000 AGXX40 KNHC 240635 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 230 AM EDT FRI OCT 23 2009 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT IS IN PLACE EXTENDING FROM THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE NEAR APALACHICOLA TO 24N87W...WITH A STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDING BACK TO NEAR 21N97W. THE COLD FRONT WILL STALL OUT OVER CENTRAL FL SW TO NEAR THE YUCATAN LATER TODAY THROUGH SUN. 05 UTC QUIKSCAT PASS CONTINUES TO INDICATE 20 KT NLY WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT WHICH WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE TO 10-15 KT BY TONIGHT. QUIKSCAT PASS ALSO CONFIRMED THAT SLY WINDS OUT AHEAD OF THE FRONT HAVE DECREASED TO 10-15 KT. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ARE WITHIN 45 NM E OF THE FRONT. HIGH PRES BUILDS DOWN W OF THE FRONT LATER TODAY THROUGH SUN. ANOTHER COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE TX COAST BY EARLY MON AND WILL DISSIPATE AS THE RIDGE OF HIGH PRES EXTENDING OVER THE N GULF WINS OUT. THE HIGH THEN MOVES TO THE E ON TUE AND SLY RETURN FLOW INCREASES TO 20 KT OVER THE FAR NW GULF ON TUE NIGHT INTO WED. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL N ATLANTIC W OF 55W... A BROAD TROUGH OF LOW PRES REMAINS OVER THE SW CARIBBEAN AT THE SFC JUST E OF THE COAST OF NICARAGUA NEAR 13N82W. THIS TROUGH WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH WEAK STEERING IN PLACE OVER THE AREA. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWING AN UPPER LEVEL LOW CENTERED BETWEEN N JAMAICA AND S CUBA. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS WILL CONTINUE TO ROTATE AROUND THIS FEATURE AT THE SFC. TRADES IN THE 15-20 KT RANGE S OF 15N BETWEEN 64W AND 74W WILL EXPAND ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN S OF 18N E OF 75W SUN INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS THE ATLC RIDGE MOVES EWD TIGHTENING THE PRES GRADIENT OVER THE BASIN. MEANWHILE A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL LATER TODAY AND WILL BECOME NEARLY STATIONARY ON SUN. THE FRONT WILL MOVE BACK TO THE N AND WILL DISSIPATE ON MON. THIS FRONT IS WEAK AND THUS DO NOT ANTICIPATE ANY STRONG WINDS WITH IT. A TROPICAL WAVE IN THE ATLC WILL APPROACH 55W LATE MON NIGHT AND WILL WEAKEN ON TUE AS IT APPROACHES THE NE S AMERICA COAST AND LEEWARD ISLANDS. SW N ATLC S OF 31N AND W OF 65W... A BROAD TROUGH OF LOW PRES EXTENDS FROM THE NW BAHAMAS TO THE SE OVER HISPANIOLA. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FEATURE WILL CONTINUE OVER THE AREA. THIS TROUGH WILL MERGE WITH AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT CURRENTLY OVER THE E GULF AS THE FRONT MOVES OVER CENTRAL FL AND JUST OFFSHORE E OF THE FL/GA BORDER WHERE IT WILL STALL OUT THROUGH SUN...THEN WILL DISSIPATE ON MON AS A HIGH PRES RIDGE NEAR 30N STRENGTHENS AND EXTENDS TO THE W. THE PRES GRADIENT BETWEEN THE TROUGH AND ATLC HIGH WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE 20 KT ELY WINDS AND WITH SEAS TO 9 FT...AS CAPTURED BY 05 UTC QUIKSCAT PASS AND AREA BUOYS. THE WINDS WILL BECOME SE TO S LATER TODAY INTO TONIGHT AS THE HIGH MOVES TO THE E. ANOTHER COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE NW WATERS LATE MON MOVING OFFSHORE INTO THE NW AREA ON TUE...THEN DISSIPATES ON WED. SLY WINDS BRIEFLY INCREASE TO NEAR 20 KT N OF 29N E OF THE FRONT TUE. OTHERWISE MOSTLY LIGHT WINDS MON THROUGH WED. WARNINGS... ATLC... .NONE. CARIBBEAN... .NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. $$ FORECASTER LEWITSKY