000 AGXX40 KNHC 291944 CCA MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION...CORRECTED NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 300 PM EDT THU SEP 29 2011 CORRECTED TIME MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC...AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... 1014 MB SURFACE HIGH PRES CENTERED OVER THE N CENTRAL GULF NEAR 26N90W WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY THROUGH TONIGHT THEN WEAKEN FRI AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE NORTHERN GULF FRI NIGHT. THE FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM TAMPA BAY TO SE TEXAS SAT THEN STALL FROM THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA TO THE YUCATAN PENINSULA SUN. STRONG HIGH PRE WILL BUILD BEHIND FRONT OVER THE DEEP SOUTH STATES AND NORTHERN GULF...WITH WINDS INCREASING TO 15-20 KT OVER MAINLY THE NE GULF. THE WINDS DECREASE SOME ON MON AS THE PRES GRADIENT WEAKENS. SW N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 65W... T.S. OPHELIA CENTERED NE OF PUERTO RICO NEAR 21N62W WILL INTENSIFY INTO A HURRICANE LATER TODAY...BUT REMAIN E OF 65W AS IT MOVES NE OF THE AREA THROUGH EARLY SAT. A WEAK COLD FRONT IS MOVING OFF THE N FLORIDA COAST. THIS WILL STALL AND DISSIPATE TONIGHT...A SECOND STRONGER REINFORCING FRONT WILL MOVE OFF THE N FLORIDA COAST LATE TOMORROW...REACHING FROM 31N69W TO THE NORTHERN BAHAMAS BY LATE SAT...THEN STALLING AND DISSIPATING FROM ROUGHLY BERMUDA TO THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA BY MON. FRESH NW FLOW WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT THROUGH SUN. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC W OF 55W... TROPICAL STORM OPHELIA NE OF PUERTO RICO NEAR 20.9N 61.8W 991 MB MOVING NNW 8 KT WITH WINDS 60 KT GUST TO 75 KT. SEE WTNT21 KNHC/TMCAT1 FOR LATEST DETAILS. OPHELIA WILL INTENSIFY TO HURRICANE STRENGTH AS IT MOVES TO NEAR 22.1N 62.3W THIS EVENING...THEN CONTINUE N OF THE AREA TO 24.0N 63.0W BY FRI MORNING. OTHERWISE WEAK PRES PATTERN WILL CONTINUE OVER MUCH OF THE AREA THROUGH SUN WITH TRADES INCREASING IN THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN MON AS HIGH PRES BUILDS N OF THE AREA. WARNINGS... GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... .AMZ087...TROPICAL STORM WARNING N OF 19N BETWEEN 60W AND 64W. SW N ATLC... .NONE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER CHRISTENSEN