000 AGXX40 KNHC 211938 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 340 PM EDT SAT MAR 21 2009 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... WINDS ARE FAIRLY UNIFORM OUT OF THE NE TO E AND GENERALLY 10-15 KT...BESIDES FOR A SWATH OF 15-20 KT N OF 26N E OF 88W. THESE ENHANCED WINDS WILL SPREAD S AND W ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE GULF TONIGHT AND SUN AS STRONG HIGH PRES OVER THE OHIO VALLEY SHIFTS SE CLOSER TO THE REGION. WINDS WILL THEN VEER E TO SE LATE MON AND INCREASE TO 20-25 KT AS THE RIDGE SHIFTS E AND STRENGTHENS. CORRESPONDINGLY...SEAS WILL BUILD TO 6 TO 10 FT ACROSS MUCH OF THE GULF...HIGHEST OVER THE CENTRAL AND WRN WATERS. BY MID-WEEK...NWP MODELS ARE SHOWING A WEAK FRONT SKIRTING THE FAR NW WATERS AND HIGH PRES WEAKENING E OF THE AREA. THIS WILL WEAKEN THE PRES GRADIENT ALLOWING WINDS TO RELAX SLIGHTLY. DID NOT PUT ANY MENTION OF SHOWERS IN FORECAST BUT ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE IN ENHANCED E FLOW. CARIBBEAN... TRADES REMAIN SLIGHTLY BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGE OVER MUCH OF THE CARIBBEAN DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF LOW PRES AND A COLD FRONT OVER THE SW N ATLC. SCATTEROMETER AND SFC DATA SHOWS THE STRONGEST FLOW (20-25 KT) IN THE USUAL ZONE NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA. NE FLOW HAS RECENTLY INCREASED TO 20 KT N OF 20N W OF 77W ENHANCED BY A BUILDING RIDGE OVER THE ERN CONUS. TRADES WILL GENERALLY INCREASE SLIGHTLY TONIGHT AND THEN CHANGE LITTLE THROUGH MID-WEEK AS HIGH PRES BECOMES ESTABLISHED OVER THE W ATLC. WW3 GUIDANCE SHOWS NE SWELL FLOWING THROUGH THE E CARIBBEAN PASSAGES THROUGH THE PERIOD...ELEVATING SEAS TO 8 FT. ATLANTIC... WEAK AND ELONGATED 1014 MB LOW PRES SYSTEM CENTERED ABOUT 240 NM S OF BERMUDA NEAR 28N65W IS MOVING NE AT ABOUT 15 KT AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT LOCATED FROM 31N65W TO S FLORIDA. WINDS ARE GENERALLY 15-20 KT IN THE VICINITY OF THE LOW...AND MUCH STRONGER NE 20-30 KT FLOW W OF THE FRONT. THESE STRONG WINDS COMBINED WITH N SWELL ARE ELEVATING SEAS TO 9-14 FT NE OF THE BAHAMAS. MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT IN SHOWING THE LOW ACCELERATE NE MOVING OUT OF THE SW N ATLC ZONE TONIGHT. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO BECOME INCREASINGLY DIFFUSE AND WILL MOVE E OF THE AREA SUN NIGHT. ANOTHER FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE NE WATERS TUE. AN ASSOCIATED N SWELL TRAIN WILL ASSIST IN ELEVATING SEAS TO 12-18 FT E OF 72W BY MID-LATE WEEK. ATLANTIC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... NONE. FORECASTER CANGIALOSI. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.