA...EXPECT WINDS OF 25-30 KT EXTENDING SW AND DOWNWIND TO 93W BY EARLY SAT MORNING. AT THE SAME TIME...FRESH TO STRONG WINDS WILL BRIEFLY BLOW ACROSS THE GULF OF FONSECA. NE TO E SWELL ASSOCIATED WITH TEHUANTEPEC AND PAPAGAYO GAP WIND EVENTS WILL PRODUCE A VERY LARGE AREA OF SEAS 8 FT OR GREATER COVERING ROUGHLY THE FORECAST WATERS FROM 06N TO 13N BETWEEN 93W AND 110W. THE GULF OF PANAMA AREA WILL EXPERIENCE A FEW SHORT-LIVED BURSTS OF 20 KT WINDS TONIGHT FOLLOWED BY A STRONGER BURST OF 20-25 KNOT WINDS AND 6-8 FT SEAS FRI NIGHT INTO SAT MORNING. EXPECT ALSO INCREASING WINDS ACROSS THE GULF OF CALIFORNIA OR SEA OF CORTEZ TONIGHT AS A STRONG HIGH PRES SETTLES ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH 30 KT ACROSS THE N WATERS LATE TONIGHT INTO FRI MORNING WITH BUILDING SEAS TO AROUND 8 FT. WINDS WILL DIMINISH TO 20 KT OR LESS LATE FRI. $$ GR