000 AGXX40 KNHC 180742 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 241 AM EST THU DEC 18 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... DISSIPATING STATIONARY FRONT REMAINS OVER THE EXTREME NW GULF OF MEXICO FROM THE W-CENTRAL LOUISIANA COAST TO 26N97W. WINDS N OF THE FRONT ARE IN THE PROCESS OF VEERING TO THE SE..THUS WE MAY BE SEEING A JUMP OF THE FRONT INLAND OVER TEXAS. MODERATE RETURN FLOW KICKS IN TODAY AND WEAKENS SOMEWHAT ON FRI...THEN PICKS UP AGAIN W OF 95W SAT. NEXT COLD FRONT MOVES OFF THE TEXAS COAST ON SUN WITH MODELS DIFFERING ON THE TIMING OF THE FRONT. THE GFS/ECMWF ARE THE FASTEST WHILE THE CMC IS THE SLOWEST. THE UKMET/NOGAPS OFFER A COMPROMISE SOLUTION. WILL LEAN TOWARD THE GFS/ECMWF AND PLACE THE FRONT FROM THE FL BIG BEND TO 26N90W TO 23N97W BY LATE SUN AND S OF THE GULF INTO THE SRN BAY OF CAMPECHE BY LATE MON. N TO NE WINDS OF 25-30 KT ARE EXPECTED N OF THE FRONT. EVEN THOUGH THE GFS ENSEMBLES SHOW A 10 PERCENT PROB OF GALES...STILL CANNOT RULE OUT GALE FORCE WINDS GIVEN THE ARCTIC AIRMASS. WILL NOT HEADLINE GALES NOW AND WAIT TO SEE NWP MODEL TRENDS. THE SW NORTH ATLANTIC... QUASI-STATIONARY NON-TROPICAL LOW PRES E OF THE AREA NEAR 26N58W 1010 MB WITH A SFC TROUGH EXTENDING SWWD TO NEAR 20N62W. LOW PRES IS FORECAST TO REMAINS STATIONARY TODAY BEFORE WEAKENING TO A TROUGH EARLY FRI. PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN THE LOW AND HIGH PRESS OFF THE N FLORIDA COAST HAS RELAXED WITH N TO NE WINDS OF 20-25 KT AS INDICATED BY 2158 AND 2340 UTC HI RES QSCAT PASSES AND SHIP REPORTS. WINDS DROP OFF TO 20 KT OR SO FRI WITH CURRENT SEAS OF 10-15 FT SUBSIDING TO 9-11 FT BY LATE FRI. MODERATE NE SWELLS OF 10-11 FT WILL AFFECT THE MONA AND ANEGADA PASSAGES TODAY AND SUBSIDING TO 8-9 FT TONIGHT AND FRI. HIGH PRES BUILDS IN SAT WITH LIGHT WINDS ALL AREAS AND SLOWLY DISSIPATING SEAS. A BACKDOOR FRONT SLIDES JUST TO THE NE OF THE AREA SUN AS SW WINDS INCREASE TO 20 KT OVER THE FAR NW PORTION IN ADVANCE OF A COLD FRONT EXITING OFF THE SE COAST LATE SUN. THIS FRONT SWEEPS RAPIDLY SE AND EXTENDS FROM 31N65W TO THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS BY LATE MON PER TIMING OF THE GFS/ECMWF. NW WINDS PICK UP TO 20-25 KT BEHIND THE FRONT AND GIVEN THE ARCTIC AIRMASS WILL LIKELY REACH 30 KT BRIEFLY. WINDS QUICKLY VEER TO N AND NE AND DIMINISH TO 20 KT LATE MON. THE CARIBBEAN SEA AND THE TROPICAL NORTH ATLANTIC... A 2342 UTC HIGH RES QSCAT PASS INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF FUNNELING NE WINDS OF 20-25 KT ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN W OF 72W. WINDS WERE MOST PRONOUNCED IN THE WINDWARD PASSAGE. WINDS CONTINUE TODAY THEN DIMINISH ON FRI AS HIGH PRESS N OF THE AREA WEAKENS. THERE MAY BE SOME WEAK FUNNELING OF WINDS IN THE WINDWARD PASSAGE TO 20 KT FRI. LIGHT TRADE WINDS ALL AREAS SAT INCREASE TO 15-20 KT OVER N PORTIONS OF THE TROPICAL N ATLC ZONE SUN. AREA OF WINDS BECOMES MORE WIDESPREAD OVER THE TROPICAL N ATLC ZONE AND FAR E CARIBBEAN BY LATE MON. COLD FRONT ENTERS THE YUCATAN CHANNEL BY LATE MON WITH INCREASING NE WINDS. ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER COBB. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.