000 AGXX40 KNHC 160208 AAA MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION...UPDATED NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 908 PM EST SAT DEC 15 2007 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. UPDATE... BASED ON LATEST 18Z GFS RUN AND THE WAY OBSERVATIONS ARE BEHAVING OVER THE NW GULF AT THE MOMENT...WILL GO AHEAD AND ISSUE A GALE WARNING FOR THE MIDDLE GULF ZONE BEHIND THE FRONT TONIGHT. WINDS SHOULD DIMINISH BELOW 35 KT BY SUNRISE...OR SOON THEREAFTER. FORECASTER BERG PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... GULF OF MEXICO... THE WEAKENING REMNANT OF OLGA IS MOVING OFF THE N COAST OF YUCATAN THIS MORNING. A QUIKSCAT PASS FROM EARLIER THIS MORNING HINTED AT STRONG SELY FLOW NEAR THE YUCATAN CHANNEL ON THE E SIDE OF THE LOW...WITH GENERALLY MODERATE TO FRESH SELY OVER THE ENTIRE ERN GULF. MEANWHILE AN UPPER TROUGH IS PUSHING A SURFACE LOW THROUGH THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TODAY. SLY FLOW IS INCREASING OVER THE WESTERN GULF AHEAD OF AN ASSOCIATED STRONG COLD FRONT THAT IS PUSHING OFF THE TEXAS COAST...BRINGING MORE THAN A 20 DEG DIFFERENCE IN TEMPS. WITH OFFSHORE WATER TEMPERATURES REMAINING IN THE MID TO UPPER SEVENTIES OVER MUCH OF THE GULF...EXPECT GALE FORCE WINDS TO MIX DOWN TO THE SURFACE THROUGH SUNDAY OVER MOST OF THE WESTERN GULF...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS OFF THE VERACRUZ MEXICO AREA WHERE FUNNELING EFFECTS ENHANCE THE NLY FLOW. THE REMNANTS OF OLGA WEAKEN LATER TODAY AND BECOME ABSORBED INTO THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. THE FRONT PUSHES THROUGH THE GULF BY EARLY MON...WITH WINDS AND SEAS DIMINISHING INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS HIGH PRES BUILDS TO THE N OF THE AREA. SLY RETURN FLOW INCREASES WED INTO THU OVER THE FAR WESTERN GULF AHEAD OF THE NEXT...NOT EXPECTED UNTIL NEXT WEEKEND. ATLANTIC... SURFACE RIDGE CENTERED NEAR BERMUDA EXTENDS ALONG 30N TO NE FLORIDA. FRESH TO STRONG ELY FLOW PERSISTS IN A LARGE SWATH N OF THE ANTILLES THROUGH TO SOUTHERN BAHAMAS. SLY WINDS INCREASING STEADILY TODAY N OF THE BAHAMAS AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT EMERGING OFF THE COAST TONIGHT. TIGHT GRADIENT IS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN SURFACE HIGH AND A LOW PRES AREA MOVING INTO THE MID ATLC STATES...WHICH WILL PRODUCE GALE CONDITIONS TONIGHT MAINLY N OF 30N...BUT WILL ALSO EXTEND SOUTH INTO WATERS E OF NE FLORIDA AND N/NE OF BAHAMAS. NWLY FLOW BEHIND THE FRONT WILL DIMINISH MON/TUE AS HIGH PRES BUILDS INTO THE WESTERN ATLANTIC...LEAVING MODERATE TO FRESH NELY FLOW S OF THE SURFACE RIDGE TUE/WED IN THE WATERS E OF THE LESSER ANTILLES. CARIBBEAN... STRONG TRADE WINDS CONTINUE IN THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN. THE TRADES WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH THROUGH THE WEEKEND IN RESPONSE TO HIGH PRES NE OF THE AREA WEAKENING AND SHIFTING E AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT EMERGING OFF THE U.S. SOUTHEAST COAST SAT NIGHT. FRONT PUSHES INTO NW CARIBBEAN WATERS SUN/MON BRINGING STRONG NLY WINDS FROM WESTERN CUBA TO BELIZE. WINDS DIMINISH MON/TUE AS HIGH PRES BUILDS TO THE N. MODERATE TO FRESH TRADES CAN BE EXPECTED OVER MOST OF THE CARIBBEAN THROUGH MID WEEK. WARNINGS... ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO...GALE WARNING WEST OF FRONT GMZ080 GMZ082 FORECASTER CHRISTENSEN