000 AGXX40 KNHC 150616 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 215 AM EDT TUE JUL 15 2008 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. ATLANTIC... TROPICAL STORM BERTHA IS NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA MOVING FURTHER AWAY FOR NOW. THE STORM WILL INTERACT WITH AN UPPER LOW TO THE NORTHEAST...AND IS EXPECTED TO MAKE A SHARP RIGHT TURN BY TONIGHT. THIS WILL ALLOW BERTHA TO SHIFT SOUTHEAST...AND THERE IS A CHANCE OF A RETURN OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OVER THE PORTION OF THE DISCUSSION AREA N OF 28N BETWEEN 55W AND 65W...ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. AS BERTHA MAKES THE MOVE TO SOUTHEAST...IT WILL CUTOFF A RIDGE AXIS TO THE SOUTH ALLOWING HIGH PRES TO BECOME ENTRENCHED OVER THE WATERS BETWEEN BERMUDA AND THE BAHAMAS. INTERACTION BETWEEN THE HIGH PRES AND THE TROUGHING OVER THE SOUTHEAST U.S. WILL MAINTAIN MODERATE TO FRESH SW FLOW N OF THE BAHAMAS THROUGH THE WEEK. FRESH E WINDS WILL PERSIST FROM THE VIRGIN ISLANDS TO TURKS/CAICOS BETWEEN THE HIGH PRES TO THE NORTH...AND A TROPICAL WAVE MIGRATING THROUGH THE CARIBBEAN. MEANWHILE...A 1010 MB LOW PRES AREA NEAR 12N46W ALONG ANOTHER TROPICAL WAVE CONTINUES TO SPIN WESTWARD TOWARD THE CARIBBEAN. WHILE THIS HAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DEVELOPED OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS...FURTHER DEVELOPMENT IS LIKELY AND IT MAY EVEN BECOME A TROPICAL DEPRESSION OVER THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. AT ANY RATE...FRESH EAST FLOW WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE TROPICAL ATLC WATERS BETWEEN 55W AND THE ANTILLES THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. CARIBBEAN... A TROPICAL WAVE ALONG 66W IS MOVING WEST THROUGH THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN. BUOY 42059 ALONG WITH RECENT SCATTEROMETER DATA SHOW MODERATE TO FRESH E WINDS BOTH TO THE EAST AND WEST OF THE TROUGH THROUGH MAINLY THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN...ALTHOUGH QUIKSCAT ALSO SHOWS A HINT OF 20 KT WINDS IN THE GULF OF HONDURAS AS WELL. THE WAVE IS EXPECTED TO REACH CENTRAL AMERICA BY FRI...AND THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE TROPICAL WAVE AND HIGH PRES TO THE NORTH WILL BE THE MAIN WEATHER INFLUENCE OVER THE CARIBBEAN THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. EXPECT FRESH TO STRONG WINDS WITH SEAS BUILDING TO 12 FT. GULF OF MEXICO... LIGHT TO MODERATE WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGH FRI AS HIGH PRES REMAINS IN PLACE OVER THE WEST CENTRAL GULF. WEAK TROUGHING IN THE NE GULF WILL DISSIPATE BY FRI. WINDS WILL INCREASE LATE IN THE WEEK OVER THE SOUTHERN GULF AS A TROPICAL WAVE MIGRATES WEST THROUGH THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN. WARNINGS... ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. .FORECASTER CHRISTENSEN. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.