000 AXPZ20 KNHC 071603 TWDEP Tropical Weather Discussion NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL 1528 UTC Thu Mar 7 2019 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: High pressure over the Gulf of Mexico continues to produce gale force gap winds across the Gulf of Tehuantepec this morning. An overnight satellite altimeter pass observed 14 ft seas in the Gulf, though these seas will gradually fade as the wind forcing will steadily recede and drop below strong breeze by Friday. No new gap wind events in the Gulf of Tehuantepec through at least Monday. Please read the latest High Seas Forecast issued by the National Hurricane Center under AWIPS/WMO headers FZPN03 KNHC/HSFEP2 or at website https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/MIAHSFEP2.shtml for further details. ...INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE/MONSOON TROUGH... A surface trough extends from Costa Rica at 09N89W to 06N88W. The intertropical convergence zone axis begins there and extends to 00N108W to beyond 05N140W. Scattered moderate convection is from 04N to 07W between 90W and 95W as well as within 120 nm north of the ITCZ axis between 117W and 125W. ...DISCUSSION... OFFSHORE WATERS WITHIN 250 NM OF MEXICO... Gulf of Tehuantepec: Please read the Special Features section for more details about the gale warning. Gulf of California: A low pressure system over the U.S. Great Basin will support nocturnal fresh to strong SW winds in the northern Gulf of California early Friday. A cold front will reach northern Gulf leading to enhanced winds on Monday. Elsewhere the aforementioned cold front will also reach the waters west of Baja California on Monday, though the winds ahead and behind the front should remain at fresh breeze or weaker. Early next week, a large set of NW swell will also arrive, first offshore of Baja California Norte, spreading S-SE across the remainder of the waters W of 110W through Mon night. OFFSHORE WATERS WITHIN 250 NM OF CENTRAL AMERICA, COLOMBIA, AND WITHIN 750 NM OF ECUADOR... Gulfs of Fonseca, Papagayo, and Panama: A strong north-south pressure gradient across Central America is helping to funnel strong to near gale NE winds across the Gulf of Papagayo and off the coast of Nicaragua, strongest in the late night-early morning hours. The will gradually weaken, but continue through Monday night. This pressure gradient will also produce strong breeze N winds in the Gulf of Panama for the next several days. No large long-period swell events are expected to impact the waters over the next several days. REMAINDER OF THE AREA... A weak 1018 mb high is centered at 26N120W, promoting only moderate to fresh breeze NE tradewinds across most of the basin. A stationary front extends from 30N119W to 19N130W with winds remaining gentle to moderate on both sides of the boundary. In the westernmost portion of the basin, seas are up to 8 ft in NW swell. These will continue and mix with some E swell through Saturday. Late Saturday, a significant large NW swell will begin reaching our NW corner at 30N140W. These should reach up to 15 feet it moves southeastward across the basin and gradually lessens during the subsequent few days. NE swell of at least 8 ft generated by the gap wind events in the Gulfs of Tehuantepec and Papagayo will spread SW and then W reaching as far west as 110W by Friday morning. These will gradually face on Saturday. $$ Landsea