000 AGXX40 KNHC 260734 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 300 AM EDT SUN APR 26 2009 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... STRONG RIDGE EXTENDING ALONG 31N FROM 1032 MB HIGH PRES OVER W ATLC WILL CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN A STEADY E TO SE FLOW ACROSS ENTIRE GULF THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. STRONG E WINDS CONTINUE OVERNIGHT ACROSS PORTIONS OF SE GULF AND FLORIDA STRAITS WITH SHIP REPORTS SUGGESTING 25-30 KT WINDS BLOWING DIRECTLY AGAINST THE FLORIDA CURRENT...INDUCING HIGHER AND STEEPER WAVES TO 14 FT AND POSSIBLY HIGHER. WW3 GUIDANCE CONTINUES IN THE 7-9 FT RANGE INVOF OF STRONGEST WIND-CURRENT INTERACTION...DESPITE MULTIPLE SHIP AND JASON ALTIMETER REPORTS OF WAVES IN THE 12-13 FT RANGE. FORECAST LEANS TO REPORTED SEA CONDITIONS WHICH SEEM MORE REASONABLE. RIDGE IS FORECAST TO WEAKEN BY MID WEEK... ALLOWING FOR WIND ACROSS ENTIRE BASIN TO DIMINISH INTO 15-20 KT RANGE. SW N ATLC... WEAKENING STATIONARY FRONT OVER THE ATLC FROM 31N53N TO 24N61W THEN CONTINUES WSW TO THE SE BAHAMAS AS A SHEAR AXIS...WITH SCATTERED MODEST CONVECTION. A 1032 MB HIGH JUST N OF 31N CONTINUES TO FORCE A ZONE OF 20-30 KT NE-E WINDS ACROSS THE BASIN...FUNNELING THROUGH STRAITS OF FLORIDA AND INTO THE SE GULF...AS WELL AS THE WINDWARD PASSAGE. THIS ZONE OF STRONG WINDS EXTENDS SOME 400 NM TO THE NW OF THE SHEAR LINE...AND THROUGH THE BAHAMAS. MAX SEAS OUTSIDE OF THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA ARE OCCURRING JUST E OF THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS...AROUND 11 FT IN MODERATE PERIOD WIND SWELL...AND ARE ALSO PRODUCING VERY ROUGH AND STEEP SEAS IN THE PASSAGES BETWEEN THE ISLANDS. WW3 FORECASTING SEAS ACROSS THIS AREA TO INCREASE TO 12 FT NEXT 24 HOURS BUT IS LIKELY SLOW AS WIND FIELD IS UNDERDONE BY MODELS. THIS BROAD AND ELONGATE FETCH OF 20-30 KT WINDS WILL BEGIN TO GRADUALLY SHRINK...WITH WINDS VEERING ELY DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS...AND ALLOW FOR SOME SLOW AND GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT OF MARINE CONDITIONS ACROSS THE SW N ATLC AND BAHAMAS MON INTO TUE...AND THEN MORE SIGNIFICANTLY BY MID WEEK AS RIDGE WILL HAVE WEAKENED CONSIDERABLY BY THEN. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL N ATLC... HEALTHY PRES GRADIENT BETWEEN THE SW N ATLC HIGH AND THE COLOMBIAN 1010 MB LOW CONTINUES TO FORCE STRONG EASTERLY TRADES ACROSS TROPICAL ATLC AND CARIBBEAN BASINS...REACHING AS HIGH AS 30 KT ALONG COAST OF COLOMBIA. LITTLE CHANGE IN THIS PATTERN IS EXPECTED THROUGH MONDAY EVENING BEFORE THE WEAKENED RIDGE ALLOWS FOR RELAXATION OF WINDS. SEAS ARE FORECAST TO BUILD TO 9 FT ACROSS E CARIBBEAN BY EARLY TUE AND TO 11 FT WRN CARIB...AND 13 FT OFF THE COAST OF COLOMBIA. TROPICAL ATLC SEAS WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD THROUGH MONDAY AS THE LONG FETCH OF E-NE TRADE WINDS PERSISTS WELL UPSTREAM. ATLC... .NONE.. CARIBBEAN... .NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. FORECASTER STRIPLING. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.