000 FZNT24 KNHC 162101 OFFNT4 OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 430 PM CDT SAT AUG 16 2008 OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO SEAS GIVEN AS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT...WHICH IS THE AVERAGE HEIGHT OF THE HIGHEST 1/3 OF THE WAVES. INDIVIDUAL WAVES MAY BE MORE THAN TWICE THE SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT. GMZ089-170330- SYNOPSIS FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO 430 PM CDT SAT AUG 16 2008 .SYNOPSIS...TROPICAL STORM FAY APPROACHING SE CUBA NEAR 19.3N 75.2W AT 4 PM CDT IS MOVING W 14 KT. FAY IS FORECAST TO TRACK NW TO THE SE COAST OF CUBA NEAR 19.9N 77.0W BY LATE TONIGHT...AND TO NEAR 20.9N 79.1W SUN AFTERNOON...OVER THE CUBAN COAST NEAR 22.2N 80.7W BY LATE SUN NIGHT AS IT GRADUALLY INTENSIFIES. FAY WILL THEN EMERGE OFF THE NW COAST POSSIBLY AS A HURRICANE LATE SUN AFTERNOON OR EVENING. FAY WILL THEN TRACK N OVER THE FAR EASTERN GULF MOVING INLAND THE FL W COAST NEAR 27.0N 82.5W TUE AFTERNOON...AND WEAKEN AS IT CROSSES N CENTRAL LATER ON TUE THROUGH WED AND FURTHER INLAND THE SE UNITED STATES THU. ELSEWHERE HIGH PRES OVER THE SE WATERS WILL SHIFT TO THE CENTRAL GULF LATE SUN AND MON...THEN TO THE NW GULF MON THROUGH THU. A WEAK FRONT WILL MOVE TO THE N GULF COAST SUN AND DISSIPATE MON. $$ GMZ080-170330- NW GULF N OF 25N W OF 90W INCLUDING FLOWER GARDEN BANKS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY 430 PM CDT SAT AUG 16 2008 .TONIGHT THROUGH SUN NIGHT...S OF 28N SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING S TO SW SUN. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. N OF 28N VARIABLE MOSTLY W TO NW WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 1 TO 3 FT. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS TSTMS N OF 28N. .MON AND MON NIGHT...W OF 94W E TO SE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. E OF 94W VARIABLE MOSTLY W TO NW WINDS 10 KT OR LESS BECOMING NE TO E. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSTMS N OF 29N. .TUE AND WED...S OF 28N W OF 93W E TO SE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS INCREASING TO 10 TO 15 KT WED. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. ELSEWHERE VARIABLE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 2 FT OR LESS. .THU...N OF 28N SE TO S WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 2 FT OR LESS. S OF 28N SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. $$ GMZ082-170330- SW GULF S OF 25N W OF 90W 430 PM CDT SAT AUG 16 2008 .TONIGHT THROUGH SUN NIGHT...E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT EXCEPT NE TO E 15 TO 20 KT NEAR YUCATAN. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT EXCEPT 1 TO 3 FT S OF 20N. .MON THROUGH WED...E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT EXCEPT NE TO E NEAR YUCATAN. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT EXCEPT 2 TO 3 FT S OF 20N. .THU...E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT EXCEPT OCCASIONALLY TO 20 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT BUILDING TO 4 TO 6 FT EXCEPT 2 TO 4 FT S OF 20N. $$ GMZ084-170330- MIDDLE GULF BETWEEN 85W AND 90W 430 PM CDT SAT AUG 16 2008 .TONIGHT THROUGH SUN NIGHT...S OF 24N NE TO E WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. FROM 24N TO 27N VARIABLE MOSTLY S TO SW WINDS 10 KT OR LESS BECOMING VARIABLE SUN. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. N OF 27N SW TO W WINDS 10 KT OR LESS BECOMING VARIABLE LATE SUN. SEAS 1 TO 3 FT. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS TSTMS N OF 28N. .MON AND MON NIGHT...S OF 25N N TO NE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS EXCEPT INCREASING TO 10 TO 15 KT E OF 87W. