000 AGXX40 KNHC 300653 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 150 AM EST TUE DEC 30 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 GULF OF MEXICO... THE CURRENT COLD FRONT CONTINUING ESE OVER CENTRAL FL BUT HUNG UP OVER THE W GULF WATERS. THE GULF PORTION OF THIS FRONT WILL SLOWLY LOSE IDENTITY OVER THE SOUTHERN WATERS THROUGH WED. HIGH PRES MOVES INTO NE GULF WATERS EARLY TONIGHT THEN SHIFTS S BECOMING AN E TO W RIDGE ALONG 26N LATE WED. THE NEXT COLD FRONT MOVES ALMOST DUE S OVER THE NORTHERN WATERS LATE TONIGHT. MODELS NOW MORE CONSISTENT HANDLING THIS NEXT FRONT AND SUGGESTING A RAPID WIND SHIFT FROM NW TO NE AT 20 TO 25 KT...BUT MODELS ALSO STILL SUGGEST THE FRONT WILL ABRUPTLY STALL ALONG 25N-26N WED NIGHT. THE REMNANTS WILL LIFT N THU AND THU NIGHT AS WEAK LOW PRES DEVELOPS ALONG THE TX COAST...AND MOVES NE DRAGGING YET ANOTHER COLD FRONT OFF THE TX COAST AROUND SUNRISE FRI. THE FRONT RACES E TO THE FL W COAST BY SUNRISE SAT. SLY RETURN FLOW SETS UP OVER THE W GULF SAT AND SAT NIGHT. ATLC... AN E-W RIDGE ALONG 26N TO THE E OF THE BAHAMAS WILL RETRACT E OF THE AREA TODAY AS A COLD FRONT ALREADY OVER THE NW ATLC WATERS RACES SE TO ALONG 25-26N WHERE IT BECOMES QUASI STATIONARY AND WASHES OUT AS NEW HIGH PRES QUICKLY SHIFTS E ACROSS THE NORTHERN WATERS TONIGHT INTO WED. THE PATTERN REPEATS WITH ANOTHER COLD FRONT MOVING OFF GA COAST LATE TONIGHT AND IN TURN REACHES PSN FROM BERMUDA TO NW BAHAMAS BY SUNRISE THU. ALTHOUGH THIS SECOND FRONT WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY STRONGER NLY WINDS AT 20-25 KT...THE WINDS CLOCK QUICKLY TO SE OVER THE NW WATERS BY FRI MORNING SETTING UP FOR THE NEXT COLD FRONT MOVING OFF THE GA COAST AROUND SUNSET FRI...REACHING PSN FROM BERMUDA TO NW BAHAMAS MIDDAY SAT. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL ATLC WATERS... THE TROPICS ARE FAIRLY STABLE COMPARED TO THE DYNAMIC PATTERN JUST TO THE N OVER THE SUBTROPICS. THE SERIES OF FRONTS TO THE N WILL DRIVE LONG PERIOD N SWELLS S ACROSS THE TROPICAL ATLC ZONE WITH SOME MOVING THROUGH THE E CARIBBEAN PASSAGES REACHING THE COAST OF VENEZUELA BY LATE THU. OTHERWISE MOSTLY NE TO E WINDS AT 10-15 KT OVER AREA N OF 15N AND NE 15-20 KT S OF 15N...THOUGH A LITTLE STRONGER ALONG NW COAST COLOMBIA...THROUGH REMAINDER OF PERIOD. ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER NELSON. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.