000 AGXX40 KNHC 150620 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 120 AM EST WED MAR 15 2006 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. ATLANTIC... COLD FRONT HAS MOVED OFF THE GEORGIA/N FLORIDA COAST EXTENDING FROM 31N75W TO NEAR MELBOURNE FLORIDA. WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO 20-25 KT BEHIND THE FRONT AS REPORTED BY BUOYS OFF THE FLORIDA COAST. THIS IS ALSO VERIFIED BY A 2318Z QUIKSCAT PASS EARLIER THIS EVENING. SEAS HAVE NOT YET RESPONDED TO THE WIND...WITH HIGHEST SEAS REPORTED BEING 4 FT AT 41010. IT IS LIKELY THAT HIGHEST SEAS IN THE AREA ARE NEAR 7 FT AT 31N ESPECIALLY SINCE BUOY 41002 JUST N OF THE AREA HAS 10 FT SEAS. NWW3 SHOWS SEAS BUILDING TO 12 FT IN NWLY SWELL ALONG 31N E OF 70W AS THE FRONT PASSES. RIDGING WILL BUILD IN LATE WED THROUGH EARLY FRI AND THEN WINDS WILL INCREASE AGAIN 20-25 KT N OF 29N AS A SECOND FRONT MOVES OFF THE COAST. RIDGE ONCE AGAIN BUILDS OVER THE AREA SUN WITH SEAS SUBSIDING FROM W TO E. CARIBBEAN... MODERATE ELY TRADES CONTINUE OVER THE SRN CARIBBEAN WITH QUIKSCAT SHOWING MAXIMUM WINDS NEAR 25 KT OFF THE COLOMBIAN COAST. FEW CHANGES EXPECTED THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD WITH RIDGE MAINTAINED TO THE N. BRISK 20 KT TRADES OVER THE TROPICAL N ATLC WATERS S OF 15N SHOULD DIE DOWN TO ABOUT 15 KT LATER TODAY. SEAS ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING 7-9 FT IN NE/E SWELL BUT SHOULD SUBSIDE TO 6-7 FT BY LATE THU. VISIBILITIES HAVE ALSO BEEN REDUCED OVER THE SAME AREA DUE TO WIDESPREAD DUST ORIGINATING FROM AFRICA. BARBADOS IS REPORTING VISIBILITY AROUND 7 KM...OR 4 STATUE MILES...AND SEVERAL ISLANDS AROUND THE AREA HAVE REPORTED LOWER VALUES THROUGH THE DAY. FORECAST WILL REFLECT THIS BY MENTIONING LOWER VISIBILITIES TODAY BUT CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO IMPROVE OVER THE OFFSHORE ZONE AS THE ATLC TRADES WEAKEN BY WED NIGHT. GULF OF MEXICO... COLD FRONT EXTENDS FROM SARASOTA FLORIDA SW TO THE CENTRAL MEXICAN COAST WITH DISSOLVING CLOUD BAND ALREADY INDICATING A WEAKENING BOUNDARY. N/NE WINDS AROUND 20 KT ARE LOCATED N OF THE FRONT AND HAVE BEGUN TO DIMINISH A BIT CLOSE TO THE TEXAS COAST. NWW3 GUIDANCE MAY BE A LITTLE UNDERDONE ON THE SEAS...AS THEY ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING AS HIGH AS 10 FT OFF THE TEXAS COAST IN NELY SWELL. WINDS DECREASE BY WED NIGHT AS RIDGING BUILDS IN...AND THE STRONGEST WINDS TO 20 KT WILL BE IN THE RETURN FLOW OVER THE NW GULF. WEAK COLD FRONT BRUSHES THE N GULF COAST THU NIGHT THEN EXTENDS ACROSS N FLORIDA TO CENTRAL GULF FRI AFTERNOON BUT WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN LIGHT AND VARIABLE. 20-25 KT RETURN FLOW ONCE AGAIN BECOMES ESTABLISHED OVER THE W GULF SAT AND SUN AS THE RIDGE SHIFTS E. WARNINGS... ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER BERG