000 AGXX40 KNHC 050720 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 320 AM EDT TUE APR 5 2005 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. OVERALL...RATHER LIGHT CONDITIONS PREVAIL ACROSS MOST OF THE REGION. GULF OF MEXICO... HIGH PRES CENTERED OVER THE E GULF OF MEXICO EARLY THIS MORNING WILL MOVE ACROSS N FLORIDA AND INTO THE EXTREME W PORTION OF THE ATLC TODAY. LATEST QUIKSCAT DATA ALONG WITH BUOY AND SHIP REPORTS INDICATE THAT WINDS GENERALLY IN THE LIGHT RANGE OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE W GULF AND MIDDLE S OF 25N WHERE INCREASING RETURN SLY FLOW IS NOTED IN THE 15-20 KT WITH SEAS IN THE 4-6 FT. AS THE NEXT COLD FRONT MAKES ITS APPROACH TO THE NW GULF WED INCREASING SLY WINDS WILL SPREAD E ACROSS THE GULF THROUGH THU. THIS COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED NOT TO BE AS STRONG AS THE PREVIOUS ONE WITH WINDS BEHIND IT SHIFTING TO NW MOSTLY 10-15 KT WITH POSSIBLE BRIEF OCCURRENCES OF WINDS REACHING 15-20 KT AS ADVERTISED IN THE LATEST GFS RUN. FRONT SHOULD EXTEND IN A PSN FROM FLORIDA PANHANDLE TO BAY OF CAMPECHE THU NIGHT...FROM NEAR TAMPA FLORIDA TO YUCATAN PENINSULA FRI ...AND SLOWING DOWN AND WEAKENING FRI NIGHT AND SAT IN A PSN FROM THE FLORIDA KEYS TO NE YUCATAN PENINSULA SAT. HIGH PRES WILL ONCE AGAIN SETTLE IN ACROSS THE GULF BEHIND THE FRONT FRI AND SAT WITH DIMINISHING WIND AND SEAS . SW N ATLC AND TROPICAL ATLC... ONCE THE GULF OF MEXICO HIGH MOVES INTO THE THE W ATLC TODAY IT WILL THEN MOVE NE OF THE SW N ATLC WATERS LATE TONIGHT WITH RIDGE EXTENDING SW FROM 31N75W TO NE FLORIDA. ONLY AREA OF SIGNIFICANT WIND AND SEAS IS NOTED BY SHIP OBSERVATIONS OVER THE SE PORTION S OF 24N E OF ABOUT 75W WHERE THERE IS ENOUGH GRADIENT TO SUPPORT ELY WINDS OF 15-20 KT. QUIKSCAT DATA FROM LAST NIGHT INDICATE THESE WIND SPEEDS AS WELL. HIGHEST SEAS BEING REPORTED ARE FOUND HERE ALSO WITH SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS UP TO 8 FT IN NLY SWELL. EXPECTED THESE CONDITIONS TO GRADUALLY SUBSIDE THROUGH WED...HOWEVER WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE ONCE AGAIN LATER WED NIGHT AND THU S OF 25N AND W OF 76W AS FRONT MENTIONED ABOVE UNDER GULF OF MEXICO APPROACHES THE SE U.S. COAST FRI PRECEDED BY INCREASING SLY WINDS. THESE WINDS WILL SPREAD E TO NEAR 70W BY SAT WITH SEAS BUILDING UP TO 8 FT IN NW SWELL ALONG 31N SAT. HIGH PRES RIDGE WILL RETREAT TO E OF 70W BY SAT. CARIBBEAN... WEAKENING STATIONARY FRONT FROM 22N65W TO NW HAITI WILL DRIFT E THROUGH TONIGHT THEN DISSIPATE WED NIGHT. TRADES ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN ARE RELATIVELY IN THE LOW SIDE (RUNNING 10-15 KT OVER MOST ZONES) WITH THE EXCEPTION BEING THE E CARIBBEAN S OF ABOUT 16N WHERE ELY TRADES ARE 15-20 KT...AND THE TYPICAL AREA OF NE 20-25 KT WINDS NEAR THE COLOMBIAN COAST. QUIKSCAT FROM NEAR 2330 UTC LAST NIGHT INDICATE A FEW POCKETS OF NE 25-30 KT WINDS JUST OFFSHORE THE COLOMBIAN COAST. BASED ON THIS OBSERVATION MAY HAVE TO INTRODUCE THESE HIGHER WIND SPEEDS SOONER THAN PREVIOUSLY FORECASTED. SEAS UP TO 11 FT WILL CONTINUE TO BE SEEN OVER THE SW CARIBBEAN...GRADUALLY SUBSIDING TO 8 FT SAT. AS THE NEXT COLD FRONT PUSHES E ACROSS THE SW N ATLC DURING THE END OF THE WEEK AND THE ATLC HIGH MOVES FURTHER E...WINDS OVER THE SW CARIBBEAN WILL DECREASE TO 20 KT BUT BE IN THE 15-20 KT RANGE OVER THE E CARIBBEAN. WINDS OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN WILL BECOME LIGHT AND VARIABLE SAT AS THE TAIL END OF THE WEAKENING FRONT MOVES TO ALONG A W CUBA TO NE YUCATAN PENINSULA LINE. WARNINGS... ATLC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER AGUIRRE