000 AGXX40 KNHC 100752 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 230 AM EST WED DEC 10 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... ...STORM CONDITIONS EXPECTED THIS MORNING OVER SW GULF... A COLD FRONT IS PUSHING TO THE NW GULF OF MEXICO...EXTENDING FROM NEAR MORGAN CITY LOUISIANA TO THE NORTHERN MEXICAN COAST NEAR 25N97W. BUOY REPORTS CONFIRM GALE CONDITIONS BEHIND THE FRONT...AND NORTHERLY GALES ARE EXPECTED TO ENVELOP MOST OF THE WESTERN GULF THROUGH LATE TODAY. THE FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM NEAR MOBILE ALABAMA TO THE NW TIP OF YUCATAN BY LATE AFTERNOON...AS A LOW PRES CENTER DEVELOPS ALONG THE FRONT NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND LIFTS TO THE NE. WINDS WILL REACH MINIMAL STORM STRENGTH BY SUNRISE OVER THE SOUTHWEST GULF BEHIND THE FRONT...DUE A COMBINATION OF A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT...COLD AIR ADVECTION...AND FUNNELLING INFLUENCES DUE TO HIGH COASTAL TERRAIN BETWEEN TAMPICO AND VERACRUZ. IN ADDITION...STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL PRECEDE THE FRONT...JUST SHORT OF GALE CONDITIONS. THE PERSISTENT AND STRONG FLOW WILL GENERATE COMBINDED WAVES AND SWELL UP TO 19 FT IN THE WESTERN GULF. WINDS DIMINISH TO BELOW GALE STRENGTH OVER THE WESTERN GULF WED NIGHT.THE FRONT SHIFTS SE OF THE GULF BY MIDDAY THU..WITH WINDS AND SEAS GRADUALLY DIMINISHING FROM WEST TO EAST INTO SAT. WINDS VEER NE TO E SATURDAY AS HIGH PRES BUILDS N OF THE AREA. SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW INCREASES FROM WEST TO EAST OVER MOSTLY THE NORTHERN GULF WATERS LATE SAT THROUGH SUN IN RESPONSE TO LOW PRES DIGGING THROUGH THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL N ATLC... HIGH PRES N OF AREA IS MAINTAINING A BROAD SWATH OF 2O TO 30 KT FROM NE OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS THROUGH THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN...THEN E TO SE WINDS TO THE YUCATAN COAST. THE WINDS OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN DIMINISH LATER TODAY AS THE HIGH PRES SHIFTS FURTHER EAST. A COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL TONIGHT...FOLLOWED BY STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS. THE FRONT REACHES A POSTION FROM EASTERN CUBA TO COSTA RICA BY LATE FRI BEFORE STALLING AND WEAKENING...WITH WINDS GRADUALLY DIMINISHING BEHIND THE FRONT. ELSEWHERE TRADE WINDS DIMINISH THU AND FRI AS HIGH PRES TO THE NORTH WEAKENS IN ADVANCE OF THE FRONT PUSHING OFF THE SOUTHEAST U.S. COAST. TRADES INCREASE AGAIN OVER THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN CARIBBEAN STARTING SAT AS HIGH PRES BUILDS BEHIND THE FRONT NORTH OF THE AREA. SW N ATLC... FRESH TO STRONG E TO SE WINDS PERSIST ACROSS THE REGION BETWEEN DEVELOPING LOW PRES ADVANCING THROUGH THE SOUTHEAST U.S. AND HIGH PRES CENTERED N OF BERMUDA. SOUTHERLY WINDS INCREASE TO GALE FORCE OVER THE WATERS BETWEEN BERMUDA AND N FLORIDA BY LATE THU AHEAD OF THE LOW PRES CENTERED AS LIFTS OUT FROM THE NE GULF OF MEXICO TO THE CAROLINAS. AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT SHIFTS OF THE N FLORIDA COAST BY FRI EVENING...REACHING A POSTION FROM 31N73W TO CENTRAL CUBA BY MIDDAY FRI...AND FROM BERMUDA TO EASTERN CUBA BY MIDDAY SAT. THE FRONT IS FOLLOWED BY FRESH TO STRONG NW FLOW...THAT VEERS N TO NE THROUGH SUN BEHIND THE FRONT AS FOLLOW ON HIGH PRES BUILDS OFF THE CAROLINA COAST. THE FRONT WEAKENS INTO SUN AND BECOMES ORIENTED MORE E-W THROUGH THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA BY LATE SUN. WINDS N OF THE FRONT INCREASE SAT INTO SUN AS THE HIGH PRES N OF AREA STRENGTHENS. ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... STORM WARNING GMZ082 THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. GALE WARNING GMZ080-082 THROUGH THU MORNING. FORECASTER CHRISTENSEN. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.