000 AGXX40 KNHC 121929 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 229 PM EST FRI DEC 12 2008 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO... CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. RADIOFAX SCHEDULE FOR GRAPHICAL WIND WAVE...SURFACE FORECAST AND PEAK WAVE PERIOD CHARTS HAS CHANGED. FOR THE ATLANTIC BASIN THIS INCLUDES 24...36...48 AND 72 HOUR WIND WAVE..24...48..72 HOUR SURFACE FORECAST AND 48 AND 72 HOUR PEAK WAVE PERIOD CHARTS. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE REFER TO THE FAX SCHEDULE ON THE NHC WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/RADIOFAX.SHTML THE GULF OF MEXICO... REINFORCING COLD FRONT EXTENDS FROM NAPLES FLORIDA TO 23N89W USHERING IN STRONG NW WINDS ACROSS MOST OF THE GULF. THE FORECAST IS FOR THE SECOND FRONT TO CATCH UP TO AND TO BE ABSORBED INTO THE CURRENT ATLANTIC OCEAN COLD FRONT. NORTHERLY WINDS WILL VEER TO THE NE LATER TODAY BUT REMAIN IN AT LEAST THE 20-25 KT RANGE IN THE E HALF OF THE GULF. NEW LOW PRES CENTER CROSSING CENTRAL PLAINS TIGHTENS PRES GRADIENT WITH MODERATE TO STRONG RETURN FLOW DEVELOPING SAT W OF 93W AND SPREADING OVER MOST OF THE GULF SUN. WINDS DIMINISH SLIGHTLY MON. A COLD FRONT REACHES THE NW GULF COAST WATERS/TEXAS GULF COAST TUE MORNING... REMAINING STALLED ALONG THE TEXAS COAST WED MORNING...APPEARING TO MOVE NORTHWARD AS A WARM FRONT THROUGH THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. THE SW NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN... STRONG PRIMARY COLD FRONT EXTENDS FROM 31N73W TO EASTERN CUBA WITH REINFORCING FRONT ENTERING THE FAR NW PART OF THE AREA. WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT ARE AROUND 30 KT N OF 30N AS WELL. NO GALE FORCE WINDS ARE IN THIS FORECAST...30 KT ARE IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE AREA WEST OF THE FRONT...20 KT IN MUCH OF THE AREA IN ANY CASE WEST OF THE FRONT. 20 TO 25 KT WINDS ARE NORTH OF 28N WITHIN 4 TO 5 DEGREES OF LONGITUDE EAST OF THE FRONT IN THE FORECAST. FRONT SWIFTLY MOVES EWD AND EXTENDS FROM 31N70W TO EASTERN CUBA WITH NW WINDS RAPIDLY DIMINISHING TO 20 KT. LARGE FETCH OF NE WINDS OF 20-25 KT SAT INCREASE TO 20-30 KT AND LOCALLY HIGHER SUN GENERALLY N OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY...AS HIGH PRES STRENGTHENS N OF THE AREA SAT AND SUN. THE FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM 27N65W TO SE CUBA BY LATE SAT WITH THE REMNANT BOUNDARY EXTENDING E-W ALONG 23N BY LATE SUN. WINDS CONTINUE MON AND SLOWLY SUBSIDE TUE. NWW3 BUILDS A LARGE AREA OF 12-16 FT SEAS DURING THIS PERIOD OF EXTENDED STRONG WINDS. THIS APPEARS TO BE REASONABLE. IT IS POSSIBLE TO SEE FULLY DEVELOPED SEAS OF 18 FT IF THESE WINDS INDEED MATERIALIZE. THE CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE TROPICAL NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN...PRIMARY COLD FRONT EXTENDS FROM CENTRAL CUBA TO BORDER OF NICARAGUA/COSTA RICA. FRONT HAS USHERED IN NW-N WINDS OF 20-25 KT IN THE NW AND WESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA. HI RES QSCAT WINDS FROM 12/1550 UTC SHOW 20 TO 25 KT WINDS N OF 15N W OF 81W...AND S OF 15N W OF 82W TO THE COASTLINE. A 1004 UTC HI RES QSCAT PASS INDICATED MODERATE TO FRESH NE TO E TRADES ACROSS THE E CARIBBEAN SEA N OF 16N WITH LOCALLY HIGHER WINDS IN THE MONA AND ANEGADA ATLC PASSAGES. WINDS GRADUALLY DIMINISH BEHIND THE FRONT AS WELL AS IN THE E CARIBBEAN LATER TODAY AND SAT. LONG PERIOD SWELL TRAINS RESULTING FROM FETCH OF THE SRN PERIPHERY OF ATLC HIGH PRES RIDGE MOVE ACROSS THE N PART OF THE TROPICAL N ATLC. STRONG HIGH PRES N OF THE AREA ALLOWS MODERATE TO FRESH NE WINDS TO ENTER THE ATLC PASSAGES AND ELSEWHERE OVER THE E CARIBBEAN SUN THROUGH TUE. ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER MT. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.