000 AGXX40 KNHC 061642 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 1242 PM EDT FRI JUL 06 2007 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. SW N ATLC... A WEAK 1016 MB LOW IS LOCATED OFF THE FLORIDA/GEORGIA COAST WITH A TROUGH AXIS STRETCHING SW ACROSS FLORIDA TO TAMPA BAY. THE LOW IS EXPECTED TO LIFT SLOWLY N AND DISSIPATE BY SAT. ELSEWHERE...A RIDGE AXIS LIES ALONG 27N EXTENDING W TO FLORIDA WITH THE STRONGEST GRADIENT LOCATED S OF 23N. THE RIDGE MOVES LITTLE THROUGH WED BUT STRENGTHENS SUN NIGHT THROUGH WED...AND INCREASES WINDS OVER THE FAR NRN AND FAR SRN PARTS OF THE AREA TO 20 KT. SEAS RESPOND OVER THE S PART OF THE AREA...S OF 24N...BY BUILDING INTO THE 6-9 FT RANGE AS ELY SWELL ADDS TO THE WAVE COMPONENT. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL N ATLC... A STRONG GRADIENT BETWEEN ATLC RIDGING AND SEMI-PERMANENT LOW PRES OVER COLOMBIA HAS PRODUCED WINDS TO NEAR GALE FORCE OFF THE COLOMBIAN COAST ACCORDING TO QUIKSCAT DATA. MODEL GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT THE WIND EVENT HAS PROBABLY REACHED ITS PEAK AND SO GALE WARNINGS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. THE ZONE OF 20-30 KT WINDS WILL REMAIN PLANTED OVER THE CENTRAL AND W-CENTRAL CARIBBEAN THROUGH SUN...THE ALSO SPREAD ACROSS THE ERN CARIBBEAN SUN NIGHT THROUGH WED AS THE ATLC GRADIENT STRENGTHENS. SEAS ARE ALREADY RUNNING AS HIGH AS 15 FT OFF COLOMBIA AND WILL LIKELY REMAIN IN THE 10-12 FT RANGE IN THAT REGION WITH THE WINDS PRODUCING ELY SWELLS. WINDS ACCORDINGLY INCREASE TO 20-25 KT OVER THE TROPICAL N ATLC WATERS SUN NIGHT THROUGH WED WITH THE STRENGTHENING ATLC RIDGE. GULF OF MEXICO... THE GULF IS CAUGHT WITHIN A WEAK PRES REGIME WITH A SURFACE TROUGH OVER N-CENTRAL FLORIDA AND WEAK HIGH PRES JUST S OF THE LOUISIANA COAST. WINDS ARE GENERALLY LIGHT AS THEY ROUND THE RIDGE ALONG 25N. THE ATLC RIDGE WILL BUILD WWD AND MERGE WITH THE GULF HIGH SAT NIGHT THEN REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY ALONG 27N THROUGH WED. THIS WILL TEND TO PRODUCE ELY 10-15 KT OVER THE S PART AND LIGHTER MORE VARIABLE WINDS OVER THE N PART. SEAS WILL BE HIGHEST OVER THE SW GULF WHERE THEY WILL BUILD TO 4 OR 5 FT BUT DECREASE TO NEAR 1 FT OVER THE NE GULF. WARNINGS... ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER BERG