000 AGXX40 KNHC 110745 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 240 AM EST THU DEC 11 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... COLD FRONT EXTENDS FROM A 1008 MB LOW PRES AREA NEAR PENSACOLA FLORIDA TO THE YUCATAN PENINSULA NEAR 22N89W. WINDS ARE OUT OF THE NW AT 20 TO 30 KT FOLLOWING THE FRONT ACROSS THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL GULF...WITH 20 TO 25 KT SOUTHERLY FLOW IN THE EASTERN GULF. SEAS ARE UP TO 15 FT IN THE SW GULF WITH NORTHERLY SWELL. THE LOW LIFTS OUT TO THE CAROLINAS AND HIGH PRES BUILDS BEHIND THE FRONT OVER THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY BY LATE FRI. THIS RESULTS IN WINDS VEERING NE TO E AND DIMINISHING OVER THE WESTERN GULF. NORTHERLY FRESH WINDS PERSIST OVER THE EASTERN GULF INTO SAT NIGHT...DUE TO THE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE HIGH PRES AND THE LOW CENTER TO THE NORTHEAST. SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW INCREASES OVER THE WESTERN GULF SAT AND SUN...BETWEEN THE HIGH PRES BY THEN OVER THE CAROLINAS AND DEEPENING LOW PRES OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS. FRESH TO STRONG E TO SE WINDS ENVELOPE THE WHOLE GULF BY SUN AS THE LOW PRES DIGS INTO TEXAS AND THE HIGH PRES STRENGTHENS OVER THE WESTERN ATLC. WINDS DIMINISH MON AND TUE ACROSS THE GULF AS THE HIGH PRES SHIFTS FURTHER EAST...AND THE LOW CENTER LIFTS OUT TO THE GREAT LAKES REGION...LEAVING GENERALLY MODERATE E TO SE WINDS OVER THE WHOLE GULF. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL N ATLC... FRESH TO STRONG NE TO E WINDS PERSIST FROM E OF THE LEEWARDS THROUGH THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN S OF STRONG HIGH PRES OVER THE WESTERN ATLC. E TO SE WINDS ARE DIMINISHING OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN...BUT THIS WILL BE SHORT LIVED AS A STRONG COLD FRONT IS MOVING THROUGH THE GULF OF MEXICO AND WILL PUSH THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL THIS MORNING. THE FRONT WILL REACH A POSITION FROM CENTRAL CUBA TO THE NORTHERN NICARAGUAN COAST BY TONIGHT...AND THEN STALL FROM EASTERN CUBA TO COSTA RICA BY LATE TOMORROW BEFORE DISSIPATING SAT. STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT OVER THE FAR NW CARIBBEAN. MEANWHILE WINDS DIMINISH FROM E OF THE LESSER ANTILLES THROUGH THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN AS THE HIGH PRES N OF AREA WEAKENS AND SHIFTS EAST AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT MOVING OFF THE SE U.S. COAST. A WEAK SURFACE TROUGH IS NOTED E OF BARBADOS...WITH WINDS TO 20 KT TO ITS NORTH NOTED ON QUIKSCAT DATA. THE TROUGH DAMPENS OUT N OF GUYANA...AND WINDS DIMINISH AS THE HIGH TO THE NORTH WEAKENS. RESIDUAL LONG PERIOD SWELL TO 10 FT WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH TO 8 FT OVER THE TROPICAL N ATLC INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. SW N ATLC... A BROAD AREA OF E TO SE WINDS IS NOTED ON SCATTEROMETER AND BUOY DATA ACROSS THE REGION THIS MORNING...BETWEEN HIGH PRES TO THE NE SHIFTING INTO THE CENTRAL ATLC...AND A 1008 MB LOW PRES OVER PANHANDLE FLORIDA LIFTING NE TO THE CAROLINAS. SOUTHERLY WINDS INCREASE TO GALE FORCE LATER TODAY OVER THE WATERS OFF THE N FLORIDA COAST N OF THE BAHAMAS...AHEAD OF AN COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO PUSH OFF THE COAST BY LATE AFTERNOON. GALES PERSIST N OF 28N BETWEEN N FLORIDA AND BERMUDA THROUGH FRI NIGHT AS THE FRONT MOVES FURTHER OFF THE COAST. THE FRONT REACHES A POSITION FROM 31N73W TO CENTRAL CUBA BY FRI MORNING...THEN FROM NEAR BERMUDA TO EASTERN CUBA/WINDWARD PASSAGE BY SAT MORNING. NORTHERLY WINDS TO 20 KT FOLLOW THE FRONT. THE FRONT STALLS AND WEAKENS FROM 26N65W TO CENTRAL CUBA BY SUN MORNING...WITH HIGH PRES BUILDING NORTH OF THE FRONT OFF THE JERSEY COAST. WINDS VEER MORE EASTERLY AND INCREASE N OF FRONT IN RESPONSE TO THE STRENGTHENING HIGH PRES TO THE NORTH. THE PERSISTENT STRONG WINDS ALONG WITH A LENGTHENING FETCH AREA CONTRIBUTE TO INCREASING SEAS AND SWELL NE OF THE BAHAMAS SUN AND MON. LOOKING FURTHER AHEAD TO TUE...GLOBAL MODELS SUGGEST A DEEPENING UPPER TROUGH OVER THE WESTERN ATLC...POSSIBLY FOSTERING SURFACE LOW DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WELL EAST OF THE AREA. TIMING AND POSITION OF SUCH A LOW REMAIN UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME HOWEVER. AT ANY RATE...THE MAIN IMPACT WILL BE TO PROLONG STRONG NE FLOW FROM BERMUDA TO THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS INTO TUE...BETWEEN THE LOW PRES EAST OF THE AREA...AND A WEDGE OF HIGH PRES LINGERING OFF THE CAROLINAS. ATLANTIC... GALE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AMZ080 N OF 28N. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER CHRISTENSEN. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.