FXUS64 KBRO 200854 AFDBRO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX 354 AM CDT SAT SEP 20 2008 .DISCUSSION...LATEST IR SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS A BROAD AREA OF CLOUDINESS EXTENDING FROM SOUTHERN TAMAULIPAS TO THE PANHANDLE OF FLORIDA ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT THAT PASSED OVER DEEP SOUTH TEXAS SEPTEMBER 15. CURRENT RADAR IMAGERY SHOWS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OFF THE COAST OF TAMAULIPAS IN MEXICO. MOVEMENT OF THESE SHOWERS IS TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST. WINDS ARE LIGHT AND NORTHERLY OVER DEEP SOUTH TEXAS. ALL MODELS KEEP MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH THE OLD FRONTAL ZONE OVER THE GULF WATERS AND OFF THE COAST FOR THE WEEKEND. HOWEVER...AREAS NEAR THE COAST COULD SEE SOME SHOWERS AND ISOLATED STORMS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AND PERHAPS AGAIN BY THE END OF THE COMING WEEK. UPDATED THE POPS TO REFLECT THIS. CONFIDENCE WITH THIS FORECAST IS LOW DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE ARE AT THE BOUNDARY OF DRY AIR FUNNELED INTO THE REGION FROM THE NORTH-NORTHEAST BY THE HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH. THE ATMOSPHERE ABOVE 500 MB IS VERY DRY AND THE FLOW WESTERLY WHICH WILL REDUCE THE SPREAD OF THE PRECIPITATION WESTWARD INTO OUR CWA. THE PREFERRED SOLUTION FOR THE CURRENT WEATHER SITUATION IS A BLEND OF THE GFS AND THE NAM. THE ECMWF MODEL IS BELIEVED TO BE TOO WET WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRECIPITATION OVER THE TROPICAL OCEAN AS THE GULF OF MEXICO. IN THE MEANTIME THE WEEKEND IS EXPECTED TO BE DRY WITH SOME PERIODS OF CLOUDY SKIES AND HAZY CONDITIONS ESPECIALLY NEAR THE COAST. LIGHT PATCHY FOG CAN OCCUR NEAR THE GROUND DUE TO RADIATIONAL COOLING MAINLY A FEW MILES INLAND FROM THE COAST. && .MARINE...CURRENTLY BUOY020 REPORTS A NORTHEAST WIND AROUND 10 KTS WITH LIGHT SWELLS AROUND 2.5 FT. MTRPIL CURRENTLY REPORTS A LIGHT NORTH WIND WITH LIGHT FOG. KBRO RADAR SHOWS SCT TO NUMEROUS CONV FIRING OFFSHORE OF THE LOWER TX COASTLINE AND NORTHEAST MEXICO IN THE LOW LEVEL SURFACE CONVERGENCE ASSOCIATED WITH A BROAD SURFACE TROUGH LINGERING OVER THE WESTERN GULF WATERS. THIS ACTIVITY IS MOVING SOUTHWEST AT AROUND 5 TO 10 MPH AND MAY SKIRT THE LOWER TX BAY AND GULF WATERS TODAY. SO WILL MAINTAIN THE MENTION OF POPS FOR THE FIRST PERIOD OF THE CWF TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS. THIS SURFACE TROUGH WILL LIKELY MEANDER OVER THE WESTERN GULF WATERS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS MAINTAINING THE THREAT FOR MARINE CONV FOR MOST OF THE CWF TIME PERIOD. THE PGF AND ASSOCIATED SWELL LEVELS WILL BE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON THE LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE SURFACE TROFFING OVER THE GULF OF MEX. THE ECMWF KEEPS SOME TYPE OF BROAD CLOSED LOW OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN GULF AND THE YUCATAN PENINSULA TOWARDS THE END OF NEXT WEEK WITH THIS FEATURE EVENTUALLY MOVING OUT TO THE N-NE BY NEXT WEEKEND. THE GFS DOES NOT REFLECT THE SAME LEVEL OF CYCLOGENESIS IN THE GULF LATER NEXT WITH ONLY PERSISTENT WEAK TO MODERATE SURFACE TROFFING PERSISTING. THE GWW SWELL GUIDANCE BUILDS SWELLS PRETTY QUICKLY LATE NEXT WEEK ACROSS MAINLY THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE GULF. CONSIDERING THE DEGREE OF UNCERTAINTY IN THE WHERE AND WHEN OF THE SURFACE LOW FORMATION IN THE GULF...WILL UNDERCUT THE ANTICIPATED GWW SWELLS WITH A MORE CONSERVATIVE SWELL TREND IN THE LATER PERIODS OF THE CWF. && .AVIATION...IR SATL AND SURFACE OBS SHOWS SOME SCT-BKN MID AND UPPER LEVEL CLD DECKS AFFECTING THE LOWER RGV AIRPORTS THIS MORNING. ALSO...SOME PATCHY FOG HAS FORMED REDUCING VSBYS INTO THE 4 TO 6 NM RANGE AROUND THE REGION. THIS LIGHT FOG AND PATCHY CLD DECKS WILL LIKELY PERSIST THROUGHOUT THE MORNING HOURS WITH THE FOG DISSIPATING AFTER SUNRISE. OVERALL VFR CONDITIONS WILL LIKELY PREVAIL AROUND THE REGION THROUGHOUT THIS CURRENT TAF PERIOD. PATCHY FOG WILL BE POSSIBLE ONCE AGAIN EARLY SUN MORNING...BUT DO NOT EXPECT WIDESPREAD REDUCTIONS IN VSBYS AT THIS TIME. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... BAYVIEW/PORT ISABEL 88 73 88 74 / 30 10 10 0 BROWNSVILLE 88 72 90 72 / 30 20 10 10 HARLINGEN 90 72 91 71 / 20 10 10 0 MCALLEN 92 71 92 72 / 20 10 10 0 RIO GRANDE CITY 93 68 94 71 / 10 10 0 0 SOUTH PADRE ISLAND 86 76 88 76 / 30 20 20 10 && .BRO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TX...NONE. GM...NONE. && $$ THIS PRODUCT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/BROWNSVILLE 53/60