000 AGXX40 KNHC 231804 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 200 PM EDT THU AUG 23 2012 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... SURFACE TROUGH REMAINS IN THE NE GULF FROM THE FLORIDA BIG BEND TO 27N85W. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSTMS CONTINUE TO ADVECT NE-E OF THE TROUGH AIDED BY UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT BY A TROUGH THAT REACHES FROM SE LOUISIANA TO NE MEXICO. MAINLY MODERATE WINDS COVER THE GULF OUTSIDE OF ANY CONVECTION ALONG WITH 2-3 FT IN THE NE GULF AND 3-5 FT ELSEWHERE. THE SURFACE TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY SHIFT EASTWARD THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK DISSIPATING BY LATE FRI INTO SAT. TROPICAL STORM ISAAC IN THE E CARIBBEAN IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA NEAR 24.5N 81.5W AS A MINIMAL HURRICANE NON...THEN TO THE E GULF NEAR 27.5N 84.5W TUE. SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 65W... HIGH PRES RIDGE AXIS EXTENDS FROM 31N65W SW TO CENTRAL FLORIDA. LIGHT TO MODERATE WINDS DOMINATE THE AREA N OF 24N WITH 2-4 FT SEAS OVER THE NW HALF OF THE AREA...AND MUCH HIGHER SEAS PROPAGATING IN FROM THE E-SE BEING GENERATED BY TROPICAL STORM ISAAC ACROSS THE SE PORTION OF THE AREA. THE HIGHEST ASSOCIATED SEAS WITH ISAAC WILL BE IN THE ATLC WATERS S OF 24N. SEAS MAY REACH TO 18 FT AS ISAAC MOVES WNW. THE STRONG WINDS AND SEAS WILL SHIFT W AS ISAAC MOVES W ACROSS CUBA AND EVENTUALLY THROUGH THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA THROUGH LATE SUN AND INTO THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH STRONG SLY WINDS W OF 75W MON AND TUE. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC W OF 55W... TROPICAL STORM ISAAC WAS CENTERED NEAR 15.6N 65.4W AT 2 0M EDT WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS 35 KT GUSTS TO 45 KT. THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE WAS 1003 MB AND ISAAC IS MOVING TO THE W AT 13 KT. THE OUTER CIRCULATION OF ISAAC STRETCHES FROM 58W TO 70W WITH ASSOCIATED RAINBANDS MOVING ACROSS THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AND PUERTO RICO...AND NOW ACROSS THE EASTERN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. CONDITIONS THERE SHOULD GRADUALLY IMPROVE THROUGH FRI AS ISAAC SHIFTS WESTWARD. ISAAC IS FORECAST TO STRENGTHEN TO A MINIMAL HURRICANE AS IT MOVES TO NEAR 18.0N 72.4W LATE FRI NEAR OR OVER THE SW TIP OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC...THEN MOVING OVER HAITI FRI NIGHT AND OVER CUBA SUN. THE HIGHEST SEAS WILL REMAIN ON THE N-NE SIDE OF THE STORM OUTSIDE OF THE IMMEDIATE CARIBBEAN...WITH LARGE SWELLS IMPACTING THE NE-E FACING SIDES OF THE ISLANDS. SOME OF THIS SWELL WILL MANAGE TO BLEED THROUGH THE ATLC PASSAGES. TROPICAL DEPRESSION TEN MAY CLIP THE FAR NE PORTION OF THE TROPICAL ATLC ZONE AS TROPICAL STORM LATE SAT. NOTE...GRIDDED MARINE FORECAST IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/TAFB/GRIDDED_MARINE GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. CARIBBEAN SEA... .HURRICANE WARNING...AMZ023. .TROPICAL STORM WARNING...AMZ021-025. NONE. SW N ATLANTIC... .TROPICAL STORM WARNING...AMZ125. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER DGS