000 AGXX40 KNHC 210753 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 255 AM EST MON JAN 21 2013 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... A RIDGE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE THE GULF WATERS. A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH REMAINS NEARLY STATIONARY OVER THE SE GULF EXTENDING FROM TAMPA BAY FLORIDA NEAR 28N83W TO 23N84W. THE MOST RECENT ASCAT PASS SHOWED THE WIND SHIFT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS TROUGH. IN ADDITION...SCATTEROMETER DATA INDICATED LIGHT TO NE-E WINDS ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF THE GULF AND MAINLY MODERATE N-NE WINDS ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF WITH SEAS GENERALLY UNDER 4 FT. A REINFORCING SURGE OF COLD AIR ASSOCIATED WITH A NEW HIGH PRES SYSTEM BUILDING SOUTHWARD TOWARD THE GULF REGION WILL ARRIVE LATE MON. A COLD FRONT WILL BE AT THE LEADING EDGE OF THIS COLD AIR MASS AND WILL REACH A POSITION FROM SOUTH FLORIDA TO 25N90W TO 26N95W MON EVENING...FROM THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA TO 24N90W TO 25N96W TUE MORNING AND FROM WESTERN CUBA TO 22N90W TO 24N96W TUE EVENING. EXPECT SOME INCREASE IN WINDS AND SEAS IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT FORECAST TO SLOW DOWN AS IT MOVES S ACROSS THE GULF WATERS. CURRENTLY...MARINE GUIDANCE SUGGESTS NLY WINDS OF 15-20 KT AND BUILDING SEAS TO AROUND 6 FT. THE BUILDING HIGH IS STILL FORECAST TO SLIDE OFF OF THE U.S. MID-ATLANTIC COAST TO S OF BERMUDA BY LATE WED INTO THU. THE NEXT COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO MOVE OFF THE TEXAS COAST LATE FRI...REACHING FROM NORTHERN FLORIDA NEAR 30N82W TO BROWNSVILLE TEXAS SAT MORNING...AND WILL EXTEND E TO W ALONG 25N BY SAT EVENING. NLY WINDS OF 20-25 KT AND BUILDING SEAS TO AROUND 7 FT WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC S OF 22N W OF 55W... THE 0256 UTC HI-RESOLUTION ASCAT PASS PROVIDED OBSERVATIONS OF 20-25 KT NE WINDS NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA. SO...THE GALE WARNING IS ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 0600 UTC BASED ON THESE DATA. OTHERWISE...MAINLY MODERATE TRADES DOMINATE THE BASIN AS WELL AS THE TROPICAL N ATLC. SEAS ARE PRIMARILY 3-5 FT THROUGHOUT THE CARIBBEAN...EXCEPT 8-10 FT IN THE S CENTRAL WATERS. LITTLE CHANGE IN THE WEATHER PATTERN IS EXPECTED THROUGH THU. BY LATE THU NIGHT INTO FRI...HIGH PRES NE OF THE AREA WILL STRENGTHEN ALLOWING FOR FRESH TO STRONG TRADES TO SPREAD ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND E CARIBBEAN WATERS. ALSO...A SURGE OF FRESH TO STRONG WINDS WILL APPROACH THE LESSER ANTILLES MON NIGHT THROUGH WED RAISING SEAS UP TO 9 FT. A COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO REACH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL TUE EVENING AND WILL BEGIN TO STALL FROM CENTRAL CUBA TO THE YUCATAN PENINSULA BY WED EVENING. SW N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W... A STATIONARY FRONT PERSISTS ACROSS THE AREA AND NOW EXTENDS FROM 31N70W TO A WEAK 1016 MB LOW PRES NEAR 28N76W TO 26N80W. N-NE 10-15 KT WINDS ARE W OF THE BOUNDARY WITH E-SE 10-15 KT WINDS E OF THE BOUNDARY. SEAS OF 3-5 FT ARE NOTED E OF THE BAHAMAS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF 6 FT S OF 22N IN AN EASTERLY WIND FLOW. THIS FRONT WILL BECOME DIFFUSE OVERNIGHT TONIGHT AS A REINFORCING COLD FRONT SLIDES INTO THE AREA FROM THE NW. THE NEW FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM 31N70W TO THE NORTHERN BAHAMAS AND SOUTH FLORIDA THIS EVENING...FROM 31N68W TO THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA TUE MORNING...FROM 31N62W TO WEST-CENTRAL CUBA TUE EVENING. THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SE ACROSS THE ATLC WATERS WHILE THE SOUTHERN PORTION WILL BEGIN TO SLOW DOWN ACROSS CENTRAL CUBA BY WED EVENING...STALLING OUT ACROSS THE SE WATERS THU THROUGH FRI AS HIGH PRES SLIDES TO THE E ALONG 32N. MODERATE TO FRESH N-NE WINDS WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT WITH MAINLY LIGHT SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT. THE NEXT COLD FRONT WILL ENTER THE NW WATERS BY SAT. NOTE...GRIDDED MARINE FORECAST IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/TAFB/GRIDDED_MARINE WARNINGS... GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... .NONE. SW N ATLC... .NONE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER GR