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT EXCEPT BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT E OF 87W. N OF 25N W TO NW WINDS 10 KT OR LESS EXCEPT NE TO E NEAR GULF COAST BECOMING NW TO N LATE. SEAS 2 FT OR LESS EXCEPT 2 TO 3 FT S OF 28N E OF 87W. SCATTERED SQUALLS SE PART. .TUE...S OF 24N W OF 87W E TO SE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. ELSEWHERE S OF 24N W TO NW WINDS 10 KT OR LESS BECOMING SE TO S. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. FROM 24N TO 28N NW TO N WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 2 FT OR LESS EXCEPT 2 TO 4 FT E OF 87W. N OF 28N NE TO E WINDS 10 KT. SEAS 2 FT OR LESS. SCATTERED SQUALLS E PART. .WED...S OF 25N E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 1 TO 3 FT. N OF 25N W TO NW WINDS 10 KT OR LESS BECOMING SW TO W. SEAS 2 FT OR LESS. SCATTERED SQUALLS FAR NE DIMINISHING. .THU...N OF 27N SW TO W WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 2 FT OR LESS. S OF 27N E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT EXCEPT VARIABLE 10 KT OR LESS N OF 25N. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT EXCEPT 2 FT OR LESS N OF 25N. $$ GMZ086-170330- E GULF BETWEEN 81W AND 85W 430 PM CDT SAT AUG 16 2008 ...HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED MON THROUGH TUE.... .TONIGHT...S OF 25N NE TO E WINDS 15 KT...INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT BUILDING TO 4 TO 7 FT. N OF 25N VARIABLE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS N OF 28N AND STRAITS OF FLORIDA. .SUN AND SUN NIGHT...S OF 26N NE WINDS INCREASING TO 20 TO 30 KT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT BUILDING TO 6 TO 9 FT S OF 26N E OF 82W. N OF 25N W TO NW WINDS 10 KT BECOMING NE TO E. SEAS 2 FT OR LESS BUILDING TO 2 TO 3 FT S OF 27N LATE. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS STRAITS OF FLORIDA BECOMING NUMEROUS. SCATTERED TSTMS N OF 28N. .MON AND MON NIGHT...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WITHIN 100 NM NE QUADRANT...90 NM SE QUADRANT...60 NM SW QUADRANT AND 75 NM NW QUADRANT OF FAY. HIGHEST WINDS 55 KT GUSTS 65 KT. SEAS 12 FT OR GREATER WITHIN AREA OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS. HIGHEST SEAS 23 FT. ELSEWHERE S OF 25N WINDS 20 TO 33 KT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT N OF 24N AND W OF 87W AND 8 TO 12 FT ELSEWHERE BUILDING TO 8 TO 12 FT AREA WIDE. N OF 25N VARIABLE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS BECOMING NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT S OF 27N BECOMING NE TO E 10 TO 15 KT EXCEPT 20 TO 25 KT S OF 28N. SEAS 2 FT OR LESS N OF 28N BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT AND 3 TO 5 FT S OF 28N BUILDING TO 6 TO 9 FT. NUMEROUS SQUALLS S HALF SPREADING N. .TUE...HURRICANE CONDITIONS N OF 25N. ELSEWHERE S OF 25N SW TO W WINDS 20 TO 33 KT...DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT LATE. SEAS 8 TO 12 FT...SUBSIDING TO 3 TO 5 FT LATE. .WED...N OF 26N WINDS 20 TO 33 KT...DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 8 TO 12 FT...SUBSIDING TO 3 TO 5 FT LATE. S OF 26N SW TO W WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...EXCEPT BECOMING NE TO E STRAITS OF FLORIDA. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT N OF 25N AND 1 TO 3 FT S OF 25N SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS AREA WIDE LATE. NUMEROUS SQUALLS N HALF...MOST NUMEROUS NEAR FLORIDA COAST. .THU...N OF 27N W TO NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT... HIGHEST N. FROM 25N TO 27N VARIABLE MOSTLY SW TO W WIND 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 2 FT OR LESS. S OF 25N E TO SE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 1 TO 3 FT. $$ FORECASTER KIMBERLAIN