000 AGXX40 KNHC 151824 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 1200 PM 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 FLORIDA PENINSULA AND OVER THE KEYS...NOW BECOMING DIFFUSE OVER THE CENTRAL GULF. STRONG NLY FLOW BEHIND THE FRONT WITH SEAS INCREASING TO 9 FT N OF 28N. 12Z NWW3 RUN INDICATES THAT SEAS 12 FT AND HIGHER SHOULD REMAIN N OF 30N AS THE FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVES OVER NE AREA THU/FRI. HIGH PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE OFF THE SE COAST EARLY THU MORNING...FURTHER RE-ESTABLISHING ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA FRI AS THE COLD FRONT BECOMES STATIONARY AND DIFFUSE N OF THE CARIBBEAN. SWLY FLOW SHOULD BEGIN TO INCREASE FRI MORNING OVER NW AREA AS NEXT FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVES OVER THE GULFSTREAM. FRONT SHOULD PUSH SE OVER NRN BAHAMAS SAT WITH MODERATE NLY FLOW PRECEDING FRONT. GFS SUGGESTS FRONT STALLING OVER SE BAHAMAS SUN WITH RIDGE BUILDING OVER NRN BAHAMAS THROUGH MON. CARIBBEAN... MODERATE TO STRONG TRADES PERSIST OVER THE SRN CARIBBEAN. THIS MORNING'S QUIKSCAT OVERPASS INDICATED 30 KT WIND VECTORS ALONG THE COLOMBIAN COASTAL REGION. THE SAHARAN DUST EVENT APPEARS TO BE REDUCING VISIBILITY TO 4-6 SM OVER THE LESSER ANTILLES WITH THE LOWEST BEING REPORTED BY BARBADOS. THE DUST COVERAGE SHOULD BEGIN RECEDING OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS AS TRADES E OF THE ISLANDS DECREASE. GULF OF MEXICO... COLD FRONT...EXTENDING FROM THE FL KEYS...IS WEAKENING OVER THE SOUTH/CENTRAL GULF. STRONG NE TO ELY FLOW IS COVERING THE ENTIRE REGION. MULTI-LAYERED SCATTERED TO BROKEN CLOUDS OUTLINE THE FRONT WITH A FEW ASSOCIATED ISOLATED SHOWERS EXISTING OVER THE LOWER KEYS AND AN AREA ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY N OF THE YUCATAN CHANNEL. 12Z WAVE-WATCH RUN UNDERESTIMATED SEAS OVER NE GULF...8 TO 9 FT SEAS ARE BEING REPORTED. SURFACE WINDS SHOULD BEGIN TO DIE OFF TONIGHT...10 TO 15 KT. 20 KT E TO SE FLOW IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT W OF 93W. NEW...WEAK COLD FRONT DROPS OVER THE N GULF COAST LATE THU NIGHT THEN EXTENDS ACROSS N FLORIDA TO CENTRAL GULF FRI AFTERNOON...RETREATING SLOWLY BACK OVER THE NORTHERN GULF SAT AND SUN. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY MAY INCREASE OFF OF THE NE TX/LA COAST OVER THE WEEKEND. MODERATE TO STRONG SELY FLOW SHOULD RETURN SUN AND MON W OF 86W. WARNINGS... ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER ROBERTS