000 AGXX40 KNHC 050735 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 330 AM EDT FRI SEP 5 2008 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO... CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... VERY WEAK AND DRY COLD FRONT STRETCH FROM SE LOUISIANA TO 26N97W HAS LITTLE EFFECT IN INCREASING WIND OR SEAS. IT IS EXPECTED TO BRUSH NRN GULF WATERS AND BECOME DIFFUSE ALONG 28N TONIGHT. WINDS REMAIN LIGHT THROUGH EARLY SAT THEN BECOME NE AS HIGH PRES RIDGE BUILDS ACROSS ENTIRE GULF AFTER DEPARTURE OF HANNA. NOAA WAVEWATCH MODEL GUIDANCE MAINTAINS SEAS UNDER 4 FT THROUGH FORECAST PERIOD. SW N ATLC... TROPICAL STORM HANNA OFF E COAST OF NEAR 26.5N 76.3W AT 11 PM EST MOVING NW AT 12 KT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WIND 55 GUSTS TO 65 KT. HANNA SEEMS WEAKENING UNDER STRONG VERTICAL WIND SHEAR AND DRY AIR INTRUSION INTO IT INNER CORE. MARINE CONDITIONS REMAIN EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS DUE TO THE EXTENT OF ITS 12 FT OR GREATER SEAS WHICH CAN BE AS MUCH AS 360 NM IN NE AND 300 NW QUADRANTS. NHC ADVISORY FOR TROPICAL STORM HANNA HAS IT REACHING 28.5N 77.7W EARLY FRI AND BE N OF AREA BY FRI EVENING...SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON LATEST BULLETIN. HANNA FORECAST TO MAKE LANDFALL AS TROPICAL STORM OVER NEAR N CAROLINA EARLY SAT. CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE IKE AT 23.6N 59.5W N OF TROPICAL ATLC ZONE AT 11 PM EST MOVING W AT 12 KT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WIND 115 GUSTS TO 140 KT FORECAST TO MAINTAIN CURRENT MOTION THROUGH TODAY...THEN TRACK SLIGHTLY W-SW TO 23.4N 64.0W LATE FRI AND ENTER SE PART OF SW N ATLC WATERS FRI NIGHT. SEE WARNING SECTION BELOW. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WIND EXPECTED TO EXTEND INTO TROPICAL ATLC ZONE TODAY BUT DIMINISH EARLY TONIGHT. RIDGE BUILDING SW ACROSS N ATLC WATERS EXPECTED TO STEER IKE AS IT APPROACHES SE BAHAMAS SUN MORNING THEN VEER NW TOWARDS CENTRAL AND NRN BAHAMAS MON ALSO THREATENING FLORIDA COAST TUE. MODEL GUIDANCE HAS KEPT A GOOD HANDLE ON PREVIOUS CYCLONES INCLUDING IKE SO FAR IS RELIED FOR RADII OF 12 FT SEAS. MUCH FURTHER E IS TROPICAL STORM JOSEPHINE. WHILE NOT EXPECTING AS OF YET A DIRECT IMPACT FROM JOSEPHINE...ITS TRACK IS EXPECTED TO BRING IT CLOSE ENOUGH TO AFFECT NRN FRINGES OF TROPICAL ATLC ZONE WITH STRONG NE WINDS AND LARGE LONG PERIOD SWELLS LATE IN FORECAST PERIOD. CARIBBEAN SEA... PRES PATTERN OVER WRN HALF OF BASIN HAS FLATTENED AS HANNA PULLS AWAY TO THE N ACROSS SW N ATLC. HURCN IKE JUST N OF TROPICAL ATLC ZONE TODAY SQUEEZES PRES IN ERN HALF OF BASIN INCREASING SE WINDS BUT SEAS ARE SLOWER TO RESPOND. WINDS BECOME LIGHT TO MODERATE SAT THROUGH MON AS PATH OF IKE EASES PRES GRADIENT THROUGHOUT ERN CARIBBEAN. RIDGE BUILDING BEHIND IKE LIKELY TO INCREASE WINDS AGAIN LATE TUE. WARNINGS... SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON LATEST NHC ADVISORY ATLANTIC... .TROPICAL STORM WARNING ASSOCIATED WITH HANNA N OF 24N W OF 72W ...AMZ080 .HURRICANE WARNING ASSOCIATED WITH IKE N OF 20N W OF 57W ...AMZ087 CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER WALLY BARNES. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.