000 AGXX40 KNHC 190808 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 307 AM EST MON JAN 19 2009 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO... CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. THE GULF OF MEXICO... CURRENT COLD FRONT EXTENDS FROM NE FLORIDA TO W CENTRAL GULF. LATEST QUIKSCAT WINDS OF 20 KT ARE FROM 25N TO 28N BETWEEN 87W AND 93W. THE EXPECTED INCREASE IN WIND SPEEDS STARTS TONIGHT AND COVERS MOST EVERYTHING NORTH OF 25N. THE WINDS WILL PUSH NORTHERLY SWELLS AND COMBINED SEAS TO 11 FT INTO FL STRAITS AND YUCATAN CHANNEL BEGINNING TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WED MORNING. HIGH PRES CENTER IN WAKE OF FRONT WILL SHIFT SE INTO N-CENTRAL GULF WED...THEN QUICKLY SHIFT E IN ORDER TO BE OVER N-CENTRAL FL THU ALLOWING SLY FLOW TO SET UP ACROSS ENTIRE GULF BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. FLOW INCREASES TO 20 KT IN NW CORNER OF AREA THURSDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY FRI. THE NEXT COLD FRONT WILL REACH TEXAS COAST AROUND MIDNIGHT SAT. THE ATLC OCEAN... A CURRENT STATIONARY FRONT IS ALONG 31N60W TO 25N67W...TROUGH FROM 25N67W ACROSS HAITI TO GULF OF URABA ALONG NW COLOMBIA COAST...DEFINED IN CURRENT SATELLITE IMAGERY BY A LOOSE CLOUD BAND. THE GFS MODEL FOR THIS FORECAST DOES NOT CONTINUE THIS FEATURE AFTER 24 HOURS. SOUTH TO SW WINDS FROM 20 TO 30 KT WILL COVER THE AREA NORTH OF 20N BETWEEN 60W AND THE FRONT. IT IS POSSIBLE FOR A REMNANT OF THE TROUGH TO MEANDER INTO WED WITH THE SOUTHERN SEGMENT DRIFTING WESTWARD. MORE IMPORTANTLY WILL BE A WIND SHIFT TO 20 KT TO CONTINUE ON EITHER SIDE OF THE TROUGH AS CENTRAL ATLC RIDGE BUILDS SE TO HISPANIOLA BY TUESDAY. EXPECT A SERIES OF FRONTS TO SWEEP THROUGH THE AREA WITH THE GRADIENT SUPPORTING SW-NW SURFACE WINDS TO NEAR GALE-FORCE AND/OR GALE-FORCE BEGINNING LATE TONIGHT THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY N OF 28N WEST OF 55W AROUND A COLD FRONT. THE GFS MODEL SHOWS PLENTY OF 30 KT WINDS N OF 29N W OF 75W...BUT WIND SPEEDS DO NOT REACH 35 KT UNTIL TUESDAY MORNING. THE CARIBBEAN SEA... THE MUCH-EXPECTED COLD FRONT WILL MOVE FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO INTO THE NW CARIBBEAN SEA...MOVING ACROSS AT LEAST THE NW ONE-THIRD OF THE AREA DURING THE NEXT 72 HOURS. NORTHERLY WINDS OF AT LEAST 20 KT WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT. SEA HEIGHTS RANGING FROM 6 TO 7 FT WILL SEEP INTO THE WESTERN THIRD OF THE AREA BEHIND THE COLD FRONT...SEA HEIGHTS WILL RANGE FROM 4 TO 5 FT ELSEWHERE BEHIND THE FRONT AND EAST OF THE FRONT. WINDS BECOME EASTERLY ACROSS ENTIRE CARIBBEAN LATE THU AND FRI WITH GRADIENT ALONG COAST OF COLOMBIA RETURNING TO THE NORMAL NE 20 KT. TRADES E OF THE CARIBBEAN AT 20 KT WITH LARGE E SWELLS MIXING WITH THE NLY SWELLS THROUGH MIDDLE OF THE WEEK WITH ANOTHER BLAST OF NORTHERLY SWELLS ARRIVING OVER WATERS NE VIRGIN ISLANDS FRI. ATLANTIC... AMZ080...GALE WARNING N OF 28N SPREADING SOUTHWARD TO WATERS N OF 25N TUE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER MT. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.