000 AGXX40 KNHC 310734 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 230 AM EST WED DEC 31 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 GULF OF MEXICO... HIGH PRES OVER THE NE WATERS WILL SHIFT S BECOMING A WEAK E TO W RIDGE ALONG 26N EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ALMOST DUE S OVER THE NORTHERN WATERS TODAY STALLING ALONG ROUGHLY 25N TONIGHT. WINDS WILL SHIFT RAPIDLY TO THE NE BEHIND THE FRONT...BUT NOT AS STRONG AS PREVIOUSLY FORECAST...ONLY IN THE 15-20 KT RANGE. WEAK LOW PRES WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE TX COAST AND MOVE N DRAGGING THE FRONTAL REMNANTS N THU AND THU NIGHT. AS THE WEAK LOW PRES PASSES N OF THE AREA OVER WESTERN LA IT WILL DRAG A SECOND COLD FRONT S TO THE NORTHERN COASTAL PLAINS. THE MODELS ARE SUGGESTING THE RIDGE WILL BECOME RE-ESTABLISHED E TO W ALONG 26N SAT...BUT CONSIDERABLY STRONGER...AND WILL BLOCK THE SOUTHERN ADVANCE OF THE SECOND FRONT. SLY RETURN INCREASES SAT AROUND THE RIDGE IN ADVANCE OF A THIRD COLD FRONT ALONG THE TX COAST AROUND SUNRISE SUN. NE WINDS INCREASE TO 15-20 KT N OF FRONT EXCEPT 20-25 KT OVER THE EXTREME NW GULF WATERS SUN NIGHT. ATLC AND TROPICAL ATLC N OF 18N... A COLD FRONT IS LOSING IDENTITY ALONG PSN 27N55W TO 24N75W. HIGH PRES CURRENTLY NEAR 28N77W WILL SHIFT RAPIDLY E THIS MORNING ALLOWING A SECOND COLD FRONT...ACCOMPANIED BY NLY 20-25 KT WINDS...TO MOVE INTO THE NW ATLC WATERS...REACHING FROM 31N75W TO SE FL SUNSET TODAY...AND FROM JUST E OF BERMUDA TO CENTRAL BAHAMAS SUNRISE THU...ALONG 27N55W TO 22N70W TO CUBA AT 23N78W SUNSET THU....AND DISSIPATING OVER THE TROPICAL WATERS NE OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS FRI AND FRI NIGHT. BY THEN A THIRD COLD FRONT... ACCOMPANIED BY 15-20 KT NLY WINDS...MOVES INTO THE NORTHERN ATLC WATERS AND RACES SE MERGING WITH THE REMNANTS OF THE SECOND FRONT OVER THE E PORTION OF THE DISCUSSION AREA SUN. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL ATLC WATERS S OF 18N... THE SERIES OF COLD FRONTS TO THE N WILL DRIVE LONG PERIOD N SWELLS S ACROSS THE TROPICAL ATLC ZONE WITH SOME MOVING THROUGH THE E CARIBBEAN PASSAGES REACHING THE COAST OF VENEZUELA E OF 70W EARLY THU. OTHERWISE MOSTLY NE-E WINDS AT 10-15 KT OVER AREA N OF 15N AND NE 15-20 KT S OF 15N...THOUGH A LITTLE STRONGER ALONG NW COAST COLOMBIA...THROUGH SAT. WINDS BECOME SE 15-20 KT OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN SAT NIGHT INTO SUN. ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER NELSON. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.