000 AGXX40 KNHC 250821 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 320 AM EST THU DEC 25 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 NOW IS ALONG THE COAST FROM SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA TO TEXAS...AND TO NORTHEASTERN MEXICO. RETURN FLOW FROM THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST TO CONTINUE TO RANGE FROM 10 TO 15 KT THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL START TO INCREASE TO 20 KT IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE EASTERN GULF...AND IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE NORTHWESTERN GULF STARTING EARLY IN THE MORNING ON FRIDAY. THE INCREASING WIND SPEED TREND CONTINUES FROM THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE EASTERN GULF INTO CENTRAL PARTS OF THE CENTRAL GULF WATERS...AND IN GENERAL WEST OF 90W WITH WIND SPEEDS RANGING FROM 15 TO 20 KT. 20 KT WINDS COVER THE ENTIRE NORTHWESTERN PART...MORE AND MORE FROM THE EASTERN GULF INTO THE NORTHERN TWO-THIRDS OF THE CENTRAL GULF...AND IN THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER. A COLD FRONT ENTERS THE NORTHWESTERN GULF WATERS IN THE MIDDLE OF SATURDAY...AND THE WIND SPEEDS SLOW DOWN EVERYWHERE TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE FRONT. 20 TO 25 KT WIND SPEEDS ARE FORECAST EVERYWHERE TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE FRONT. THE FRONT REACHES A LINE FROM THE FLORIDA BIG BEND TO THE EAST CENTRAL GULF WATERS TO THE YUCATAN PENINSULA IN THE MIDDLE OF SUNDAY. THE FRONT REACHES SOUTH FLORIDA BY THE MIDDLE OF MONDAY. THE SEA HEIGHTS BUILD TO 6 TO 8 FT DURING THE MOMENTS OF THE INCREASES IN THE WIND SPEEDS. THE SEA HEIGHTS RANGE MOSTLY FROM 4 TO 7 FT DURING THE MOMENTS OF WIND SPEEDS RANGING FROM 10 TO 15 KT. THE SEA HEIGHTS ARE GENERALLY 3 FT OR LESS NORTH OF 25N EAST OF 85W...EXCEPT DURING THE MOMENTS OF COMPARATIVELY FASTER WIND SPEEDS AND THEN FROM 4 TO 5 FT. THE CARIBBEAN SEA... THE WIND MACHINE CONTINUES IN FULL STRIDE. NE TO E WINDS WILL RANGE FROM 20 TO 25 KT ROUGHLY FROM 10N TO 18N EAST OF 80W OR SO. SEA HEIGHTS ARE FORECAST TO RANGE FROM 10 TO 12 FT EAST OF 80W...AND FROM 7 TO 9 FT ELSEWHERE. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... A COLD FRONT EXTENDS THROUGH 27N35W TO 25N51W. A STATIONARY FRONT CONTINUES FROM 25N51W TO 24N59W. A DISSIPATING STATIONARY FRONT CONTINUES FROM 24N59W TO 24N70W AND 25N79W. THE WIND SPEEDS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN CORNER OF THE SOUTHWESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN START AT 20 KT FROM THE EAST...AND EVERYTHING EVENTUALLY IN THE SW NORTH ATLANTIC STAYS AT 10 TO 15 KT MAXIMUM. THE WIND SPEEDS IN THE TROPICAL NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN GENERALLY ARE FROM THE NORTHEAST 20 TO 25 KT UNTIL EARLY ON MONDAY WHEN THE WIND SPEEDS DECREASE TO ONLY 10 TO 15 KT. THE SEA HEIGHTS RANGE FROM 10 TO 12 FT NORTH OF 10N UNTIL THE MIDDLE OF SATURDAY AFTER WHICH THE HEIGHTS RANGE FROM 8 TO 10 FT...AND FROM 8 TO 9 FT SOUTH OF 10N. A SUFFICIENTLY AND COMPARATIVELY STRONG-ENOUGH RIDGE TO THE NORTH OF THE AREA MAINTAINS 20 TO 25 KT NORTHEASTERLY TO EASTERLY WINDS AND SEA HEIGHTS RANGING FROM 10 TO 13 FT LATE TONIGHT/EARLY FRIDAY. THE RIDGE SHIFTS TO THE SOUTH INTO THE FORECAST AREA...AND THE WIND SPEEDS LIGHTEN UP TO 10 TO 15 KT NORTH OF 22N. THE 20 TO 25 KT WIND SPEEDS AND 10 TO 14 FT SEA HEIGHTS SHIFT TO THE AREA SOUTH OF 22N. THE RIDGE HAS SUNK SOUTHWARD BY EARLY SATURDAY ALL THE WAY TO THE SOUTH OF 31N...AND THE WIND SPEEDS AND SEA HEIGHTS HAVE CUT BACK EVERYWHERE...TO 10 TO 15 KT AND FROM 7 TO 10 FT. ANOTHER FRONT SHOWS UP IN THE ATLC WATERS. 20 TO 25 KT LATE SATURDAY INTO EARLY SUNDAY. NE WINDS FROM 20 TO 25 KT AND SEA HEIGHTS RANGING FROM 8 TO 11 FT ARE BEHIND THE FRONT. THE WIND SPEEDS FALL TO THE 10 TO 15 KT RANGE EARLY ON MONDAY. THE SEA HEIGHTS END UP RANGING FROM 8 TO 10 FT BY THE END OF THE OVERALL FORECAST PERIOD. ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER MT. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.