000 AGXX40 KNHC 310555 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 200 AM EDT SAT MAY 31 2008 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER THE SE CONUS WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE WEATHER PATTERN ACROSS THE AREA WITH GENERALLY LIGHT WINDS AND LOW SEA STATES THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE GULF INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE EXCEPTION WILL BE THE SRN WATERS OF THE MIDDLE GULF AS WELL AS THE ERN PORTION OF THE SW GULF WHERE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE UP TO 25 KT LATER TODAY. THE SSMI SHOWED WINDS OF 20 KT FROM WESTERN CUBA TO THE NE PORTION OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA WHILE AN EARLIER ASCAT PASS ALSO INDICATED NE WINDS OF 20 KT NEAR THE N COAST OF WESTERN CUBA. THIS IS A RESULT OF A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE...ASSOCIATED WITH THE REMNANTS OF FORMER EASTERN PACIFIC TROPICAL STORM ALMA THAT IS CURRENTLY CENTERED OVER THE GULF OF HONDURAS ABOUT 50 MILES EAST OF THE COAST OF BELIZE. THIS LOW IS FORECAST TO MOVE SLOWLY WESTWARD OR WEST-NORTHWESTWARD OVER THE SOUTHERN YUCATAN PENINSULA DURING THIS WEEKEND REACHING THE VICINITY OF THE ERN BAY OF CAMPECHE LATE THIS WEEKEND. THE COMBINATION OF THIS LOW WITH THE HIGH PRES AREA TO THE N WILL BRING FRESH TO STRONG NE TO E WINDS OVER THESE WATERS TODAY THROUGH AT LEAST SUN. WHETHER THESE WINDS AND SEAS CONTINUE PAST MON WILL DEPEND ON THE FUTURE OF BROAD SFC LOW PRESSURE NOW JUST E OF BELIZE/CHETUMAL. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL N ATLC... TIGHT PRES GRADIENT RESULTING FROM THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE BROAD AREA OF LOW PRES OVER THE GULF OF HONDURAS WITH ATLC HIGH PRES EXTENDING SW INTO THE NRN CARIBBEAN SEA CONTINUES TO PRODUCE STRONG SE WINDS OVER THE WRN CARIBBEAN W OF ABOUT 80W. SHIP AND BUOY OBSERVATIONS FROM 0000 UTC SHOWED SE WINDS OF 25 KT...WITH A SHIP NEAR 18N86W REPORTING 30KT NEAR A CLUSTER OF STRONG CONVECTION. NOAA BUOY 42057 LOCATED NEAR 17N82W HAS BEEN REPORTING SE SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 KT WITH GUSTY WINDS OF 25 KT DURING THE PAST FEW HOURS WITH SEAS OF 7 FT. EXPECT WINDS TO POSSIBLY GUST UP TO 30 KT...AND POSSIBLY HIGHER...IN AND NEAR TSTMS COVERING THE WRN CARIBBEAN SEA...PARTICULARLY IN A BAND OF MODERATE TO STRONG CONVECTION ALONG 19N88W 18N86W 16N86W. WINDS SHOULD GRADUALLY DIMINISH THROUGH MON AFTERNOON AS SFC LOW MOVES AWAY FROM THE NW CARIBBEAN. NE WINDS OF 15-20 KT OVER THE SRN CARIBBEAN SEA NEAR THE COAST OF S AMERICA SHOULD CHANGE LITTLE THROUGH SUN NIGHT WITH SEAS UP 8 FT...BUT SHIFT SOME TO THE E AND SE MON THROUGH WED WHERE PRES GRADIENT TIGHTENS DUE TO SOME STRENGTHENING OF THE ATLC RIDGE TO THE N. WINDS OF 15-20 KT OVER THE SRN SECTION OF THE TROPICAL N ATLC ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH SUN NIGHT...THEN DECREASE TO 10-15 KT MON AND TUE AND INCREASE ONCE AGAIN TO 15-20 KT WED. A LOW AMPLITUDE TROPICAL WAVE E OF THE AREA ALONG 52W IS EXPECTED TO HAVE LITTLE IMPACT ON WINDS AND SEAS OF THE TROPICAL N ATLC DURING THE WEEKEND. IT MAY BRING AN INCREASE OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS TO THE SRN WATERS THERE. SW N ATLC... RIDGE EXTENDS ALONG 30N...WHILE A TROUGH STRETCHES FROM 30N61W TO 25N67W. THE RIDGE WILL CHANGE LITTLE THROUGH SAT NIGHT...THEN BEGIN TO RETREAT E ON SUN MORNING AS A WEAK FRONT MOVES OF THE SE UNITED STATES SAT NIGHT INTO SUN MORNING. SW WINDS OF 15 KT CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE FAR NW PORTION SUN. BOTH SHIP AND BUOY DATA FROM 0000 UTC SHOWED LIGHT WIND CONDITIONS AND LOW SEAS THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE AREA...SLIGHTLY STRONGER JUST N OF PUERTO RICO AND HISPANIOLA WHERE AN EARLIER ASCAT PASS INDICATED EAST WINDS OF 15 KT. BY WED...RIDGE WILL EXTEND ALONG 29N OR 30N WITH LITTLE OVERALL CHANGE TO WINDS AND SEAS. WARNINGS... ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. .FORECASTER GR. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.