000 AGXX40 KNHC 240852 CCA MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION...COR NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 314 AM EST WED DEC 24 2008 CORRECTING THE DATE OF QUIKSCAT WIND OBSERVATIONS FROM 22 DEC TO 23 DEC 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... S TO SE WINDS RANGING FROM 20 TO 30 KT FOR THE NEXT 12 TO 18 HOURS. THE WIND SPEEDS WILL CUT BACK TO 10 TO 15 KT UNTIL EARLY FRIDAY IN THE NW CORNER AS THE WIND SPEEDS PICK UP TO THE 15 TO 20 KT RANGE. THE WIND SPEEDS BUILD AGAIN WITH TIME STARTING IN THE NW CORNER...PROGRESSING INTO THE SW CORNER. WIND SPEEDS OF 15 TO 20 KT DEVELOP IN THE SE CORNER...AND A BIT IN THE EAST CENTRAL GULF WATERS...BEFORE EVERYTHING RETURNS TO THE 10 TO 15 KT RANGE. A COLD FRONT ENTERS THE NW CORNER OF THE AREA ON SAT AFTERNOON. THE FRONT IS ALONG A LINE FROM THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE TO THE CENTRAL GULF WATERS INTO THE SW CORNER BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE FRONT REACHES A LINE FROM CENTRAL FLORIDA TO THE SOUTH CENTRAL GULF. THE CARIBBEAN SEA... QUIKSCAT WINDS FROM 23/2252 UTC SHOW SOME 35 KT OBSERVATIONS IN THE WINDWARD PASSAGE...THUS WILL START A GALE WARNING FOR 30 TO 35 KT WINDS FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS IN THE WINDWARD PASSAGE. THE GFS MODEL ACTUALLY DOES NOT FORECAST THIS EVENT...AND THE GFS MODEL DROPS THE WINDS TO MUCH LOWER WIND SPEEDS ABOUT 18 HOURS INTO THE BEGINNING OF THIS FORECAST. I WILL START THE GALE EVENT AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS AFTER BASED ON THE UNCERTAINTIES. THE TAIL END OF THE CURRENT ATLANTIC OCEAN COLD FRONT WAS FORECAST 24 HOURS AGO TO BE CUTTING ACROSS THE GREATER ANTILLES AT THIS MOMENT. THAT SCENARIO NEARLY HAS MATERIALIZED. THE ENDPOINT FOR A DISSIPATING STATIONARY FRONT IS 23N78W JUST NORTH OF CUBA. THE WIND MACHINE CONTINUES IN FULL STRIDE FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT 72 HOURS. NE TO E WINDS RANGING FROM 20 TO 30 KT WILL BE PRESENT ROUGHLY FROM 10N TO 18N EAST OF 80W OR SO. SEA HEIGHTS ARE FORECAST TO RANGE FROM 10 TO 11 FT E OF 70W...AND FROM 12 TO 14 FT W OF 70W. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... QUIKSCAT WINDS FROM 23/2245 UTC SHOW NE WINDS RANGING FROM 25 TO 30 KT IN AN AREA FROM 23N TO 27N BETWEEN 65W AND 75W. THE CURRENT FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS COLD THROUGH 31N45W TO 26N57W...STATIONARY FROM 26N57W TO 24N67W...AND DISSIPATING STATIONARY FROM 24N67W TO 23N78W. THE FORECAST IS FOR THIS FRONTAL BOUNDARY EITHER TO CONTINUE MOVING EASTWARD AND/OR DISSIPATE WITH TIME. A COLD FRONT FORECAST TO REACH THE NW CORNER OF THE GULF OF MEXICO IN 24 HOURS SKIRTS THE AREA FROM NORTHERN FLORIDA INTO GEORGIA IN 48 HOURS...AND THE FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE ATLC WATERS ALONG A LINE FROM 31N49W TO 28N68W IN 72 HOURS. THE WINDS DURING THE NEXT 72 HOURS ARE NE AND REACH AT LEAST 20 TO 25 KT FROM 10N TO 28N EAST OF 70W. SEA HEIGHTS IN THIS SAME BIG AREA RANGE FROM 10 TO 14 FT DURING THE SAME TIME PERIOD. ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... GALE WARNING IN WINDWARD PASSAGE...AMZ086. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER MT. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.