000 AGXX40 KNHC 131808 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 230 PM EDT FRI APR 13 2012 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... 1028 SURFACE HIGH PRES CENTERED ALONG THE CAROLINAS COAST EXTENDS A RIDGE SW ACROSS THE GULF WATERS PRODUCING SE WINDS OF 15 TO 20 KT W OF 90W AND NE-E WINDS OF 10 TO 15 KT E OF 90W. THE MOST RECENT ASCAT PASS CONFIRMED THESE WIND SPEEDS WITH 20 TO 25 KT NE-E WINDS NEAR THE COAST OF YUCATAN DUE TO LOCAL EFFECTS. PRES GRADIENT BETWEEN THE HIGH AND A LOW PRES MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS STATES WILL FURTHER INCREASE WINDS ACROSS THE WESTERN GULF DURING THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. EXPECT INCREASING WINDS TO 20-25 KT AND BUILDING SEAS TO 8-10 FT...LIKELY IN SE SWELL BY SAT. THESE CONDITIONS WILL SPREAD E ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF AND THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA SUN. WINDS WILL DIMINISH ON MON AHEAD OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT FORECAST TO ENTER THE NW PORTION OF THE GULF MON NIGHT...THEN STALL TUE AND MOVE BACK INLAND LATE TUE AS A STRONG HIGH PRES REMAINS OVER THE WESTERN ATLC. CARIBBEAN SEA... BUOY/SHIP OBSERVATIONS ALONG WITH SCATTEROMETER DATA SHOW FAIRLY LIGHT WINDS AND SEAS ACROSS ALMOST THE ENTIRE BASIN. THE PATTERN WILL START TO CHANGE LATER TODAY AS HIGH PRES BUILDS N OF THE AREA. NE TRADE WINDS OF 20 TO 25 KT WILL BLOW ACROSS MUCH OF THE NORTHERN CARIBBEAN BY LATE SAT WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 25-30 KT THROUGH THE WINDWARD AND MONA PASSAGES. THESE CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH TUE OVER MOST OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA AS HIGH PRES SETTLES N OF THE AREA. SEAS WILL BUILD TO AROUND 8-10 FT THROUGH THE WINDWARD PASSAGE SAT AND TO AROUND 9-11 FT THROUGH THE MONA PASSAGE INTO THE CARIBBEAN SEA...SOUTH OF DOMINICAN REPUBLIC BY SUN. TROPICAL NORTH ATLANTIC S OF 19N W OF 55W... A RIDGE EXTENDS SW FROM A HIGH PRES NEAR THE AZORES INTO THE TROPICAL N ATLC. BUOYS ALONG WITH SCATTEROMETER DATA SHOW EAST TRADES OF 15 TO 20 KT S OF THE RIDGE AFFECTING THE AREA. SEAS ARE 7-8 FT AT BUOY 41101 AND 9-10 FT AT BUOY 41040. THESE SEA HEIGHTS ARE THE RESULT OF THE NE SWELL SPREADING ACROSS THE AREA CAUSED BY LONG DURATION/FETCH OF FRESH TO STRONG TRADE WINDS OVER THE TROPICAL CENTRAL ATLC OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. SEAS WILL GRADUALLY SUBSIDE THROUGH THE WEEKEND...BUT ONLY TO AROUND 6-7 FT OR SO DUE TO PERSISTENT MODERATE TRADES AND NE SWELL. WINDS AND SEAS THROUGH THE NORTHERN LEEWARDS AND ADJACENT ATLC WATERS WILL INCREASE TO 20 TO 25 KT BY SUN...WITH SEAS BUILDING TO 11 FT AS A WEAK DYING FRONT STALLS N OF THE AREA FOLLOWED BY RIDGING BUILDING BEHIND THE FRONT ALSO N OF THE AREA. SW NORTH ATLANTIC S OF 31N W OF 55W... A COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM 31N58W TO 21N71W TO 27N80W WILL REACH FROM 31N52W TO 19N68W EARLY SAT AND FROM 31N49W TO 17N61W EARLY SUN...THEN WEAKEN AND MOVE E OF 55W LATE SUN. STRONG HIGH PRES IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT WILL ALLOW WINDS TO INCREASE ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA BUT MAINLY S OF 27N TONIGHT. THE HIGH PRES WILL SETTLE BETWEEN NE FLORIDA AND BERMUDA NEAR 31N70W LATE SUN THROUGH TUE...MAINTAINING PERSISTENT FRESH TO STRONG NE TO E WINDS S OF 27N SAT THROUGH SUN..THEN S OF 24N MON AND TUE...WITH SEAS BUILDING TO AS HIGH AS 10 FT OUTSIDE THE SOUTHERN BAHAMAS BY LATE SAT INTO SUN...THEN VERY GRADUALLY SUBSIDING AT THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. NOTE... EFFECTIVE APR 3, 2012 AT 1800 UTC THE OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST ZONES CHANGED FOR THE CARIBBEAN AND SW N ATLANTIC AND THE GULF OF MEXICO. ISSUANCE TIME FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO OFFSHORE WATERS FORECASTS IS REFERENCED TO THE EASTERN TIME ZONE. FOR DETAILS SEE WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/ABOUTTAFBPROD.SHTML#OWF GRIDDED MARINE OUTPUT IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/TAFB/GRIDDED_MARINE (LOWER CASE). GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. .CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... .NONE. .SW N ATLC... .NONE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER GR