000 AGXX40 KNHC 060708 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 210 AM EST THU NOV 06 2008 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO... CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. THE RADIOFAX SCHEDULE FOR GRAPHICAL WIND WAVE...SURFACE FORECAST AND PEAK WAVE PERIOD CHARTS HAS CHANGED. FOR THE ATLANTIC BASIN THIS INCLUDES 24...36...48 AND 72 HOUR WIND WAVE..24...48..72 HOUR SURFACE FORECAST AND 48 AND 72 HOUR PEAK WAVE PERIOD CHARTS. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE REFER TO THE FAX SCHEDULE ON THE NHC WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/RADIOFAX.SHTML GULF OF MEXICO... SYNOPTIC SFC PATTERN CONSISTS OF WEAK HIGH PRES CENTERED OVER ALABAMA AND AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT OVER CENTRAL TEXAS. THIS PATTERN IS PROVIDING FAIRLY LIGHT (10-15 KT) ELY WINDS ACROSS THE MIDDLE AND EAST WATERS AND 15-20 KT RETURN FLOW OVER THE FAR W GULF. SEAS ARE BUILDING TO 5-7 FT OVER THE FAR NW WATERS AS A FAIRLY EXTENSIVE FETCH EXISTS...AT LEAST FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO ENTER THE NW WATERS FRI MORNING AND THEN PRESS E FROM THE FL PANHANDLE TO 23N97W SAT MORNING. ONLY A BRIEF PERIOD OF N 20 KT WINDS ARE FORECAST BEHIND THE FRONT... FAR WEAKER THAN THE PAST FEW FRONTS IN THE REGION...BECAUSE ITS UPPER SUPPORT MOVES ZONALLY ACROSS THE CONUS RATHER THAN DIGGING SE. BY SUN AND MON...THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO STALL OVER THE SE GULF AND LIFT BACK N AS A WARM FRONT OVER THE W WATERS. MEANWHILE...THE STRENGTHENING DEPRESSION IN THE CARIBBEAN WILL INCREASE NLY WINDS OVER THE FLORIDA STRAITS...SE AND S MIDDLE WATERS THIS WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL N ATLC... TROPICAL DEPRESSION SEVENTEEN FORMED EARLIER TODAY AND IT HAS SINCE STRENGTHENED SLIGHTLY. LATEST OFFICIAL FORECAST INITIALIZED IT AT 30 KT AND SUGGESTS THAT IT WILL STRENGTHEN TO A TROPICAL STORM SHORTLY AND A HURRICANE WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS. SEVENTEEN IS EXPECTED TO TRACK N-NW THROUGH FRI THEN TURN NE CROSSING CUBA LATE THIS WEEKEND. BASED ON THIS INFO...A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS POSTED FOR A PORTION OF THE NW AND SW CARIBBEAN ZONES WITH A HURRICANE CONDITION HEADLINE POSTED FOR THE NW CARIB FOR FRI THROUGH SUN. SEAS WILL BUILD QUICKLY AROUND THE STORM...LIKELY IN EXCESS OF 20 FT ALONG AND JUST E OF THE STORM CENTER FRI AND SAT. THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN AND THE TROP N ATLC WATERS ARE VERY TRANQUIL WITH NE TO E TRADES MAINLY IN THE 10-15 KT RANGE. LITTLE SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE IS EXPECTED IN THIS PATTERN THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. SW N ATLC... A WEAK COLD FRONT AND PREFRONTAL TROUGH...EXTENDING S FROM A WELL DEFINED LOW PRES SYSTEM OFF THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST...ARE DRAPED ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND E PORTION OF THE ZONE. SE 20-25 KT WINDS ARE STILL BLOWING E OF THE PREFRONTAL TROUGH N OF 29N E OF 68W AND N 15-20 KT WINDS OVER THE FAR NW WATERS. BOTH OF THESE AREAS WILL DIMINISH THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY AS THE LOW N OF THE AREA WEAKENS. RESIDUAL NE SWELL WILL STILL KEEP SEAS QUITE ELEVATED N AND E OF THE BAHAMAS FOR ANOTHER COUPLE OF DAYS. THE NEXT COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PUSH OFF THE GEORGIA/NE FLORIDA COAST SAT. THIS FRONT AND ITS ASSOCIATED UPPER TROUGH WILL BE THE MAIN STEERING MECHANISM FOR THE TROPICAL CYCLONE IN THE W CARIBBEAN...WHICH IS EXPECTED TO TRACK NE ACROSS CUBA SUN AND INTO THE BAHAMAS MON. TROPICAL STORM HEADLINE (NOT WARNING) IS ISSUED FOR S OF 25N BETWEEN 72W AND 77W ON MON. WILL CONSISTENTLY UPDATE BASED ON THE LATEST OFFICIAL FORECAST. ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... TROPICAL STORM WARNING FROM 14N TO 17N BETWEEN 81W AND 85W ...AMZ082 AND AMZ084. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER CANGIALOSI. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.