000 AGXX40 KNHC 030657 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 300 AM EDT SUN MAY O3 2009 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... RIDGE AXIS OVER THE GULF COASTAL STATES AND BROAD TROUGHING OVER TEXAS AND NE MEXICO IS PRODUCING MODERATE TO FRESH SE WINDS OVER GULF WATERS...WITH SE-S RETURN FLOW INCREASING UP TO 25 KT OVER THE WESTERN PORTION TODAY AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT FORECAST TO CLIP THE NW GULF BY EARLY MON THEN STALL AND SHIFT BACK INTO COASTAL WATERS OF N GULF TUE. THE RETURN FLOW W OF 95W WILL DIMINISH BY MON AS E-SE WINDS TAKE OVER ENTIRE AREA...BUT WILL INCREASE ONCE AGAIN TO 20 KT WED AS HIGH PRES OVER THE ATLANTIC STRENGTHENS. THE MOST RECENT QSCAT PASS SHOWED SLY WINDS OF 20 KT OVER THE WESTERN GULF N OF 24W AND WEST OF 92W AS WELL AS ELY WINDS OF 20 KT JUST N OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA. SW N ATLC... A SURFACE TROUGH IN THE EASTERLIES CURRENTLY EXTENDING FROM 26N61W TO 17N61W IS DRIFTING WWD. CLOUD-TRACKED WINDS AND NIGHT CHANNEL SATELLITE IMAGERY CONFIRM THE PRESENCE OF THIS TROUGH. IN ADDITION...A QSCAT PASS FROM AROUND 2300 UTC SHOWED NE WINDS OF 20 TO 25 KT JUST AHEAD OF THE TROUGH AXIS. SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE WITHIN AROUND 200 NM EITHER SIDE OF TROUGH AXIS WHICH IS FORECAST TO MOVE WWD ENTERING THE SW N ATLC SUN EVENING AND REACHING 70W MON EVENING...THEN WEAKENING AS IT TRACKS NW TUE. SEAS WILL RANGE FROM 7 TO 10 FT BEHIND THE TROUGH AXIS. A NEW HIGH PRES CENTER IS FORECAST TO FORM WITHIN THE RIDGE NEAR 35N55W ON TUE AND WED BRINGING AN INCREASE IN ELY WINDS AND SEAS S OF 25N BUT E OF THE BAHAMAS. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL N ATLC... A QSCAT PASS FROM AROUND 2300 UTC AND SFC DATA SHOWED AN AREA OF 20-25 KT NE TO E WINDS OVER THE SOUTH-CENTRAL CARIBBEAN. THE SFC TROUGH PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED WILL MOVE FROM THE TROPICAL N ATLC INTO THE NE CARIBBEAN WITH THE ASSOCIATED SHOWERS ACTIVITY REMAINING N OF AREA. OVERALL WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO DIMINISH ACROSS THE BASIN WITH THE LIGHTEST WINDS OVER THE E CARIBBEAN TODAY AND MON AS THE AREA IS SITUATED TO THE S OF THE WWD MOVING SFC TROUGH. ELY WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20 KT OVER THE TROPICAL N ATLC TUE AND WED DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF A 1032 MB SURFACE HIGH LOCATED N OF AREA NEAR 35N55W. ATLC... .NONE.. CARIBBEAN... .NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. FORECASTER GR. TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER.