000 AGXX40 KNHC 011751 AAA MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION...UPDATED NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 155 PM EDT MON SEP 1 2008 UPDATED FOR UPGRADE TO HURRICANE HANNA AND ASSOCIATED WARNING MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO... CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. ITS SAFE TO SAY THAT THE TROPICS ARE ACTIVE. GULF OF MEXICO... HURRICANE GUSTAV IS MAKING LANDFALL ON THE S COAST OF LOUISIANA AS A STRONG CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. MAX SEAS WERE ESTIMATED TO PEAK NEAR 40 FT EARLIER TODAY. WINDS AND SEAS SHOULD STEADILY SUBSIDE AS THE STORM MOVES FARTHER INLAND...ALBEIT SLOWLY...AND WEAKENS. GUSTAV IS FORECAST TO WEAKEN TO A TROPICAL STORM LATE TONIGHT AND TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION TOMORROW. SEAS SHOULD FALL BELOW 12 FT EARLY TOMORROW AND LIKELY BELOW 8 FT TOMORROW NIGHT. A TRAILING TROUGH IN THE WAKE OF GUSTAV SHOULD REMAIN OVER THE NW WATERS ...OTHERWISE...HIGH PRES OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC WILL NOSE INTO THE AREA FOR MUCH OF THE WEEK. BY THE END OF THE WEEK...HANNA WILL APPROACH THE SE U.S. COAST AND MAY INCREASE WINDS OVER THE NE GULF WATERS. SW N ATLC... TROPICAL STORM HANNA HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO A HURRICANE WITH MAX WINDS NEAR 70 KT GUSTS 85 KT. TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD WITHIN 120 NM E SEMICIRCLE...75 NM SW AND 100 NM NW QUADRANTS WITH MAX WINDS NEAR 50 KT. BUOY 41046 LOCATED ABOUT 120 NM NE QUADRANT REPORTED SEAS NEAR 20 FT EARLIER TODAY WHICH COMPARED WELL WITH THE NAH WAVE MODEL...SO FOLLOWED FAIRLY CLOSELY IN THE FORECAST. MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA IS EXPERIENCING 20-33 KT WINDS AND SEAS IN THE 8-12 FT RANGE. HANNA IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE ITS SLOW W MOTION OVER THE NEXT 36-48 HOURS THEN TURN NW AND INCREASE IN FORWARD SPEED BEYOND 48 HOURS NEARING THE SE U.S. COAST ON FRI. JUST AS HANNA MOVES OUT OF THE ZONE ANOTHER STRENGTHENING STORM MOVES IN. THIS STORM IS CURRENTLY T.D. NINE CENTERED WELL SE OF THE ZONE...HOWEVER IT IS FORECAST TO BECOME A HURRICANE WHEN IT MOVES INTO THE SE CORNER ON FRI AND INTO THE S CENTRAL PORTION SAT. THEREFORE...ADDED THIRD HEADLINE OF HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED FOR THE SE AND S CENTRAL PORTION FRI IN THE OFFSHORE TEXT. TROP N ATLC... A 1008 MB LOW PRES AREA...ASSOCIATED WITH A TROPICAL WAVE...IS CENTERED NEAR 17N57W. THIS AREA HAS BECOME A LITTLE BETTER ORGANIZED BUT PROBABILITY OF DEVELOPMENT APPEARS LOW AS UPPER LEVEL WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE UNFAVORABLE. HOWEVER...IT IS PRODUCING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS FROM 15N TO 18N. THIS LOW IS EXPECTED TO TRACK W OR WNW AT 10-15 KT AND WEAKEN OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. THE BIG STORY WILL THEN BE T.D. NINE E OF THE ZONE. OFFICIAL FORECAST HAS IT TRACKING ACROSS THE FAR N PORTION WED NIGHT THROUGH FRI AS A HURRICANE. SO HAVE POSTED HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED N OF 21N FOR THAT TIME PERIOD. CARIBBEAN... THIS IS THE ONLY AREA THAT IS EXPECTED TO BE TROPICAL STORM FREE THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. HOWEVER...SW 20-25 KT WINDS ARE AFFECTING THE WINDWARD PASSAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THE CIRCULATION OF HANNA. THESE WINDS MAY SPREAD W AS THE STORM DOES THE SAME...BUT ONCE HANNA MAKES THE TURN NW BY MID-WEEK CONDITIONS SHOULD SUBSIDE. OTHERWISE...TRADES ARE EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT TO MODERATE THROUGH THE PERIOD AS THE ATLC RIDGE REMAINS GREATLY WEAKENED DUE TO HANNA. WARNINGS... SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON LATEST NHC ADVISORY ATLANTIC... HURRICANE WARNING N OF 20N W OF 70W...AMZ080 CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... HURRICANE WARNING N OF 26N BETWEEN 87W AND 95W...GMZ080 AND GMZ084. FORECASTER CANGIALOSI. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.