000 AGXX40 KNHC 050944 CCA MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 430 AM EST THU FEB 5 2009 .COR TO FRONTS IN ATLANTIC SECTION... MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO... CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... COLD FRONT HAS MOVED S THROUGH ALL BUT THE SW GULF...WITH A DIFFUSE BOUNDARY EXTENDING FROM CENTRAL CUBA TO THE YUCATAN ALONG 20N TO N OF BROWNSVILLE. STRONG NLY FLOW THROUGH THE PAST 18 HOURS ACROSS THE ERN GULF HAS GENERATED NLY SWELL THAT SHOULD CURRENTLY BE POUNDING THE NW COAST OF CUBA AND MOVING THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL...WHERE THE SLY CURRENT IS LIKELY AMPLIFYING 8 TO 9 FT SEAS TO NEAR 15 FT AS FAR N AS 23N. 1037 MB HIGH ACROSS THE LOWER MS VALLEY WILL SETTLE INTO THE FL PANHANDLE TODAY AND THEN SLIDE E OVER THE WEEKEND. THIS WILL PRODUCE RAPIDLY VEERING WINDS AND IMPROVING CONDITIONS ACROSS THE GULF NEXT 24 HOURS. SLY RETURN FLOW IN THE WRN GULF IS FORECAST TO INCREASE TO 20-25 KT ALONG THE TEXAS COASTAL WATERS BY LATE FRI AND THEN GRADUALLY GULF WIDE THROUGH MONDAY AS BLOCKING MID TO UPPER RIDGING ACROSS THE SE U.S. SETS UP PERSISTENT SURFACE RIDGE ALONG 30N INTO THE ERN GULF. CARIBBEAN... FIRST FRONTAL BOUNDARY HAS DISSIPATED FROM THE WINDWARD PASSAGE SW INTO THE FAR W CARIB. COLD AIR DIVING INTO THE NW AND W CARIB WITH AND AHEAD OF THE GULF FRONTAL SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO ENHANCE THE NNE FLOW ACROSS THE W HALF OF THE CARIB TODAY TO PRODUCE GALES ALONG AND OFFSHORE OF THE COASTS OF NICARAGUA AND COLOMBIA...WITH 20 TO 30 KT WINDS PREVAILING ELSEWHERE W OF 74W. ACCELERATED FLOW DOWNWIND OF CUBA...AND W OF JAMAICA...MAY ALSO YIELD PERIODS OF FREQUENT GALE FORCE GUSTS TODAY...AND THROUGH THE WINDWARD PASSAGE TONIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING. OTHERWISE THIS N TO NE FLOW ACROSS THE ENTIRE W HALF OF THE BASIN WILL PUMP UP SEAS 12 TO 15 FT ACROSS THE SW CARIB THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY BEFORE SUBSIDING. MODERATE TO FRESH TRADES WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE E HALF OF THE BASIN WITH SEAS GENERALLY 6 TO 8 FT EXCEPT 6 FT AND LESS IN THE LEE OF THE ISLANDS. ENE TRADE WIND SWELL WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE E AND NE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS AND PASSAGES WHILE LARGE LONG PERIOD NW SWELL BEING GENERATED BY THIS MOST RECENT FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL HIT THE ISLANDS AND PASSAGES FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH EVENING...AFFECTING THE W AND NW COASTS. ATLANTIC W OF 55W... THE PAIR OF COLD FRONTS ACROSS THE SW ATLC CONTINUE TO PRODUCE FRESH TO STRONG WINDS AND BUILDING NW SWELL THIS MORNING...WITH GALES N OF 29N AND WITHIN 240 NM OF THE SECOND OR WESTERN MOST FRONT EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TODAY BEFORE LIFTING OUT OF THE AREA BY EVENING. 12 TO 18 FT SEAS GENERALLY PREVAIL BEHIND THE FRONT IN LARGE NW SWELL. THESE LARGE SEAS WILL SPREAD THROUGH THE BAHAMAS TODAY...THROUGH THE TURKS AND CAICOS AND TO NRN HISPANIOLA TONIGHT...AND THEN REACH PUERTO RICO AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND THEN THE NRN LEEWARDS DURING THE EVENING. SEAS 10 TO 12 FT IN THIS LARGE NWLY SWELL WILL REACH THE N COAST OF HISPANIOLA FRIDAY MORNING...WITH 10 FT SEAS REACHING THE OPEN WATERS N OF THE NE CARIB ISLANDS AND THE EXTREME N LEEWARDS DURING THE DAY FRIDAY...PRODUCING LARGE AND DANGEROUS SURF. MERGING NW AND ENE SWELL ACROSS THE ATLC NE THROUGH E OF THE LESSER ANTILLES FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THE WEEKEND WILL PRODUCE ROUGH AND CONFUSED SEAS. HIGH PRES WILL SLIDE E ALONG ABOUT 30N AND OVER THE W ATLC FRI THROUGH THE WEEKEND TO YIELD VEERING AND DECREASING WINDS ACROSS THE ATLC WITH SEAS SUBSIDING QUICKLY LATE FRI NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY N OF 27N. THE COLD FRONTS ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY MERGE LATE TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING ACROSS THE ATLC AS THEY MOVE SLOWLY E AND SE AHEAD OF THE SLIDING HIGH. THIS DISSIPATING BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO BECOME STRUNG OUT FROM THE NE COAST OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ENE TO THE CENTRAL ATLC THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WITH 20-25 KT FLOW PERSISTING WITHIN A FEW DEGREES BEHIND THE FRONT. THIS WILL PRODUCE NELY WIND SWELL THAT WILL MAINTAIN 8-10 FT SEAS S OF 27N AND FROM THE BAHAMAS TO THE ATLC WATERS OFF OF THE NE CARIB THROUGH THE WEEKEND. ATLANTIC... AMZ088...GALE WARNING. CARIBBEAN... AMZ084...GALE WARNING. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER STRIPLING. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.