000 FZNT24 KNHC 232120 OFFNT4 OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 330 PM CST THU FEB 23 2012 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. GMZ089-240330- SYNOPSIS FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO 330 PM CST THU FEB 23 2012 .SYNOPSIS...SW RETURN FLOW ACROSS N WATERS WILL INCREASE THIS EVENING IN ADVANCE OF COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO NW GULF WATERS EARLY FRI MORNING. FRONT WILL REACH FROM THE FLORIDA BIG BEND TO THE W BAY OF CAMPECHE FRI EVENING THEN STALL FROM STRAITS OF FLORIDA TO 21N94W TO CENTRAL BAY OF CAMPECHE LATE SAT. REMNANTS OF FRONT WILL DRIFT N SAT NIGHT INTO SUN AND GRADUALLY DISSIPATE AS ATLANTIC RIDGE BUILDS W ACROSS THE AREA LATE MON. $$ GMZ080-240330- NW GULF N OF 25N W OF 90W INCLUDING THE FLOWER GARDEN BANKS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY 330 PM CST THU FEB 23 2012 ...GALE WARNING S OF 26N FRI NIGHT... .TONIGHT...N OF 27N S TO SW WINDS INCREASING TO 20 TO 25 KT SHIFTING N BEHIND FRONT NW PORTIONS LATE. SEAS 5 TO 6 FT. S OF 27N S TO SW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 5 FT. WIND AND SEAS HIGHER NEAR SCATTERED TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .FRI AND FRI NIGHT...SE OF FRONT S TO SW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT BECOMING VARIABLE 10 KT OR LESS AHEAD OF FRONT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. NW OF FRONT N TO NE WINDS 20 TO 30 KT INCREASING TO 30 TO 35 KT S OF 26N BY EVENING. SEAS BUILDING 8 TO 12 FT EXCEPT TO 13 FT S OF 26N. SCATTERED TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .SAT AND SAT NIGHT...N TO NE WINDS 25 TO 30 KT BECOMING NE 15 TO 20 KT SAT NIGHT. SEAS 8 TO 13 FT SUBSIDING TO 7 TO 10 FT LATE. .SUN...W OF 93W NE TO E WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 7 TO 10 FT IN N SWELL. E OF 93E E TO SE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 7 TO 11 FT. .MON...E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING SE 15 TO 20 KT MON NIGHT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT IN E SWELL SUBSIDING TO 3 TO 5 FT. .TUE...SE TO S WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 5 FT. $$ GMZ082-240330- SW GULF S OF 25N W OF 90W 330 PM CST THU FEB 23 2012 ...GALE WARNING FRI AFTERNOON THROUGH SAT... .TONIGHT...SE TO S WINDS 15 TO LOCALLY 20 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT. .FRI AND FRI NIGHT...SE TO S WINDS 15 TO 20 KT GRADUALLY BECOMING VARIABLE 10 KT OR LESS AHEAD OF FRONT BY EVENING. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 3 FT LATE. W OF FRONT N WINDS 20 TO 30 KT BECOMING NW TO N 30 TO 35 KT W OF 96W LATE FRI AFTERNOON AND N TO NE 25 TO 35 KT E OF 96W. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT BUILDING TO 9 TO 15 FT LATE. SCATTERED TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .SAT AND SAT NIGHT...S OF 22N E OF 94W E TO SE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT. S OF 24N W OF 95W NW TO NW WINDS 30 TO 40 KT DIMINISHING TO 20 TO 30 KT LATE. SEAS 12 TO 15 FT. ELSEWHERE NE TO E WINDS 20 TO 30 KT. SEAS 8 TO 13 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS ISOLATED TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .SUN...W OF 93W NW TO N WINDS 20 TO 25 KT BECOMING NW TO N 10 TO 15 KT LATE SUN NIGHT. SEAS 8 TO 12 FT IN N SWELL SUBSIDING 5 TO 8 FT SUN NIGHT. E OF 93W SE TO S WINDS 15 TO 20 KT DIMINISHING 5 TO 10 KT LATE. SEAS 7 TO 11 FT SUBSIDING 5 TO 7 FT SUN NIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS ISOLATED TSTMS NEAR TROUGH. .MON...W OF 94W VARIABLE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT BECOMING SE 10 TO 15 KT LATE. SEAS 3 TO 4 FT IN NE SWELL. E OF 94W SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT IN NE SWELL. .TUE...SE WINDS 15 TO LOCALLY 20 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. $$ GMZ084-240330- MIDDLE GULF BETWEEN 85W AND 90W 330 PM CST THU FEB 23 2012 .TONIGHT AND FRI...N OF 27N E OF FRONT S TO SW WINDS INCREASING TO 20 TO 25 KT DIMINISHING TO 15 TO 20 KT IMMEDIATELY AHEAD OF FRONT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT BUILDING 5 TO 7 FT TONIGHT. S OF 27N S WINDS 15 TO 20 KT BECOMING SE TO S 10 TO 15 KT LATE FRI. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. NW OF FRONT N WINDS 20 TO 25 KT. SEAS BUILDING TO 6 TO 8 FT. SCATTERED TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .FRI NIGHT THROUGH SAT NIGHT...N OF FRONT N TO NE WINDS 20 TO 30 KT. SEAS 7 TO 12 FT. S OF FRONT E TO SE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT BUILDING TO 6 TO 9 FT IN N SWELL SAT NIGHT. .SUN...E TO SE WINDS 20 TO 25 KT DIMINISHING TO 15 KT S OF 25N SUN NIGHT. SEAS 6 TO 10 FT IN MIXED SWELL. .MON...N OF 26N E TO SE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT DIMINISHING TO 15 KT LATE. SEAS 5 TO 6 FT SUBSIDING TO 3 TO 4 FT LATE. S OF 26N E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. .TUE...SE TO S WINDS 15 KT BECOMING S TO SW 15 TO 20 KT LATE. SEAS BUILDING 4 TO 6 FT. $$ GMZ086-240330- E GULF BETWEEN 81W AND 85W 330 PM CST THU FEB 23 2012 .TONIGHT...S TO SW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT EXCEPT 15 TO 20 KT N OF 27N. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT S OF 25N AND 3 TO 5 FT N OF 25N. .FRI AND FRI NIGHT...N OF 27N S TO SW WINDS 20 KT BECOMING N 20 TO 25 KT BEHIND FRONT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT BUILDING TO 8 FT FRI NIGHT. S OF 27N SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING N TO NE 20 TO 25 KT BEHIND FRONT LATE FRI NIGHT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT BUILDING 4 TO 7 FT IN N SWELL LATE. SCATTERED SHOWERS ISOLATED TSTMS NEAR FRONT. .SAT AND SAT NIGHT...N OF FRONT NE WINDS 20 TO 25 KT. SEAS 6 TO 9 FT. SE OF FRONT E WINDS 15 KT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT IN N SWELL. .SUN AND MON...N OF 26N E WINDS 15 TO 20 KT SHIFTING SE ON MON. SEAS 5 TO 7 FT SUBSIDING TO 3 TO 4 FT MON. S OF 26N E TO SE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT EXCEPT TO 9 FT WITHIN THE FLORIDA CURRENT...SUBSIDING TO 4 TO 6 FT LATE MON. .TUE...N OF 26N SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. S OF 26N E TO SE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. $$ FORECASTER STRIPLING