000 AGXX40 KNHC 261756 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 100 PM EST WED NOV 26 2008 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO... CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. 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... WINDS HAVE BECOME LIGHT ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA AS A WEAK FRONT BEGINS TO FIZZLE FROM W CUBA TO 26N96W AND AS HIGH PRES SETTLES OVER THE NE WATERS. SEAS HAVE SUBSIDED TO 2-4 FT AND SHOULD CONTINUE TO SUBSIDE THROUGHOUT THE DAY. WHILE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN LIGHT OVER THE MIDDLE AND E WATERS...SLY 10-15 KT RETURN FLOW WILL SET UP ON THU IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT. THIS FRONT STILL LOOKS ON TRACK TO ENTER THE NW WATERS FRI THEN GENERALLY STALL ACROSS THE N GULF SAT BEFORE A STRONG UPPER TROUGH REINFORCES THE FRONT AND PUSHES IT SE SUN AND MON. INITIALLY...WINDS MAY ONLY BRIEFLY TOUCH 20 KT N OF THE FRONT. HOWEVER...ONCE IT BECOMES REINFORCED 20-25 KT NW WINDS APPEAR LIKELY. WILL CLOSELY MONITOR THE EVOLUTION OF THE MID-UPPER PATTERN AND ADJUST AS NECESSARY OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN... A QUASI-STATIONARY LOW PRES SYSTEM REMAINS OVER THE SW CARIB NEAR THE COSTA RICA/NICARAGUA BORDER. HOWEVER...THE LOW APPEARS WEAKER TODAY WITH ONLY SLIGHT SIGNATURE APPARENT ON SATELLITE IMAGERY. THE OVERALL PRES GRADIENT HAS WEAKENED (MAINLY DUE TO A FRONT N OF THE AREA) ALLOWING WINDS AND SEAS TO DIMINISH TO NEAR 20 KT ACROSS MUCH OF THE W CARIBBEAN. WINDS AND SEAS WILL CONTINUE THIS DIMINISHING TREND THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD AS THE SFC PATTERN REMAINS WEAK N OF THE ZONE AND AS THE WEAK LOW MOVES INLAND OVER CENTRAL AMERICA. LONG PERIOD NLY SWELL IS THE MAIN ITEM OF INTEREST OVER THE TROPICAL N ATLC WATERS AND E CARIBBEAN PASSAGES. HOWEVER...WW3 MODEL DATA IS A FEW FT TOO HIGH IN ITS SHORT TERM FORECAST AS COMPARED TO CURRENT BUOY AND SHIP OBS. TOOK THIS HIGH MODEL BIAS INTO ACCOUNT WHEN PREPARING OFF AND HSF PRODUCTS. SW N ATLC... A COLD FRONT IS WEAKENING ACROSS THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE WATERS FROM 31N68W TO THE FLORIDA STRAITS. BUOY AND SHIP OBS SUGGEST THAT MOST OF THE WINDS ARE BELOW 20 KT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE FRONT. WINDS SHOULD REMAIN OF LITTLE OF CONCERN TO MARINERS THROUGH FRI AS WEAK HIGH PRES SETTLES OVER THE AREA. HOWEVER...N TO NE SWELL WILL KEEP SEAS ELEVATED E OF ABOUT 75W. BY FRI NIGHT SW WINDS WILL INCREASE OVER THE NW WATERS AHEAD OF THE NEXT FRONT MOVING OFF THE SE U.S. COAST. NWP MODELS ARE IN FAIR AGREEMENT IN SHOWING THE FRONT MEANDER NEAR OR JUST N OF 31N SAT AND SUN. A MUCH STRONGER EXTENSION OF THE FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA SUN NIGHT AND MON. ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER CANGIALOSI. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.