000 AGXX40 KNHC 231619 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 1220 PM EDT WED APR 23 2008 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... HIGH PRES RIDGING EXTENDS SW FROM THE NORTHEAST U.S. INTO THE CENTRAL GULF...WITH A 1018 MB HIGH ANALYZED NEAR 28N88W. WINDS ARE FLOWING ANTICYCLONIC AROUND THE RIDGE WITH THE STRONGEST FLOW...E TO SE 15-20 KT...FROM 20N-25N W OF THE N SHORE OF THE YUCATAN AND HIGHEST SEAS TO 6 FT. THIS RIDGE WILL SLIDE E OF THE REGION BY FRI ALLOWING THE E TO SE FLOW TO SPREAD E THROUGH MIDDLE WATERS BY FRI AFTERNOON AND THEN OVER THE E WATERS BY SAT. THE NEXT BIG CHANGE IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR ON SUN WHEN A STRONG COLD FRONT PUSHES OFF THE TX COAST. GFS AND UKMET ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN DEPICTING THE ENTRANCE OF THE FRONT SUN AFTERNOON...WITH ECMWF TRAILING BY ONLY A FEW HOURS. BEHIND THE FRONT...N WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20-25 KT BUILDING SEAS TO 8 FT. THE FRONT WILL MOVE TO A POSITION FROM THE FLA PANHANDLE TO THE BAY OF CAMPECHE. SW ATLC... COMPLEX PATTERN CONTINUES. CURRENTLY...THE MAIN LOW IS ANALYZED 1010 MB NEAR 29N74W WITH A TROUGH DRAPED S TO 24N73W. THIS MORNING'S QSCAT PASS REVEALED NLY 20 KT WINDS WELL W OF THE LOW...ROUGHLY N OF 27N W OF 78W. SIMILAR MAGNITUDE ELY WINDS ARE BLOWING N OF 27N E OF THE LOW. IR IMAGERY AND LIGHTNING DATA DEPICT A LARGE AREA OF TSTM ACTIVITY N OF 29N E OF 74W AND WITHIN 60 NM OF THE TROUGH AXIS. GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HIGHER SEAS ARE EXPECTED IN THIS ACTIVITY. A COUPLE OF SURFACE LOW PRES CENTERS WILL BE HANDLED IN FORECAST TEXT PRODUCTS USING A MEAN CENTER AND REFERENCING WINDS AND SEAS TO THIS CENTER. BASICALLY BROAD LOW PRES WILL SHIFT E TO NEAR 27N65W THU AND LIFTING OUT FRI. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL EVENTUALLY FORM AHEAD OF THE COOLER AIR ROTATING AROUND THIS MEAN CENTER AND THIS WEAK FRONT WILL IN TURN MOVE E OF 55W FRI NIGHT. BY THEN A RIDGE SETS UP ALONG 33N AND THEN SHIFTS S TO ALONG 31N SUN NIGHT INTO MON. N SWELL WILL BUILD SEAS TO 8-10 FT IN THE NE CORNER DUE TO A LARGE LOW PRES SYSTEM IN THE N CENTRAL ATLC. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL ATLC WATERS... A 1052Z QSCAT PASS SHOWED NE TO E 15-20 KT CONFINED TO A SMALL AREA NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA...OVER THE SE WATERS OF THE CARIB AND THE S HALF OF THE TROP N ATLC ZONE. WINDS OF 10-15 KT COVER THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION. OVERALL...LITTLE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IS EXPECTED THROUGH PERIOD...WITH STRONGEST WINDS AND HIGHEST SEAS NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA...THE SRN HALF OF THE TROP N ATLC ZONE AT OCCASIONALLY IN THE GULF OF HONDURAS. WARNINGS... ATLC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. .FORECASTER CANGIALOSI. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.