000 AGXX40 KNHC 260814 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 314 AM EST FRI DEC 26 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... FIVE MODELS FORECAST THE NEXT COLD FRONT TO REACH THE TEXAS GULF COAST ROUGHLY AROUND 28/0000 UTC. RETURN FLOW FROM THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST TO CONTINUE TO RANGE FROM 10 TO 15 KT THIS AFTERNOON EVERYWHERE EXCEPT FROM 15 TO 20 KT IN THE NORTHWESTERN CORNER. WINDS WILL START TO INCREASE TO 20 KT EVERYWHERE ABOUT 24 HOURS BEFORE THE MODELS FORECAST THE COLD FRONT TO REACH THE TEXAS GULF COAST. THE 20 KT WIND SPEEDS WILL START TO DECREASE ONCE THE COLD FRONT REACHES THE TEXAS GULF COAST. SEA HEIGHTS WILL RANGE FROM 2 TO 4 FT IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE EASTERN GULF... AND IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER. SEA HEIGHTS ELSEWHERE WILL RANGE FROM 4 TO 7 FT BEFORE THE COLD FRONT ARRIVES...AND ONCE IT MAKES ITS WAY INTO THE NORTHWESTERN GULF WATERS. 20 TO 25 KT NORTHERLY WINDS AND 5 TO 7 FT SEA HEIGHTS WILL DEVELOP TO THE NORTH OF THE COLD FRONT. A RIDGE WILL DEVELOP FROM FLORIDA INTO THE NORTHEASTERN PART OF THE EASTERN GULF...BRINGING LIGHTER WINDS. SEA HEIGHTS FOR THE EASTERN GULF WILL BE MOSTLY 2 FT OR LOWER. 10 TO 15 KT WIND SPEEDS ARE FORECAST FOR THE REST OF THE AREA. THE SEA HEIGHTS BEHIND THE FRONT WILL RANGE FROM 3 TO 6 FT...AND FROM 3 TO 5 FT ELSEWHERE LATE SUNDAY. IT APPEARS THAT THE COLD FRONT WILL HAVE NO PROBLEM MOVING THROUGH THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A. AND MOST OF THE GULF OF MEXICO...BUT IT WILL BE HUNG UP IN THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE GULF. THIS IS WHAT WE SAW ABOUT ONE WEEK AGO WITH A COLD FRONT. A TROUGH REMAINS ALONG A NORTHWEST-TO-SOUTHEAST LINE IN THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF THE AREA. 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 82W OR SO. SEA HEIGHTS ARE FORECAST TO RANGE FROM 10 TO 12 FT EAST OF 82W...AND FROM 7 TO 9 FT ELSEWHERE. THE ATLANTIC OCEAN... THE AREA FROM 10N TO 27N MAINTAINS A NORTHEASTERLY TO EASTERLY WIND FLOW FROM 20 TO 25 KT THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD WITH SEA HEIGHTS RANGING FROM 10 TO 14 FT. THE AREAS SOUTH OF 10N AND NORTH OF 27N UNDERGO FLUCTUATIONS OF 6 TO 9 FT IN SEA HEIGHTS. WIND SPEEDS LESS THAN 20 KT FOR THE AREA SOUTH OF 10N...AND SOME PERIODS OF WINDS TO 20 KT FOR NORTH OF 27N. ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER MT. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.