Special Features

Caribbean Sea Gale Warning: The tight pressure gradient between a well established high pressure ridge over the northwestern Atlantic and low pressure over NW Colombia will continue to support fresh to near gale-force NE to E winds, and rough to very rough seas across much of the central and southwestern Caribbean Sea through the middle or next week. Winds offshore of Colombia are expected to pulse to gale-force overnight through Sat night.

Please read the latest NWS High Seas Forecast issued by the National Hurricane Center at website: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/MIAHSFAT2.shtml for more information.

Monsoon Trough/ITCZ

The monsoon trough enters the Atlantic near 07N12W and extends to 04N16W. The ITCZ extends from 04N16W to 00N30W to the coast of Brazil near 02S45W. Scattered moderate convection is noted from 00N to 06N between 16W and 30W. Scattered to numerous moderate to strong convection is from 02S to 03N W of 34W.

Gulf Of America

Broad surface ridging extends from the central Atlantic westward into the Gulf, which is providing moderate to fresh E to SE winds across the eastern half of the basin, and moderate or weaker winds W of 90W. Seas basin-wide are slight to moderate. Otherwise, oil rigs platforms as well as buoy data are reporting dense fog over the NW Gulf with visibility less than 2 nm.

For the forecast, Atlantic high pressure will extend a broad ridge southwestward into the Gulf through early next week, thus supporting mainly moderate to fresh E to SE winds basin-wide. Seas will be slight to moderate through the forecast period.

Caribbean Sea

Please see Special Features section above regarding a Gale Warning in the south-central Caribbean.

The pressure difference between high pressure well north of the area and the NW Colombia low pressure maintains fresh to strong trades across much of the central and eastern Caribbean. Moderate to fresh trades prevail elsewhere. Rough seas are analyzed in the central and portions of the SW Caribbean, with moderate seas in the eastern Caribbean and slight to moderate seas prevailing in the NW basin.

For the forecast, a ridge of high pressure will prevail N of the area into the weekend. The pressure gradient between the ridge and the Colombian low will support fresh to near gale-force trades across the central and eastern Caribbean through Mon. Winds offshore of Colombia will pulse to gale-force during the overnight hours through Sat night while fresh to strong NE winds in the Windward Passage and in the lee of Cuba will pulse through early Sat evening. In the Gulf of Honduras, fresh to strong winds will pulse at night today through Sun night. Otherwise, rough seas in easterly trade wind swell over the tropical N Atlantic will continue through Tue.

Atlantic Ocean

A 1037 mb high near 40N30W extends a ridge across much of the Atlantic, also supported by a 1027 mb high near 33N65W. As a result, fresh to strong trades and rough seas cover much of the Atlantic between the west coast of Africa and 55W between the Equator and 27N. Moderate to fresh trades and moderate to rough seas prevail between 55W and the southern Bahamas to the S of 27N. Otherwise, moderate or weaker winds and slight to moderate seas prevail elsewhere.

For the forecast west of 55W, moderate to fresh easterly winds will prevail S of 25N through Mon night, reaching strong speeds N of Hispaniola into the Windward passage. Rough seas will prevail within these winds and E of the central and southern Bahamas through Tue. Otherwise, moderate or weaker winds can be expected elsewhere across the region.

Posted 2 hours ago by NHC Forecaster Ramos