National Weather Service San Juan PR
550 AM AST MON JUL 11 2016
.SYNOPSIS...Broad surface ridge continued across the Atlantic and
will maintain moderate easterly trade winds during the next several
days, while a tropical wave will continue to exit the Mona passage
and regional waters early this morning. Recent satellite imagery
and aerosol optical thickness products both suggests an extensive
saharan air layer with high concentration of suspended saharan
dust particulates trailing this wave and quickly spreading across
the northeastern caribbean. Upper level ridge will hold across
the region at least through Tuesday, then erode on Wednesday and
Thursday as a trough will shift westward across the forecast area.
Upper ridge is to then build across the region once again by Friday
and into the weekend.
&&
.DISCUSSION...Only a few light to moderate showers were noted
across the coastal waters during the overnight hours. Some showers
briefly reached parts of the coastal sections of the islands but
no significant rainfall was observed or detected by the national
weather service doppler radar. Tropical wave continued to exit
the region during the overnight hours and early this morning with
trailing drier air quickly spreading across the region. This day
air mass with suspended Saharan dust is expected to continue across
the forecast area through at least Tuesday. This pattern will result
in mostly hot and hazy conditions with limited shower activity during
the afternoon hours.
Mid to upper level high pressure will help maintain an overall stable
weather pattern across the islands during the next few days. Latest
Aerosol model guidance and analysis products all suggest high concentration
of Saharan Dust moving across the region during the next 24 to 36 hours.
The dry and dusty air mass will result in mostly fair weather but hazy
conditions and should also help suppress convective development due
to the drying trend and subsidence aloft. However... afternoon showers
will remain posible due to local effects and daytime heating. Afternoon
convection if any should be focused mainly over parts of western PR
and should be isolated to locally scattered and of short duration.
Based on latest model guidance...so far no significant weather feature
is expected through Thursday. An induced low level trough is however
forecast to move across the region by Friday followed by the next tropical
wave which is so far forecast to arrive during the next weekend. These
two features will bring increasing low level moisture and instability
across the forecast area an therefore allow for a better chance for
early morning and daytime convection. In addition,the proximity of
an upper trough will also aid in enhancing convective development
during that time. For now, will continue to monitor and adjust
forecast package depending on how this expected pattern unfolds.
&&
.AVIATION...VFR conditions to prevail across PR/USVI/Leeward Islands.
Saharan dust may reduce visibilities to as low as 8 miles below
FL120. Aft 11/16Z SHRA to develop western PR with lcl MVFR cigs
til arnd 11/23Z. Winds alf Ely 15-25 kt up thru FL260.
&&
.MARINE...Winds of 15-20 knots and seas to 4-6 feet expected to
continue today. Therefore, small crafts should continue to exercise
caution across the much of the waters. A northeast swell is forecast
to arrive across the regional atlantic waters during the latter
part of the week.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SJU 89 78 90 79 / 10 30 20 30
STT 91 79 91 78 / 10 20 20 30



