AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR
906 PM AST MON APR 13 2009
.UPDATE...CLOUDS AND MOST SHOWERS HAVE MOVED OFFSHORE OFF THE
WESTERN COAST OF PUERTO RICO THIS EVENING AND WILL CONTINUE TO
DRIFT WEST AS THEY DISSIPATE. TERMINAL DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A LINE
OF CLOUDS ORIENTED NORTHWEST/SOUTHEAST THAT DRIFTED ACROSS MONA
ISLAND DURING THE LAST HOUR. OTHERWISE FEW SHOWERS ARE OBSERVED
ON THE RADAR...A FEW IN THE ATLANTIC AND SOME JUST OFF THE WESTERN
TIP OF VIEQUES. EXPECT CONDITIONS TO BE MOSTLY DRY AS LITTLE
ACTIVITY APPEARS ON THE SATELLITE. PRECIPITABLE WATER IS
RELATIVELY UNIFORM ACROSS OUR AREA.
TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE LULL IN THE WEATHER TO ADD SOME FEATURES TO
THE FORECAST AND HAVE EXPLAINED THEM BELOW.
&&
.SYNOPSIS...AT UPPER LEVELS...A TROUGH PASSED THROUGH THE AREA
TODAY AND WILL BE FOLLOWED BY THE PASSAGE OF A JET CORE FROM THE
NORTHWEST AS A RIDGE MOVES ACROSS THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY. A SECOND
TROUGH WILL PASS THROUGH ON THURSDAY WITH ANOTHER INCREASE IN
WINDS...THEN ANOTHER TROUGH SAGS INTO THE AREA WITH A STRONGER JET
WHOSE MAXIMUM INFLUENCE WILL CROSS OVER ON SATURDAY NIGHT. RIDGING
INTO THE AREA DOES NOT REALLY BECOME SIGNIFICANT UNTIL THE
FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY LATE.
AT MID LEVELS...A RIDGE THAT EXTENDED FROM THE YUCATAN PENINSULA
TO THE NORTHERN BAHAMAS SPREADS OVER THE NORTHEASTERN CARIBBEAN
AND WEAKENS A LITTLE TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. A TROUGH THAT
EXTENDS INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO WILL MOVE EASTWARD...BUT A
SECONDARY TROUGH WILL FORM OVER THE LEEWARD ISLANDS ON THURSDAY
AND OBSCURE ITS PASSAGE OVER US. A SECOND AND BROADER TROUGH MOVES
TOWARD THE AREA ON SATURDAY WITH A PASSAGE SATURDAY NIGHT...BUT
SOME WEAK DIGGING OCCURS TO THE WEST DURING THE FOLLOWING THREE
DAYS AND FLOW DOES NOT RETURN TO NORTHWEST UNTIL THE FOLLOWING
WEDNESDAY. MID LEVELS REMAIN MOSTLY DRY EXCEPT FOR THE TROUGH
PASSAGE SATURDAY NIGHT.
AT LOWER LEVELS...HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC AND
HIGHER PRESSURE OVER THE NORTHEAST ATLANTIC JOIN OVER THE MID
ATLANTIC BY THURSDAY MORNING. A LOW PRESSURE OVER THE EASTERN
UNITED STATES MOVES OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC ON WEDNESDAY AND ITS
FRONT APPROACHES THE LOCAL AREA ON SATURDAY WITH POSSIBLE ENTRANCE
TO THE FORECAST AREA SATURDAY NIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS WEAKLY
BEHIND IT SUSTAINING THE TRADE WIND FLOW.
&&
.DISCUSSION...SEVERAL FEATURES ARE BEGINNING TO BECOME MORE
CONSISTENT IN THE MODELS. THE PASSAGE OF A THETA-E RIDGE COINCIDES
WITH DIVERGENT FLOW ALOFT THAT WILL LIKELY INCREASE SHOWERS ON THE
EAST COAST OVERNIGHT TUESDAY AND EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. A LOW
LEVEL TROUGH WILL PASS THROUGH THEN AND WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO
SHIFT TO THE SOUTHEAST. THIS WILL CAUSE SHOWERS TO SHIFT INTO THE
NORTHWEST QUADRANT OF PUERTO RICO WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...AND WILL
ALSO HOLD TEMPERATURES A LITTLE WARMER IN THE SAN JUAN PORTION OF
THE ISLAND BOTH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...THE LATTER DAY WHICH
SHOULD ALSO BE A LITTLE DRIER. AS A MUCH STRONGER TROUGH ALOFT
MOVES OVER THE AREA ON SATURDAY...DIVERGENCE ALOFT INCREASES AGAIN
AND A FRONT APPROACHES THE AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST. MODEL
SOLUTIONS HAVE BROUGHT THE FRONT DEEPER INTO THE AREA IN PAST RUNS
AND THE TREND IS NOW FOR A WEAKER INTRUSION OF COOLER AIR AND MORE
TROPICAL AIR TO PUSH OVER THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN FROM THE EAST. NEVERTHELESS THIS
SHOULD GIVE US OUR BEST CHANCES FOR RAIN OF THE ENTIRE WEEK. THE
FRONT IS CURRENTLY BEING PREDICTED TO REACH" onClick="return popup(this, 'notes')">REACH ITS MAXIMUM
SOUTHEASTWARD POSITION SUNDAY AT 06Z AND THEN RETREAT...WITH MOIST
AIR OVER THE SOUTHERN WINDWARD ISLANDS MOVING TOWARD THE AREA ON
THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY IN A LONG FILAMENT. THIS
FILAMENT OF MOISTURE BRINGS IN THE BEST THETA-E RIDGE OF THE LAST
SEVERAL MONTHS.
UNFORTUNATELY MODELS ARE NOT PARTICULARLY CONSISTENT AFTER NEXT
WEEKEND AND IT IS DIFFICULT TO SAY JUST HOW RELIABLE THIS LAST
INCREASE OF MOISTURE WILL BE. HAVE ADJUSTED POPS TO REFLECT
CURRENT THINKING. ALSO HAVE RAISED MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES TUESDAY
THROUGH SATURDAY...THOUGH NEVER BY MORE THAN 2 DEGREES.
&&
.AVIATION...CURRENT DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE
THROUGH NEXT 24 HOURS AND MVFR CONDITIONS WILL BE BRIEF IF THEY
OCCUR. ISOLATED MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS WILL ALSO OCCUR IN WESTERN
PUERTO RICO BETWEEN 14/17Z AND 15/03Z.
&&
.MARINE...MARINE CONDITIONS REMAIN GENERALLY BELOW SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORY CONDITIONS UNTIL 6 FOOT SWELL MOVES IN FROM THE NORTH ON
SUNDAY AND MONDAY.
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