000 AGXX40 KNHC 160750 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 247 AM EST TUE DEC 16 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 THE GULF OF MEXICO... COLD FRONT OVER THE NW GULF OF MEXICO EXTENDS FROM CENTRAL LOUISIANA COAST TO JUST N OF TAMPICO MEXICO...FURTHER S THAN ALL NWP MODELS HAD FCST OWING TO THE SHALLOW ARCTIC AIRMASS BEHIND THE FRONT. IN ANY EVENT NLY WINDS OF 20-25 KT AS FCST ARE OCCURRING N OF THE FRONT OVER THE EXTREME NW GULF. THE FRONT SHOULD STALL LATER THIS MORNING FROM SE LOUISIANA TO JUST S OF TAMPICO AND BISECT THE NW GULF ZONE. SINCE THE FRONT PUSHED FURTHER S WILL DELAY THE MOVEMENT OF THE FRONT BACK OVER TEXAS UNTIL TONIGHT. SINCE THE AIRMASS IS SO SHALLOW WE MAY SEE A JUMP IN THE FRONTAL POSITION TO THE TEXAS COAST RATHER THAN CONTINUOUS NWD PROPAGATION. ONCE THE FRONT MOVES INLAND SE RETURN FLOW KICKS IN OVER THE GULF THROUGH SAT WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS OVER THE GULF W OF 95W SAT. THE SW NORTH ATLANTIC... LOW PRES HAS NOW DEVELOPED WELL E OF THE AREA NEAR 28N54W WITH A SFC TROUGH EXTENDING SWWD TO NEAR 22N58W...WHERE ANOTHER CENTER MAY BE FORMING WHICH IF IT DOES THE AREA OF LOW PRES WILL BE MORE ELONGATED IN NATURE WITH A BROAD CENTER. THE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE LOW AND STRONG HIGH PRESS OVER THE N CENTRAL ATLC NEAR 41N55W IS PRODUCING AN AREA OF GALE FORCE WINDS WITHIN 360 NM IN THE NW QUADRANT OF THE LOW AND E OF 60W AS INDICATED BY A 2250 UTC HIGH RES QSCAT PASS. THE BROAD LOW PRES IS FCST TO MOVE WSW TO NEAR 27N59W THIS EVENING AND TO NEAR 25N62W LATE WED AND OPENING UP INTO A TROUGH LATE THU OVER THE SE PORTION OF THE ZONE. THE AREA OF GALES MOVES WWD WITH THE LOW ON WED AND GIVEN THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH A GRADIENT STORM WILL BRING GALES INTO THE E PORTIONS OF THE ZONE ON WED WITH SOME ADJUSTMENTS STILL NECESSARY DEPENDING ON HOW THE LOW EVOLVES. IN ANY EVENT THE TRAJECTORY AND FOCUS OF THE WINDS CHANGES TODAY AND WED WITH N TO NE WINDS OF 20-30 KT PRIMARILY E OF 70W. THE 14 FT SEAS AT BUOY 41043 ARE ABOUT 2 FT HIGHER THAN THE SHORT TERM FCST OF THE NWW3. THESE SEAS COMBINED WITH 11-12 SEC PERIODS SHOULD ARRIVE INTO THE MONA AND ANEGADA PASSAGES SHORTLY AND PERSIST THROUGH WED...AND ABATE THU. AREA OF WINDS BEGINS TO SHRINK THU AND DISSIPATE ALTOGETHER BY LATE FRI. HIGH PRES BUILDS IN SAT WITH LIGHT WINDS ALL AREAS AND SLOWLY DISSIPATING SEAS. THE CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE TROPICAL NORTH ATLANTIC... 2255 UTC HI RES QSCAT PASS INDICATED A BROAD AREA OF NE WINDS OF 20-25 KT OVER THE CARIBBEAN SEA E OF 80W AND THE NW PORTION OF THE TROPICAL N ATLC. IN ADDITION ENHANCED FUNNELING IN THE WINDWARD AND MONA PASSAGES IS UNDERWAY AS WELL. THE FRESH NE WINDS OVER THE TROPICAL N ATLC BACK TO THE NW AND WEAKEN LATER TODAY AND WED AS THE LOW PRES TRACKS N OF THE ZONE. WINDS OVER ALL AREAS WEAKEN SLIGHTLY THU AS THE WEAKENED AREA OF LOW PRES APPROACHES THE GREATER ANTILLES FROM THE NE. WINDS DECREASE ALL AREAS FRI AND SAT AS THE LOW PRES WILL HAVE OPENED UP INTO A TROUGH NEAR HISPANIOLA. ATLANTIC... AMZ080...GALE CONDITIONS EXPECTED WED FROM 24N TO 30N E OF 68W. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER COBB. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.