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East Pacific Tropical Weather Discussion
000
AXPZ20 KNHC 162201
TWDEP
TROPICAL WEATHER DISCUSSION
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
2205 UTC SAT FEB 16 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 1800 UTC SURFACE ANALYSIS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY THROUGH
2100 UTC.
...SPECIAL FEATURE...
CURRENT GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC BEGINNING GALE EVENT QUICKLY
INCREASE INTO DEVELOPING STORM AND EXPAND IN COVERAGE TO 12N
TONIGHT. COLDEST AIR MASS OF THE YEAR FUNNEL ACROSS CHIVELAS
PASS THIS AFTERNOON REACHING AS HIGH AS 50 KT OVER THE WATER OF
THE GULF OF TEHUANTEPEC. HIGH PRES OVER GULF OF MEXICO DRIVING
AIR INTO ISTHMUS IS SOON DISPLACED EASTWARD VEERING WINDS AND
EFFECTIVELY BRINGING STORM FORCE WINDS TO A HALT BUT REMAINING
AT GALE FORCE LEVEL THROUGH SUN NIGHT.
PLUME OF BUILDING SEAS TO 15 FT SPREADS ACROSS E PAC S OF GULF
OF TEHUANTEPEC. SEAS EVENTUALLY MERGE WITH LESSER SWELLS CAUSED
BY GULF OF PAPAGAYO GAP EVENT INCREASING AREA COVERAGE WITH SEAS
TO 16-17 FT. ECMWF AND UKMET GUIDANCE SOLUTIONS INDICATES SEAS
COULD RUN AS HIGH AS WILL REACH AS HIGH AS 20 FT WHILE NWW3
STOPS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER...16 FT. FORECAST WILL TAKE A MIDDLE
OF THE ROAD APPROACH AND HOLD NEAR 17-18 FT.
...INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE ZONE/MONSOON TROUGH...
MONSOON TROUGH AXIS NOT DISCERNIBLE. ITCZ EXTENDS FROM 03N102W
TO 08N122W THEN FROM 06N127W TO 04N140W. NO SIGNIFICANT
CONVECTION NOTED.
...DISCUSSION...
WELL ESTABLISHED MID TO UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONE AT 13N98W HOLD
ITS POSITION AS LONGWAVE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH N OF AREA CRUISES
EAST WELL N OF AREA. TROUGH EFFECTIVELY FLATTENS RIDGE CREST
PROMPTING WINDS ALOFT TO BECOME PERFECTLY ZONAL N OF 18N ALL THE
WAY FROM 135W ACROSS MEXICO THROUGH 80W IN THE ATLC OCEAN AND
CARIBBEAN SEA BY THE END OF FORECAST PERIOD.
FARTHER SOUTH...A NEGATIVELY TILTED UPPER TROUGH EXTENDING FROM
15N131W TO 04N116W IS PROVIDING SUPPORT TO A SURFACE TROUGH
BREAKING THE ITCZ NEAR 124W FROM 06N TO 11N. THE UPPER TROUGH IS
ALSO ENHANCING CONVECTION IN THE CONVERGENT AREA AHEAD OF THE
TROUGH NEAR 08N125W. GLOBAL MODELS SUGGEST THE SURFACE TROUGH
WILL START TO DAMPEN OUT SUN AND MON AS IT TRANSITS W OF THE
UPPER TROUGH WHICH WILL BE WEAKENING AND SHIFTING E.
LONGWAVE TROUGH EXTEND FROM 32N138W TO WELL DEFINED CYCLONE AT
22N151W LIFT N BUT PRESSES RIDGE CREST THROUGH ENTIRE FORECAST
PERIOD. RIDGE MAINTAINS LID OVER VERTICAL LIFT AND AIR MASS
REMAINS VERY DRY PUTTING A DAMPER TO CONVECTION ALONG TROPICAL
LATITUDES. NOT EVEN ITCZ NOR MONSOON TROUGH...WHICH COULD
HARDLY BE IDENTIFIED...IS ABLE TO BREAK LID.
...ELSEWHERE AT THE LOWER LEVELS...
HEALTHY HIGH PRES CENTER 1038 MB 42N142W MOVES S TO NW CORNER OF
BASIN ADDING TO MORE STABILITY TO REGION...BUT PRESSING GRADIENT
TO THE POINT OF INCREASING TRADES TO A FRESH BREEZE AND BUILDING
SEAS TO 13-14 FT IN NW SWELL.
GULF OF CALIFORNIA...PRES GRADIENT EASES AS AFOREMENTIONED HIGH
PRES MOVES S RESULTING IN DIMINISHING WINDS ALONG COAST OF
CALIFORNIA AND BAJA CALIFORNIA...ONLY TO RETURN LATE IN FORECAST
PERIOD AND BEYOND AS HIGH PRES MAKES ITS MOVE W.
GULF OF PAPAGAYO...STRONG HIGH PRES OVER GULF OF MEXICO SLIPS
INTO SW N ATLC BASIN INDUCING A SURGE OF TRADE WINDS INTO GULF
OF PAPAGAYO LATE SAT INTO EARLY SUN...PERSISTING THROUGH END OF
FORECAST PERIOD. NEAR GALE NE WINDS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT AND
EARLY MORNING HOURS WHILE DIMINISHING TO A STRONG BREEZE LATE
MORNING THROUGH EARLY EVENINGS.
$$
WALLY BARNES
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