000 AGXX40 KNHC 141925 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 230 PM EST SUN FEB 14 2010 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W GULF OF MEXICO... A 1020 MB HIGH PRES CENTERED OVER THE NE PORTION OF THE GULF EXTENDS A RIDGE OVER THE MAJORITY OF THE AREA PRODUCING LIGHT TO MODERATE BREEZE AND SEAS MAINLY BELOW 5 FT...EXCEPT ACROSS THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA WHERE SEAS ARE HIGHER. WINDS WILL QUICKLY TURN SE AND S...THEN SW AS A SECOND COLD FRONT ENTERS THE NW GULF REGION TONIGHT FOLLOWED BY STRONG NLY WINDS THAT ARE EXPECTED TO BRIEFLY REACH GALE FORCE. A GALE WARNING IS ALREADY IN EFFECT FOR THE NW GULF TONIGHT. THE SFC HIGH WILL MOVE INTO THE SW ATLC LATE TONIGHT ALLOWING THE FRONT TO QUICKLY SWEEP ACROSS THE GULF WATERS REACHING FROM N FLORIDA TO NEAR TUXPAN MEXICO MON AFTERNOON...EXITING THE AREA MON NIGHT. HIGH PRES BUILDS INTO THE NW PORTION WED...AND SHIFTS TO SE LOUISIANA THU...THEN OVER N FLORIDA FRI. SEA CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DETERIORATE BEHIND THE COLD FRONT DUE THE STRONG TO GALE FORCE NLY FLOW. MAXIMUM SEA HEIGHTS OF 13 FT ARE EXPECTED OVER THE SW GULF LATE MON. SLY RETURN FLOW WILL SET UP OVER THE WESTERN GULF LATE THU INCREASING TO 20 TO 25 KT W OF 93W FRI AHEAD OF ANOTHER COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO APPROACH THE FAR NW WATERS LATE FRI. CARIBBEAN... A COLD FRONT FROM EXTENDS FROM HAITI TO EASTERN JAMAICA THEN BECOMES STATIONARY ACROSS THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN TO NEAR 11N82W. THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO DISSIPATE OVER THE CARIBBEAN SEA TONIGHT. A SECOND COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO NW CARIBBEAN TUE...REACH FROM HISPANIOLA TO 15N84W LATE WED AND FROM MONA PASSAGE TO 15N78W LATE THU. TYPICAL TRADE WINDS IN THE 15 TO 20 KT RANGE DOMINATES THE REMAINDER OF THE BASIN. TRADES ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE OVER THE SOUTH-CENTRAL CARIBBEAN LATE MON INTO TUE AS HIGH PRES BUILDS ACROSS AREA. SW N ATLC AND TROPICAL ATLC W OF 55W... WINDS DIMINISHED BELOW GALE FORCE OVER THE N WATERS THIS MORNING HOWEVER STRONG WINDS OF 20 TO 30 KT PERSIST OVER THE NE PART OF THE AREA. AN ASCAT PASS FROM AROUND 1500 UTC CORROBORATED THESE WIND SPEEDS. LONG PERIOD NW SWELL WITH SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS AS HIGH AS 18 FT CAN BE FOUND IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT OVER THE N WATERS PARTICULARLY E OF 72W. A COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM 22N65W TO HAITI WILL SLOWLY MOVE SE THEN GRADUALLY DISSIPATE THROUGH MON MORNING. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE FAR NORTHERN WATERS LATE MON AFTERNOON...REACH FROM 31N76W TO CENTRAL CUBA BY LATE MON NIGHT...FROM 31N68W TO EASTERN CUBA TUE AFTERNOON...THEN BEGIN TO WEAKEN FROM 25N65W TO HAITI BY WED MORNING...AND DISSIPATE OVER THE FAR SE WATERS THU. WINDS OF 20 TO 30 KT ARE EXPECTED EITHER SIDE OF THE FRONT MON AND TUE. SO FAR...COMPUTER MODELS DO NOT SUGGEST GALE FORCE WINDS WITH THIS FRONTAL SYSTEM OVER THE FORECAST WATERS. WARNINGS... ATLC... .NONE. CARIBBEAN... .NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... .GMZ080...GALE WARNING TONIGHT. .GMZ082...GALE CONDITIONS EXPECTED W OF 95W MON. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER GR