000 AGXX40 KNHC 260604 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 200 AM EDT TUE AUG 26 2008 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO... CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... BUOY AND SCATTEROMETER DATA SHOW 15 TO 20 KT WINDS OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL GULF...TO THE SOUTH OF THE REMNANT LOW OF FAY...CURRENTLY OVER EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. THESE WINDS WILL BE GRADUALLY DIMINISHING THROUGH THE DAY AS THE LOW WEAKENS FURTHER AND SHIFTS AWAY FROM THE AREA. A RIDGE OF HIGH PRES WILL BUILD ACROSS THE GULF ALONG ROUGHLY 25N...MAINTAINING GENERALLY LIGHT TO MODERATE WINDS OVER MUCH OF THE GULF THROUGH THU. LOOKING AHEAD...MAIN FORECAST ISSUE WILL BE THE TRACK OF GUSTAV...CURRENTLY A TROPICAL STORM IN THE NORTH CENTRAL CARIBBEAN NEAR HAITI. GUSTAVE IS FORECAST TO MOVE ALONG THE SOUTHERN CUBAN COAST AND EMERGE INTO THE FAR SE GULF OF MEXICO BY FRI. EXPECT WINDS AND SEAS TO INCREASE TOWARD THE WEEKEND OVER THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA AND ADJACENT SE GULF WATERS AS THE STORM APPROACHES. CARIBBEAN... TROPICAL STORM GUSTAV IS ROUGHLY 75 NM S OF CABO BEATA DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MOVING NW AROUND 9 KT. GUSTAV IS EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY TO HURRICANE THIS MORNING...IMPACTING NORTH CENTRAL CARIBBEAN WATERS S OF HISPANIOLA...AS WELL AS THE WINDWARD PASS...AS IT MOVES TOWARD SW HAITI AND SE CUBA. CURRENT FORECAST ALSO CALLS FOR GUSTAV TO WEAKEN TO TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH AS IT MOVES NW ALONG THE SOUTHERN CUBA COAST THROUGH SATURDAY...SIMILAR TO THE TRACK OF FAY EARLIER THIS MONTH. MAIN MARINE IMPACT WED THROUGH SAT WILL BE ALONG THE SOUTHERN CUBAN COAST. MEANWHILE A TROPICAL WAVE CURRENTLY ALONG 84W WILL MOVE THROUGH THE GULF OF HONDURAS TODAY...FOLLOWED BY BRIEF PERIOD OF 15 KT PLUS WINDS. ELSEWHERE MODERATE WINDS AND SEAS PREVAIL ACROSS CARIBBEAN WATERS. ATLC WATERS S OF 31N AND W OF 55W... A TROUGH EXTENDING FROM 29N57W TO 21N64W WILL SHIFT TO THE NW AND DAMPEN OUT. MAIN IMPACT WILL BE WINDS TO 20 KT ON THE NORTHERN EDGE OF THE TROUGH...AS WELL AS ENHANCED SHOWERS AND TSTMS. FURTHER TO THE SOUTHEAST...A WEAK 1012 MB LOW PRES AREA NEAR 19N53W WILL SHIFT NW OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS TRAILING THE WEAKENING TROUGH AHEAD OF IT. WINDS AND SEAS WILL INCREASE ON THE NORTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE LOW...DUE TO INTERACTION WITH MAIN SURFACE HIGH PRES OVER THE CENTRAL ATLC. FURTHER WEST...WEAK HIGH PRES WILL PERSIST BETWEEN THE NORTHERN BAHAMAS AND BERMUDA THROUGH WED THEN SHIFT NW AHEAD OF TROUGH TO EAST. FRESH TRADES WILL PERSIST ON THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE RIDGE NEAR PUERTO RICO AND HISPANIOLA THROUGH THE SOUTHERN BAHAMAS. STRONG EASTERLY WINDS ARE EXPECT LATER TODAY THROUGH WED SOUTH OF GREAT INAGUA NEAR THE WINDWARD PASSAGE...AS HURRICANE GUSTAV PASSES SOUTH OF THE AREA. WARNINGS... SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON LATEST NHC ADVISORY ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... HURCN WARNING N OF 16N BETWEEN 72W AND 77W...AMZ086 AND 082W GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER CHRISTENSEN. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.