000 AGXX40 KNHC 291801 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 215 PM EDT FRI MAR 29 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... HIGH PRES CENTERED OVER THE CAROLINAS EXTENDS A RIDGE SW ACROSS THE GULF TO THE BAY OF CAMPECHE. THIS SYSTEM WILL SHIFT SLOWLY SE THROUGH THE WEEKEND...ALLOWING ANTICYCLONIC FLOW TO DOMINATE THE GULF WATERS THROUGH MON NIGHT. EXPECT RIDGE AXIS TO REMAIN ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF ALONG 27N-28N THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. MAINLY E TO SE WINDS AREA EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE RIDGE. COMPUTER MODELS SHOW STRONG HIGH PRES EXTENDING SOUTH OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS OF U.S. MON AND MON NIGHT...PUSHING A COLD FRONT INTO THE NORTHERN GULF EARLY TUE MORNING. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO EXTEND FROM N FLORIDA TO 26N94W TO NE MEXICO TUE EVENING FOLLOWED BY NE WINDS IN THE 20- 30 KT RANGE AND BUILDING SEAS TO AROUND 9 FT. A FRONTAL WAVE OR WEAK LOW MAY DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY ON WED INCREASING THE PRES GRADIENT ACROSS THE N WATERS. SW N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W... A WEAK COLD FRONT OVER THE FAR SE WATERS WILL BECOME NEARLY STATIONARY ACROSS THE REGIONAL WATERS OF PUERTO RICO OVER THE WEEKEND. SOME SHIP OBSERVATIONS INDICATE N TO NE WINDS OF 20-25 KT JUST N OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND S OF 22N. FRESH TO STRONG NW WINDS CONTINUE TO AFFECT ZONE AMZ115 DUE TO THE PRES GRADIENT BETWEEN A STRONG LOW PRES N OF AREA AND THE RIDGE BUILDING ACROSS THE SW N ATLC. THESE WINDS ARE FORECAST TO DIMINISH TONIGHT AS WELL AS THE WAVE HEIGHTS OF 8-11 FT IN NW SWELL CURRENTLY AFFECTING THIS ZONE. THE DOMINANT FEATURE IN THE REGION OVER THE NEXT 4-5 DAYS WILL BE A HIGH PRES RIDGE ALONG 28N...WITH E TO SE WINDS SOUTH OF THE RIDGE AND S TO SW WINDS NORTH OF THE RIDGE. FRESH E TRADE WINDS ARE EXPECTED S OF 22N LATE SAT THROUGH EARLY MON. SW WINDS WILL INCREASE IN NW PORTION LATE MON INTO TUE AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE COASTS OF SOUTHERN GEORGIA AND NORTHERN FLORIDA. THE FRONT IS FORECAST BY THE COMPUTER MODELS TO REACH THE NW WATERS LATER ON TUE. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC S OF 22N W OF 55W... A SHEAR LINE EXTENDING FROM 18N72W TO THE SW CARIBBEAN NEAR 13N81W WILL DISSIPATE TONIGHT INTO SAT MORNING. SCATTEROMETER DATA ALONG WITH FEW SHIP OBSERVATIONS SHOW FRESH NE WINDS FUNNELING THROUGH THE WINDWARD PASSAGE...AND FRESH TO STRONG WINDS ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE SHEAR LINE TO ABOUT 85W. FRESH TO STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO NOTED S OF DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. HIGH PRES WILL BUILD N OF THE REGION THROUGH SUN WITH A RIDGE ALONG 28N. RESULTING PRES GRADIENT WILL SUPPORT FRESH TO STRONG NE-E WINDS IN THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN WITH MAX WINDS TO 30 KT NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA BEGINNING TONIGHT. HOWEVER...GUSTY WINDS TO NEAR GALE FORCE IS NOT OUT OF QUESTION NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA PARTICULARLY AT NIGHT. MAX SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO BUILD TO 12-13 FT NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA OVER THE WEEKEND WITH SEAS OF 8-11 FT ACROSS MOST OF THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN. WARNINGS... GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... .NONE. SW N ATLC... .NONE. EFFECTIVE 20 MARCH 2013...TAFB GRIDDED MARINE FORECASTS FOR 10-M WINDS...10-M WIND GUSTS...SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS AND HAZARDS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE NATIONAL DIGITAL FORECAST DATABASE (NDFD) ON AN EXPERIMENTAL BASIS AT: HTTP://PREVIEW.WEATHER.GOV/GRAPHICAL ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIFICATION/PNS13OFFSHORE_HIGHSEAS.HTM NOTE...GRIDDED MARINE FORECASTS AT WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/TAFB/GRIDDED_MARINE WILL BE DISCONTINUED ONCE THE "OCEANIC" VIEW IS ADDED TO THE EXPERIMENTAL NDFD GRAPHICAL INTERFACE. $$ FORECASTER GR