000 AGXX40 KNHC 171914 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 215 PM EST WED DEC 17 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... STATIONARY FRONT OVER THE NW GULF OF MEXICO EXTENDS FROM CENTRAL LOUISIANA COAST TO 23N98W...N OF TAMPICO MEXICO. NLY WINDS W OF THE FRONT HAVE DROPPED OFF TO 10 KT. THE FRONT IS FORECAST TO BECOME A WARM FRONT AND MOVE NW OF THE AREA BY THIS EVENING. ONCE THE FRONT MOVES INLAND SE RETURN FLOW KICKS IN OVER THE GULF THROUGH SAT WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS OVER THE GULF W OF 95W SAT AND EARLY SUN. ACCORDING TO THE GFS COMPUTER MODEL...THE NEXT COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE OFF THE COAST OF TEXAS DURING THE DAY SUN FOLLOWED BY STRONG NLY WINDS OF 25 TO 30 KT. IT IS NOT OUT OF QUESTION TO SEE GALE FORCE WINDS NW OF THE FRONT GIVEN THE AIRMASS. THE SW NORTH ATLANTIC... NON-TROPICAL LOW PRES E OF THE AREA NEAR 26N58W 1008 MB WITH A SFC TROUGH EXTENDING SWWD TO NEAR 19N61W. THE AREA OF LOW PRES IS FORECAST TO TRACK SW TO 25N60W LATE TODAY AND OPENS UP INTO A TROUGH LATE THU OVER PUERTO RICO AND HISPANIOLA. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE LOW AND STRONG HIGH PRESS OVER THE N CENTRAL ATLC IS PRODUCING AN AREA OF GALE FORCE WINDS OVER THE FORECAST WATERS N OF 25 N BETWEEN 58W AND 67W WITH SEAS OF 12 TO 16 FT. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH BELOW GALE FORCE IN ABOUT 6 HOURS. IN FACT...A RECENT QSCAT PASS IS SHOWING A BROAD AREA OF 25 TO 30 KT IN THE NW QUADRANT OF THE LOW. MODERATE NE SWELLS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS LOW WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE MONA AND ANEGADA PASSAGES TODAY AND THU CREATING ROUGH AND HAZARDOUS MARINE CONDITIONS. AREA OF WINDS BEGINS TO SHRINK THU AND DISSIPATE ALTOGETHER BY LATE FRI. HIGH PRES BUILDS IN SAT WITH LIGHT WINDS ALL AREAS AND SLOWLY DISSIPATING SEAS. A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE FAR N PORTION OF THE AREA SAT EVENING AND COVER THE EXTREME NE PORTION OF THE AREA SUN. IN THE MEANTIME SW WINDS INCREASE OVER THE FAR NW PORTION OF THE AREA AND REACH 20-25 KT BY LATE SUN. THE CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE TROPICAL NORTH ATLANTIC... THE COMBINATION OF STRONG HIGH PRES N OF THE AREA AND A NON-TROPICAL LOW OVER THE CENTRAL ATLC IS PRODUCING A BROAD AREA OF NE WINDS OF 20-25 KT OVER THE CARIBBEAN SEA E OF 80W INCLUDING THE ATLANTIC PASSAGES. THE FRESH NE WINDS OVER THE TROPICAL N ATLC HAVE BACK TO THE N/NW AND WEAKENED AS THE LOW PRES TRACKS N OF THE ZONE. WINDS OVER ALL AREAS WEAKEN SLIGHTLY THU AS THE WEAKENED AREA OF LOW PRES APPROACHES THE GREATER ANTILLES FROM THE NE. WINDS DECREASE ALL AREAS FRI AND SAT AS THE LOW PRES WILL HAVE OPENED UP INTO A TROUGH NEAR HISPANIOLA. LIGHT TO LOCALLY MODERATE TRADES ALL AREAS SUN WITH WEAK PRES GRADIENT N OF THE AREA. ATLANTIC... AMZ080...GALE WARNING N OF 25N E OF 67W. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER GR/HC. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.