000 AGXX40 KNHC 310555 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 130 AM EST FRI MAR 31 2006 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. ENERGY CONTINUES TO DROP INTO A SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER THE SW ATLC TONIGHT. THE SHORTWAVE WAS ALONG 28N BETWEEN 55W AND 65W MOVING ESE. AN OPEN UPPER RIDGE WAS OVER THE SE AND MID ATLC AREA TONIGHT WITH A VIGOROUS UPPER TROUGH OVER THE MIDWEST. ON THE SURFACE A WEAK LOW WAS NEAR 22N63W WITH A TROUGH TO PUERTO RICO. A WEAK COLD FRONT EXTENDED FROM 31N63W TO 29N70W WITH A 1029 MB HIGH FOLLOWING NEAR 32N72W. MID LEVEL TROUGHING CONTINUES DAY 1 OVER THE SW ATLC BUT WEAKENING. THE UPPER RIDGE MOVES OFF THE SE COAST BUT REMAINS OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO. ON THE SURFACE A TROUGH WILL CONTINUE NEAR 25N57W TO 18N64W DAY 1 WITH NE WINDS TO 25 KT ON THE W SIDE. A POLAR HIGH CENTERED JUST N OF THE AREA NEAR 34N70W WILL MAINTAIN GUSTY NE AND E WINDS OVER MOST OF THE AREA E OF 80W. GULF WINDS SE 15 TO 20 KT DAY 1. CARIB WINDS ELY 20 TO 25 KT. RESIDUAL MID LEVEL TROUGHING CONTINUES OVER THE SW ATLC DAY 2 AS STRONGER SYSTEMS MOVE EWD N OF THE AREA. UPPER RIDGING RE-ESTLABLISHES ITSELF OVER THE GULF NWD OVER THE CENTRAL US. ON THE SURFACE THE OLD POLAR HIGH MOVES TO NEAR 33N62W 1026 MB WITH A RIDGE BACK TO THE NRN GULF. ATLC WINDS S OF 25N ELY 20 KT. CARIB WINDS ELY 15 TO 20 KT. GULF SE 10 TO 15 KT. WEAKENING TROUGH ALONG 24N52W TO 18N60W DRIFTING E. OUTLOOK PERIOD... MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE MOVES TO 27N60W TO CENTRAL CARIB DAY 3 WHILE UPPER RIDGE HOLDS FIRM FROM GULF NE OVER ERN US. OLD POLAR HIGH 1024 MB MOVES E TO NEAR 33N53W WITH AXIS BACK TO N CENTRAL GULF DAY 3. ALL AREAS WITH LIGHT TO MODERATE WINDS AS GRADIENT WEAKENS SOME. WHOLE UPPER PATTERN BECOMES MORE PROGRESSIVE DAY 4 AS UPPER RIDGE OVER GULF AND ERN US WEAKENS. SHORTWAVE OVER SW ATLC MOVES E TO 30N50W TO ERN CARIB. MODIFIED POLAR HIGH WEAKENS DAY 4 WITH AXIS REMAINING ALONG 30N BACK TO N GULF. ELY TRADES S OF 20N MOSTLY MODERATE OTHERWISE OTHER AREAS LIGHT TO MODERATE E AND SE. SHORTWAVE TROUGH CONTINUES MOVING E DAY 5 TO ALONG 31N35W TO 20N60W. UPPER RIDGE BUILDS FROM 20N70W NE TO 31N57W. MID LEVEL HEIGHTS BEGIN FALLING ALONG SE COAST AS A STRONG SHORTWAVE DROPS SE OVER NE US. ON THE SURFACE THE ATLC RIDGE REMAINS ALONG 30N E OF 60W WITH AN AXIS BACK TO THE NRN GULF. LITTLE CHANGE FROM DAY 4 WITH OVERALL WINDS. WARNINGS... ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER RRG