000 AGXX40 KNHC 270744 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 344 AM EDT FRI MAR 27 2015 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLANTIC FROM 07N TO 19N BETWEEN 55W AND 64W...AND THE SW N ATLANTIC INCLUDING THE BAHAMAS. ...GULF OF MEXICO... MODEL PREFERENCE: LATEST GFS BLENDED WITH PREVIOUS OFFICIAL FORECAST. TAFB NWPS USED FOR WAVE PARAMETERS WITH MINOR MANUAL ADJUSTMENTS FOR FIRST 24 HOURS. MEDIUM-HIGH CONFIDENCE. A COLD FRONT OVER THE NW GULF WILL RACE EASTWARD ACROSS THE CENTRAL GULF TODAY. IT WILL MOVE TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE GULF WATERS ON FRI EVENING. SOUTHERLY 10-15 KT RETURN FLOW WILL SHIFT E ACROSS THE WATERS N OF 25N AHEAD OF THE FRONT. CONSIDERABLE CONVECTION PRECEDES THE FRONT AND IS DENOTED IN THE WEATHER GRIDS. THE GUIDANCE CONSENSUS CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN THE NORTHERLY FLOW BEHIND THE FRONT. GALE-FORCE WINDS WILL BE IN THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE GULF OF MEXICO FROM THE MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS TODAY. GALE-FORCE WINDS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL ABOUT SUNSET FRIDAY. NORTHERLY 20-30 KT FLOW IN GENERAL WILL BE TO THE WEST OF THE FRONT...FROM 20N TO 25N FROM 95W WESTWARD THIS MORNING. THE GRADIENT WILL START TO RELAX AFTER FRI EVENING...WITH NW-N WINDS DIMINISHING TO 20 KT BY SATURDAY MORNING IN THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE AREA. A POST FRONTAL SURFACE HIGH IN THE NW GULF ON FRI NIGHT WILL SHIFT ENE IN ORDER TO COVER THE W FL PANHANDLE ON SAT NIGHT/SUN MORNING. IT WILL SHIFT SSE TO THE FL BIG BEND AREA ON SUN NIGHT...AND THEN IT WILL SHIFT W INTO THE E-CENTRAL GULF WATERS ON MON WHERE IT WILL MEANDER THRU TUE. THE GRADIENT WILL SUPPORT NE-E 20-25 KT CONDITIONS ACROSS THE SE GULF...INCLUDING THE N APPROACH TO THE YUCATAN PASSAGE...ON SAT AND SUN EVENINGS. SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW WILL INCREASE TO 15-20 KT IN THE NW GULF ON SUN NIGHT WITH THESE CONDITIONS SPREADING E ACROSS THE CENTRAL GULF ON MON...AND ACROSS THE E GULF ON TUE. THE EVENING ENHANCEMENT OF 20-25 KT NE FLOW ALONG THE W COAST OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA WILL RESUME AGAIN ON SUN EVENING. ...CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLANTIC FROM 07N TO 19N BETWEEN 55W AND 64W... MODEL PREFERENCE: LATEST GFS BLENDED WITH PREVIOUS OFFICIAL FORECAST. TAFB NWPS USED FOR WAVE PARAMETERS WITH MINOR MANUAL ADJUSTMENTS FOR FIRST 24 HOURS. MEDIUM-HIGH CONFIDENCE. EASTERLY WINDS ACROSS THE GULF OF HONDURAS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 20-25 KT TONIGHT. THE GRADIENT WILL RELAX ACROSS THE NW CARIBBEAN ON FRI AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE YUCATAN PASSAGE ON FRI EVENING. THIS STRONG FRONT WILL REACH FROM THE WINDWARD PASSAGE TO THE GULF OF HONDURAS ON SAT...AND LOSE IDENTITY FROM HISPANIOLA TO CENTRAL NICARAGUA ON SUN AND SUN NIGHT. NE WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 15-20 KT W OF THE FRONT ON FRI NIGHT...AND FURTHER INCREASE TO 20-25 KT ON SUN EVENING. EXPECT A SWATH OF NE 20-25 KT WINDS THROUGH THE WINDWARD PASSAGE...AND NW OF THE LINE FROM THE WINDWARD PASSAGE TO THE CENTRAL COASTAL WATERS OF HONDURAS. THE 20 TO 25 KNOT WIND SPEEDS THAT WILL BE TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE WINDWARD PASSAGE-TO-HONDURAS LINE EVENTUALLY WILL SLOW DOWN TO 15 KT DURING THE FOLLOWING 24 HOURS...FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON TO TUESDAY AFTERNOON. FURTHER TO THE S EXPECT THE PERSISTENT ATLC RIDGING THAT IS TO THE NORTH OF THE AREA...COMBINED WITH LOW PRES IN NW COLOMBIA...TO SUPPORT STRONG 20-25 KT NE WINDS WITHIN 90-150 NM OF THE COAST OF COLOMBIA EACH NIGHT THROUGH THE PERIOD. GUIDANCE IS SUGGESTING THAT THE EVENT OF TONIGHT WILL MAX BRIEFLY AT 30 KT. FRESH TRADES ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND E CARIBBEAN WILL SPREAD E ACROSS THE TROPICAL WATERS E OF THE WINDWARDS THIS EVENING. THE GRADIENT WILL RELAX A LITTLE EARLY NEXT WEEK. ...SW N ATLANTIC INCLUDING THE BAHAMAS... MODEL PREFERENCE: LATEST GFS BLENDED WITH PREVIOUS OFFICIAL FORECAST. TAFB NWPS USED FOR WAVE PARAMETERS. MEDIUM CONFIDENCE. A COLD FRONT THAT PASSES THROUGH 31N38W TO 23N46W AND TO 22N58W WILL WASH OUT ACROSS THE TROPICAL WATERS NE OF THE LEEWARDS ON FRI. A SURFACE RIDGE PASSES THROUGH 31N64W TO 27N69W TO 21N78W IN CUBA. 20-25 KT WINDS ARE ALONG 25N BETWEEN 55W AND 72W. THIS BAND OF ENHANCED WINDS WILL SHIFT SE TO ALONG 23N E OF 70W TONIGHT... AND THEN DIMINISH TO 20 KT OR LESS ON FRI. SE-TO-S 15-20 KT RETURN FLOW OVER THE NW WATERS WILL INCREASE TO SW AT 20-25 KT N OF 30N TONIGHT AHEAD OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT MOVING OFF THE GA COAST ON FRI AFTERNOON INTO EARLY FRIDAY EVENING. THE SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL SPREAD S TO ALONG 27N WHILE INCREASING TO 20 TO 30 KT ON FRI EVENING. NW FLOW WILL INCREASE TO 20-25 KT ACROSS THE WATERS N OF 27N W OF THE FRONT ON FRI EVENING THROUGH SAT AFTERNOON. THE FRONT WILL REACH FROM BERMUDA TO THE WINDWARD PASSAGE ON SAT EVENING WITH GRADIENT THEN SUPPORTING NW-N 15-20 KT WINDS W OF THE FRONT. THE FRONT WILL REACH FROM 31N60W TO HAITI ON SUN MORNING...FROM 31N57W TO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ON SUN EVENING...THEN STALL AND BEGIN TO DISSIPATE FROM 25N55W TO THE MONA PASSAGE ON MON EVENING. A W TO E RIDGE WILL BUILD ALONG 27N IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT ON MON...THEN SHIFT S TO ALONG 26N ON TUE. EXPECT A SW-W 20-25 KT WIND SHIFT TO DEVELOP N OF 30N ON MON ALONG ANOTHER COLD FRONT SWEEPING E ACROSS THE WATERS N OF THE RIDGE ON MON NIGHT. THE FRONT WILL REACH FROM 31N56W TO 29N65W...THEN STALL ALONG 27N TO THE FL COAST ON TUE. $$ .WARNINGS...ANY CHANGES IMPACTING COASTAL NWS OFFICES WILL BE COORDINATED THROUGH AWIPS 12 PLANET CHAT OR BY TELEPHONE: .GULF OF MEXICO... .GMZ023...SW GULF S OF 22N W OF 94W... GALE WARNING TODAY. .CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLANTIC FROM 07N TO 19N BETWEEN 55W AND 64W... NONE. .SW N ATLANTIC INCLUDING THE BAHAMAS... NONE. $$ *FOR DETAILED ZONE DESCRIPTIONS PLEASE VISIT: HTTP://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/ABOUTTAFBPROD.SHTML#OWF NOTE: GRIDDED MARINE FORECASTS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE NATIONAL DIGITAL FORECAST DATABASE (NDFD) AT: HTTP://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/MARINE/GRIDS.PHP FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT: HTTP://WWW.HURRICANE WARNINGS.GOV/MARINE $$ .FORECASTER MT. NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER.