000 AGXX40 KNHC 230817 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 317 AM EST TUE DEC 23 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... A STATIONARY FRONT IS ALONG THE LINE FROM 23N80W TO 23N90W TO 23N93W. A WARM FRONT CONTINUES FROM 23N93W TO A 1016 MB LOW PRESSURE CENTER NEAR 26N96W. A STATIONARY FRONT CONTINUES FROM THE LOW CENTER TO 22N97W. THE GALE WIND EVENT FROM 22/1200 UTC HAS ENDED. A QUIKSCAT PASS AT 0052 UTC SHOWS 25 TO 30 KT EASTERLIES FROM 23N TO 28N BETWEEN 93W AND 96W. A LARGER AREA THAT CONTAINS 20 KT WINDS IS WEST OF 87W...INCLUDING 20 KT SOUTH OF 21N BETWEEN 94W AND 96W IN THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE AREA. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS EAST OF 90W DURING THE EARLY TIME PERIODS. THE WINDS INCREASE TO E TO SE 20 TO 25 KT WITH 8 TO 10 FT SEA HEIGHTS UNTIL TUESDAY LATE MORNING. THE WIND SPEEDS DECREASE TO 10 TO 15 KT UNTIL LATE FRIDAY...WHEN THEY INCREASE TO 15 TO 20 KT FOR AT LEAST 12 HOURS OR SO...AND THEN THE WIND SPEEDS DECREASE AGAIN TO 10 TO 15 KT. A FRONT APPROACHES THE TX GULF COAST/NW GULF WATERS LATE ON FRIDAY. SOUTHERLY WINDS REACH AT LEAST 20 KT WEST OF 90W AT LEAST 12 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF THE FRONT. THE WIND SPEEDS INCREASE TO 20 TO 30 KT BEHIND THE FRONT AND DECREASE W OF 90W TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE FRONT. THE FRONT MAY BE ALONG THE LINE FROM 31N86W TO 25N92W TO THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE AREA BY THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. THE CARIBBEAN SEA... THE INCREASING SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN HIGH PRESSURE TURNS ON A WIND MACHINE OF AT LEAST 20 KT WINDS IN THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA AND IN THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SEA...AND A MIXTURE OF 15 TO 20 KT WINDS IN THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA... DURING THE NEXT 5 DAYS. THE SEA HEIGHTS BETWEEN 70W AND 80W SOUTH OF 17N OR SO ARE FORECAST TO RANGE FROM 10 TO 15 FT. EXPECT 10 TO 11 FT SEAS EAST OF 70W...AND 6 TO 8 FT SEAS ELSEWHERE. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... THE COLD FRONT NOW ALONG 31N61W 26N70W 23N80W MOVES EASTWARD AND OUT OF THE HSFAT2 FORECAST AREA TUESDAY INTO THE LATE MORNING HOURS. NORTHEASTERLY TO EASTERLY WINDS ARE FORECAST ACROSS THE AREA AS THE FRONT MOVES OUT OF THE AREA. THE GFS AND UKMET ARE AGGRESSIVE IN FORECASTING AT LEAST 20 TO 25 KT WINDS AT THE START OF THE PERIOD...AND THEN CUTTING BACK TO 15 KT OR SO FROM THE NORTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE AREA SPREADING EASTWARD GRADUALLY WITH TIME. THE NAM AND NOGAPS MODELS ARE NOT FAR BEHIND THE FIRST TWO MODELS AND FOLLOW THE SAME TREND FROM THE SAME DIRECTION. THE SEA HEIGHTS BUILD TO COMPARATIVELY THE HIGHEST VALUES RANGING FROM 10 TO 14 FT EAST OF 73W...AND THEN DECREASING GRADUALLY WITH TIME. THE WIND SPEEDS AND SEA HEIGHTS SEEM TO BE THE FASTEST AND HIGHEST DURING THE FIRST FEW TIME PERIODS OF TODAY...TONIGHT...AND WEDNESDAY...DECREASING WITH TIME DURING THE REST OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER MT. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.