000 AGXX40 KNHC 161949 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 245 PM EST FRI JAN 16 2009 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO... CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. A 1043 MB HIGH OVER THE MS VALLEY HAS MAINTAINED A STRONG PRES GRADIENT ACROSS MUCH OF THE GULF OF MEXICO TODAY...WITH FRESH NELY STRONG WINDS OF 20 TO 25 KT...AND JUST BEGINNING TO ABATE TO 20 KT ACROSS THE NW AND N SECTIONS THIS AFTERNOON. THE GRADIENT WILL WEAKEN LATER TONIGHT ACROSS THE N HALF OF THE GULF AND THEN ACROSS THE ENTIRE GULF BY SAT NIGHT...WITH SEAS SUBSIDING. THE NEXT FRONT IS FORECAST TO DROP INTO THE N GULF SUNDAY AFTERNOON...WITH 20-30 KT SW FLOW FORECAST BY THE GFS AHEAD OF IF ACROSS THE NE GULF. THE SW ATLC COLD FRONT WAS RELATIVELY STATIONARY EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON...BUT HAS BEGUN TO NUDGE SE THIS PAST COUPLE OF HOURS AS REINFORCING FRONT HAS MOVED INTO THE W ATLC TO NW BAHAMAS. THIS IS SOME OF THE VERY COLD AIR RECENTLY ACROSS THE N AND CENTRAL U.S. AND RESULTANT COLD AIR ADVECTION IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE NLY FLOW OF 20 TO 25 KT THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT N OF 29N...N 20 KT INTO THE FAR NW BAHAMAS...AND THEN N TO NE 20 TO 25 KT ACROSS THE REMAINING NW HALF OF THE BAHAMAS. BUILDING SEAS WILL BE SEEN ACROSS THIS AREA...WITH SEAS IN THE GULF STREAM BECOMING HIGH AND STEEP FROM CONTINUED NORTHERLY WINDS. ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE ATLC...THE RIDGE AXIS REMAINS CENTERED ACROSS THE CENTRAL ATLC AND IS MAINTAINING A LONG AND BROAD ZONE OF 20 TO 25 KT WINDS FROM THE E ATLC INTO THE E CARIB TODAY...WITH SEAS STILL 12 TO 15 FT IN ELY SWELL ACROSS THE ATLC BETWEEN 8N AND 22N. ALTHOUGH THE TUTT REFLECTION...EASTERLY WAVE...INVERTED TROUGH...HAS MOVED INTO THE CARIBBEAN... THE GRADIENT REMAINS TIGHT AND NO ABATEMENT OF WIND OR SEAS IS EXPECTED S OF THE RIDGE FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. COLD FRONT REMAINS STATIONARY OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN FROM CENTRAL CUBA TO GULF OF HONDURAS WILL SLOWLY WEAKEN THROUGH SUN. STRONG NE WINDS 20 TO 25 KT AND SEAS 9 TO 12 FT NW OF THE FRONT WILL DECREASE SUN AS THE FRONT WEAKENS. STRONG TRADES ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SW CARIBBEAN WILL DECREASE SAT NIGHT AS EASTERLY WAVE NOW ALONG 63/64W CONTINUES TO MOVE W AND WEAKENS THE FLOW TO THE W OF THIS TROUGH...AND S OF 15N BEHIND IT. THIS WILL PRODUCE A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN CARIBBEAN WINDS AND SEAS DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS COMPARED TO THE PAST WEEK. THE EASTERLY WAVE HAS LOST ITS UPPER SUPPORT AND WILL WEAKEN QUICKLY DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS...WITH MAJORITY OF MOISTURE AND WEATHER LIFTING NW INTO THE ATLC N OF THE ISLANDS. ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER STRIPLING. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.