000 AGXX40 KNHC 200619 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 220 AM EDT TUE SEP 20 2005 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. THE AREA'S MAIN WEATHER ISSUES CONTINUE TO BE THE TWO TROPICAL CYCLONES. TROPICAL STORM RITA CURRENTLY PULLING WESTWARD AWAY FROM THE SW BAHAMAS IS ENTERING THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA EARLY THIS MORNING. THE LATEST NHC FORECAST TRACK HAS RITA MOVING ACROSS THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA DURING THE MORNING AS ITS STRENGTHENS TO A HURRICANE. RITA WILL CONTINUE WNW PASSING NEAR OR OVER THE LOWER FLORIDA KEYS LATER THIS MORNING...THEN CONTINUE ON TRACK TOWARDS THE EXTREME SE GULF OF MEXICO TONIGHT...TO NEAR 25N85W WED MORNING...AND TO THE NE GULF OF MEXICO THU NIGHT. RITA IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL ALONG THE TEXAS NE COAST SAT. LATEST ADVISORY KEEPS TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS IN THE SW ATLC THROUGH TUE NIGHT DECREASING LATE TUE NIGHT AS HIGH PRES BECOMES CENTERED E TO W JUST ALONG THE NW PORTION OF THE AREA. A SLOW DECREASING TREND IN WIND AND SEAS IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE SW N ATLC INTO SAT. WINDS INCREASE AND SWELLS BUILD OVER THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE SW N ATLC STARTING ON WED AS HURRICANE PHILIPPE PASSES JUST TO THE E OF THE AREA. HURRICANE PHILIPPE WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE TROPICAL N ATLC ZONE THROUGH WED NIGHT BEFORE MOVING N OF THE AREA. HOWEVER NWW3 GUIDANCE FROM THE 0000 UTC GFDL MODEL RUN SUGGESTS THAT LARGE SWELLS WILL LINGER OVER THE FAR N PORTION OF THE AREA THROUGH FRI THEN SUBSIDE ON SAT. WITH RESPECT TO THE CARIBBEAN SEA...RITA IS BRINGING NE 20 KT WINDS N OF 19N W OF 85W TO ACROSS THE YUCATAN CHANNEL. THESE WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NW DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT AS RITA MOVES FURTHER WESTWARD...THEN TO THE S AND SW WED AND WED NIGHT. OTHERWISE ...LIGHT TRADES AND RELATIVELY LOW SEAS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS REMAINDER OF THE CARIBBEAN THROUGH SAT. .WARNINGS... SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON LATEST NHC ADVISORIES ATLANTIC... HURRICANE WARNING...PHILIPPE...TROPICAL ATLC ZONE...AMZ087. HURRICANE WARNING...RITA...SW N ATLC ZONE...AMZ080. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... HURRICANE WARNING AND TS WARNING S OF 27N E GULF ZONE...GMZ086. FORECASTER AGUIRRE