000 AGXX40 KNHC 130636 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 130 AM EST WED FEB 13 2008 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO...A PAIR OF VIGOROUS MID/UPPER LEVEL SHORT WAVE TROUGHS CONTINUE TO DIG THROUGH THE GULF THIS MORNING...SPARKING AREAS OF WIDESPREAD SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. THE FIRST MID/UPPER LEVEL SHORT WAVE IS LIFTING THROUGH SOUTH FLORIDA...WITH A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS THE FAR SE GULF WATERS. MEANWHILE A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE OTHER UPPER TROUGH IS PUSHING INTO THE NW GULF WATER...EXTENDING FROM THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA TO NE MEXICO. THE FRONT WILL SWEEP ACROSS GULF WATERS THROUGH TODAY...AND EXTEND FROM STRAITS OF FLORIDA TO THE BAY OF CAMPECHE BY LATE TONIGHT. FRESH TO STRONG NLY WINDS AND ASSOCIATED HIGH SEAS WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT...WITH WINDS DIMINISHING FROM NW TO SE AS HIGH PRES BUILDS ACROSS THE DEEP SOUTH THROUGH THU MORNING. WINDS AND SEAS WILL BARELY DIMINISH BEFORE INCREASED SLY RETURN FLOW BECOMES ESTABLISHED OVER THE WRN GULF THU AND FRI...AHEAD OF THE NEXT STRONG FRONT EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO NW GULF WATERS BY LATE FRI NIGHT. GALE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE FAR WESTERN GULF BEHIND THE NEXT FRONT FRI NIGHT AND SAT...WITH STRONG NWLY WINDS SPREADING ACROSS THE ENTIRE GULF THROUGH LATE SUN. CARIBBEAN AND TROP N ATLC...FRESH TO STRONG TRADES WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN GULF AND THE TROP N ATLC IN RESPONSE TO STRONG HIGH PRES TO THE NORTH OF THE AREA. ALTHOUGH THE HIGH PRES DRIVING THE ENHANCED WINDS WILL WEAKEN PERIODICALLY AS FRONTAL BOUNDARIES MOVE OFF THE U.S. COAST INTO THE WRN ATLC...HIGH PRES BUILDING BEHIND THE FRONTS WILL BE STRONG ENOUGH TO SUSTAIN STRONG TRADES WITH LITTLE INTERRUPTION. ELSEWHERE OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN...A PAIR OF FRONTS PUSHING THROUGH THE GULF OF MEXICO WILL PENETRATE S OF THE YUCATAN CHANNEL...BUT THEN WEAKEN AND DISSIPATE RAPIDLY WITH THE ONLY MAIN INFLUENCE BEING SLIGHTLY MORE SHOWER ACTIVITY BETWEEN WESTERN CUBA AND BELIZE. SW N ATLC...SCATTEROMETER DATA AND SHIP/BUOY OBSERVATIONS INDICATE STRONG SELY WINDS IN THE WATERS N OF THE BAHAMAS AND E OF N FLORIDA THIS MORNING. THESE WINDS ARE INCREASING TO GALE FORCE AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING STRONG COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE GULF OF MEXICO. THE FRONT WILL EMERGE OFF THE N FLORIDA AND GEORGIA COASTS THIS EVENING...FOLLOWED BY STRONG WLY WINDS. THE NLY WINDS DIMINISH AND SHIFT MORE NE THROUGH THU AS HIGH PRES BEHIND THE FRONT BUILDS NEWD THROUGH THE CAROLINAS INTO THE WRN ATLC. FRESH ELY TRADES PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEKEND ACROSS THE SRN BAHAMAS THROUGH FRI AS THE HIGH PRES AREA MOVES EWD N OF THE DISCUSSION AREA. BY SUNDAY...SLY FLOW WILL AGAIN INCREASE TO GALE FORCE OVER THE WATERS N OF THE BAHAMAS AND E OF N FLORIDA AHEAD OF ANOTHER STRONG COLD FRONT MOVING E THROUGH THE GULF OF MEXICO. THIS FRONT IS EXPECTED TO EMERGE OFF THE SE U.S. COAST LATE SUN NIGHT/EARLY MON MORNING. WARNINGS... ATLC... GALE WARNING AMZ080...N OF 29N E OF FRONT TONIGHT AND WED E OF FRONT. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... GALE CONDITIONS EXPECTED GMZ080 AND GMZ082 BEHIND FRONT FRI NIGHT INTO SAT. FORECASTER CHRISTENSEN/WALLACE