Prognostic Meteorological Discussion
Issued by NWS
Issued by NWS
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899 FXCA20 KWBC 062036 PMDCA TROPICAL DISCUSSION - INTERNATIONAL DESKS NWS WEATHER PREDICTION CENTER COLLEGE PARK MD 336 PM EST WED NOV 06 2024 FORECAST BULLETIN 06 NOV 2024 AT 2030 UTC: THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER (NHC) IS ISSUING ADVISORIES ON HURRICANE RAFAEL. HURRICANE RAFAEL...NOW A CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE WITH WINDS OF 100 KNOTS...IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL OVER WESTERN CUBA LATER TODAY. IN THE FORECAST TRACK...HURRICANE RAFAEL IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING NORTHWEST UNTIL EARLY THURSDAY...THEN MOVE MORE WESTERLY AS IT ENTERS THE GULF OF MEXICO. THE LATEST RAINFALL FORECAST INDICATES THAT PORTIONS OF WESTERN CUBA COULD OBSERVE AS MUCH AS 200 TO 400MM OF RAIN OVER THE NEXT 3 DAYS...WHILE THE CAYMAN ISLANDS WILL OBSERVE DIMINISHING RAINFALL OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS THE HURRICANE MOVES AWAY. THAT SAID...PORTIONS OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS ARE STILL FORECAST SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONAL RAINFALL. EVEN THOUGH THE CENTER OF RAFAEL IS FORECAST TO BE NORTH OF THE ISLAND BY EARLY THURSDAY...A TRAILING BAND WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY AFFECT PORTIONS OF WESTERN CUBA ON THURSDAY...AND TO A LESSER EXTENT ON FRIDAY. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST ADVISORIES OF THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER ON HURRICANE RAFAEL AT WWW.HURRICANES.GOV. ELSEWHERE IN THE TROPICAL REGION...A FEW FEATURES WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS AND CENTRAL AMERICA...CAUSING SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL OVER THE AREA. LOWER AMOUNTS OF RAIN ARE EXPECTED ELSEWHERE IN THE TROPICAL REGION...MEXICO IN PARTICULAR IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN FAIRLY DRY OVER THE NEXT THREE DAYS. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE CURRENTLY AFFECTING AREAS AROUND PR/USVI AND THE NORTHERN LEEWARDS. THIS IS DUE TO LOW LEVEL MOISTURE CONVERGENCE OVER THE AREA...COMBINED WITH MID AND UPPER LEVEL TROUGHS. THIS LOCALIZED HIGHER MOISTURE AND MID TO UPPER LEVEL INSTABILITY IS ALLOWING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING HOURS. IN ADDITION...THE MID AND UPPER LEVEL FLOW ACROSS THE NORTHEASTER CARIBBEAN WILL CONTINUE TO BE CONDUCIVE TO THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE EASTERN GREATER ANTILLES ON THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY...AS THE LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE AND UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE CONTINUES OVER THE AREA. THE EGDI ALGORITHM IS SUGGESTING AN AREA WITH ENHANCED THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL MOVING JUST NORTH OF PUERTO RICO INTO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. AREAS IN THE PERIPHERY TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF THE UPPER LOW WILL ALSO HAVE A CHANCE OF ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. BY FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY...A TROPICAL WAVE IS EXPECTED TO CROSS THE WINDWARD ISLANDS...AND THE TROPICAL WAVE COULD INTERACT WITH THE UPPER TROUGH...ENCOUNTERING DIFFLUENCE OVER THE AREA AND ENHANCING THE CHANCES OF THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT OVER THE WINDWARD ISLANDS. THE GFS MODEL WAS VERY AGGRESSIVE WITH THE AMOUNTS OF RAIN FORECAST...WE WENT UNDER THE MODEL WITH THE AMOUNTS DUE TO MODEL DISAGREEMENT AND WAITING FOR MORE CONSISTENCY BETWEEN MODEL RUNS. THAT SAID...IT MAY PAY TO KNOW THAT THIS MESOSCALE SYSTEM AFFECTING THE NORTHEASTERN CARIBBEAN WAS WELL FORECAST BY THE GFS...WHILE NOT SO MUCH BY THE OTHER GLOBAL MODELS...SO WE ARE INCLINED TO BE CLOSER TO THE GFS IN TERMS OF RAINFALL AMOUNTS OVER THE CARIBBEAN. ANOTHER AREA TO MONITOR IS CENTRAL AMERICA...PARTICULARLY PORTIONS IN AND AROUND COSTA RICA. THE MONSOON TROUGH IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO NICARAGUA AND COSTA RICA OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THIS WILL CAUSE A PERSISTENT INFLUX OF DEEP MOISTURE INTO THE PACIFIC COAST OF NICARAGUA...COSTA RICA...AND WESTERN PANAMA. THE DAILY RAINFALL FORECAST FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AMERICA IS IN THE ORDER OF 15-20MM WITH MAXIMA BETWEEN 25-80MM DEPENDING ON THE DAY...WITH THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY BEING THE WETTEST PERIOD IN THE FORECAST. AS MENTIONED ABOVE...MEXICO IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN FAIRLY DRY OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THE ONLY AREAS WITH SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL IN THE FORECAST ARE SOUTHERN AND SOUTHWESTERN MEXICO...WHERE AMOUNTS MAXING OUT AT AROUND 15MM ARE FORECAST EACH DAY. NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA IS FORECAST TO HAVE A RELATIVELY TYPICAL RAINFALL PATTERN OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. RAINFALL TOTALS OF AROUND 15-25MM ARE FORECAST ACROSS MOST OF THE REGION...BUT WESTERN COLOMBIA AND NORTHWESTERN VENEZUELA ARE FORECAST TO OBSERVE HIGHER AMOUNTS OF RAIN EACH DAY. THE COAST OF WESTERN COLOMBIA IS FORECAST MAX RAINFALL VALUES NEAR 35-80MM ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY...DUE TO ONSHORE FLOW OF DEEP MOISTURE. EASTERLY/TROPICAL WAVES INITIALIZED AT 12 UTC TYPE SOF INT 07/00 07/12 08/00 08/12 09/00 09/12 10/00 10/12 TW 13N 53W 54W 56W 58W 60W 62W 64W 67W 69W A TROPICAL WAVE HAS BEEN INITIALIZED AT 53W AND TO THE SOUTH OF 13N. THE TROPICAL WAVE IS MOVING VERY SLOWLY TO THE WEST...AND THE MODEL GUIDANCE DIFFERS ON ITS FORWARD SPEED IN THE SHORT TERM. HOWEVER...THE MODEL GUIDANCE AGREE IN ITS POSITION BY THIS WEEKEND. THE TROPICAL WAVE IS EXPECTED TO CROSS THE WINDWARD ISLANDS ON FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY. THIS PASSAGE OF THE TROPICAL WAVE MAY BRING AN INCREASE TO THE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY TO THE WINDWARD ISLANDS. ALAMO...(WPC) $$