000 AGXX40 KNHC 260710 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 310 AM EDT FRI OCT 26 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... THE HUGE CYCLONIC CIRCULATION ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE SANDY IN THE SW N ATLC EXTENDS WELL INTO THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO. WIND OBSERVATIONS IN THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA AND THE ADJACENT FAR SE CORNER OF THE GULF INDICATE FRESH TO STRONG N-NE FLOW CONTINUES UNABATED. WINDS WILL START TO BACK MORE TO THE N-NW THROUGH SAT AS SANDY MOVES FURTHER N. SEAS IN THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA ARE ELEVATED IN PART DUE TO COUNTER-CURRENT WIND FLOW. SEAS WILL SUBSIDE SLIGHTLY AS WINDS BACK. A COLD FRONT IN SOUTH-CENTRAL TX WILL PUSH INTO THE NW GULF WATERS LATER TODAY...REACH FROM THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE TO S TEXAS SAT...FROM THE FLORIDA BIG BEND TO 25N88W TO 22N97W BY EARLY SUN...AND FROM SW FLORIDA TO NORTHERN YUCATAN BY EARLY MON. GLOBAL MODELS ARE FAIRLY CLOSE AGREEMENT SHOWING A BROAD MID-LEVEL TROUGH PUSHING THROUGH THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. THE FRONT WILL INITIALLY BE FAIRLY WEAK... BUT A REINFORCING SURGE OF COOLER AIR W OF SANDY WILL PUSH INTO THE NORTHERN GULF SAT THROUGH SUN. AN AREA OF FRESH TO STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE EASTERN GULF SUN AND MON. WINDS WILL DIMINISH ACROSS THE GULF BY TUE AS HIGH PRES BUILDS OVER THE AREA. SW N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 65W... HURRICANE SANDY CONTINUES TO MOVE NORTHWARD E OF SOUTHERN FLORIDA BUT IS BEGINNING TO SLOW AS IT INTERACTS WITH A BROAD MID LEVEL TROUGH MOVING INTO THE EASTERN U.S. THE TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO CAUSE SANDY TO TURN NNW LATER THIS MORNING. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HURRICANE SANDY...PLEASE REFER TO HURRICANES.GOV...BULLETIN HEADER WTNT23 KNHC/TCMAT3. THE AREA OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL EXPAND SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE NEXT 48 TO 72 HOURS AS SANDY MOVES N OF THE AREA. THE AREA OF SEAS 12 FT OR GREATER WILL ALSO EXPAND WITH THE WIND FIELD. WHILE THE WAVEWATCH SEEMS TO BE DOING A DECENT JOB INDICATING WHERE THE HIGHER SEAS WILL BE...IT ALSO SEEMS TO BE OVERDOING THE WAVE HEIGHTS SOMEWHAT... ESPECIALLY NEAR THE BAHAMAS WHERE FETCH LIMITATIONS AND COMPLEX BATHYMETERY IMPEDE WAVE GROWTH. THE SEA HEIGHT FORECAST FAVORS A MORE BALANCED ENSEMBLE SOLUTION FOR WAVE HEIGHTS AROUND SANDY AND THE BAHAMAS. FRESH TO STRONG W FLOW WILL DOMINATE THE WATERS N OF 25N AFTER SUN...WITH SEAS GRADUALLY SUBSIDING MON AND TUE. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC W OF 55W... STRONG SW WINDS PERSIST OVER THE WINDWARD PASSAGE AND THE AREA BETWEEN JAMAICA...CUBA AND HAITI. AREAS OF CONVECTION CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER HISPANIOLA DUE TO LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE EFFECTS. MODERATE TO FRESH W WINDS WILL PREVAIL OVER N CENTRAL CARIBBEAN WITH LIGHT TO MODERATE EXPECTED WESTERLIES ELSEWHERE. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL REACH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL SUN...THEN STALL OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN...ACCOMPANIED BY MODERATE TO FRESH NORTHERLY FLOW ACROSS THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN MON THROUGH TUE. NOTE...GRIDDED MARINE FORECAST IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/TAFB/GRIDDED_MARINE GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... .NONE. SW N ATLANTIC... .HURRICANE WARNING...ZONES AMZ111...AMZ113...AMZ117...AMZ119. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER MUNDELL