000 AGXX40 KNHC 090708 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 210 AM EST WED DEC 09 2009 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W GULF OF MEXICO... A COLD FRONT IS MOVING SE INTO THE TEXAS COASTAL PLAINS...AND WILL PUSH INTO THE NW GULF OF MEXICO LATER THIS MORNING. IT WILL MOVE RAPIDLY EASTWARD LATER TODAY AND REACH FROM THE FLORIDA BIG BEND TO JUST NORTH OF TAMPICO MEXICO BY AFTERNOON...FOLLOWED BY FRESH TO STRONG NORTHERLY FLOW. THE FRONT WILL SLOW TONIGHT AS THE UPPER FORCING DRIVING THE FRONT LIFTS OUT...AND THE FRONT WILL STALL FROM THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA TO BETWEEN TAMPICO AND VERACRUZ BY LATE THU...WITH STRONG NE WINDS N OF THE FRONT. THE FRONT WILL LIFT N OVER THE WESTERN GULF AS THE NEXT MID TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGH DIGS OVER THE SW U.S. AND NORTHERN MEXICO. THE NEXT COLD FRONT WILL MOVE OFF THE TEXAS COAST BY EARLY SAT...AND FOLLOWING THE PATTERN OF THE CURRENT FRONT WILL PUSH RAPIDLY EASTWARD ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO. GLOBAL MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW A WEAK LOW PRES AREA DEVELOPING ALONG THE FRONT FRI INTO SAT...MOVING FROM NE MEXICO TOWARD LOUISIANA. HIGH PRES BUILDING BEHIND THE SECOND FRONT WILL BE WEAKER AND FURTHER NORTH...RESULTING IN RELATIVELY MODEST NORTHERLY WINDS FOLLOWING THE SECOND FRONT. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL N ATLC WATERS W OF 55W... SHIP OBSERVATIONS ALONG WITH A RECENT ASCAT AND WINDSAT PASSES SHOWED FRESH TO STRONG TRADES OVER MAINLY THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN...AND IN THE GULF OF HONDURAS. BUOYS NE OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS INDICATE A SWATH OF NORTHERLY SWELL UP TO 8 FT WITH 11 SECOND PERIOD IS MOVING SOUTHWARD. A RIDGE OF HIGH PRES EXTENDING FROM THE CENTRAL ATLC THROUGH THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS WILL MAINTAIN THE FRESH TO STRONG TRADES THROUGH THE WEEKEND OVER MOST OF THE CARIBBEAN AND OVER THE ATLC WATERS E OF THE LESSER ANTILLES. THE NORTHERLY SWELL NE OF THE LEEWARDS WILL DECAY THROUGH TODAY...BUT EAST SWELL ASSOCIATED WITH THE PERSISTENT TRADE WINDS WILL DEVELOP THROUGH THE LATTER PART OF THE WEEK ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN AND TROP N ATLC WATERS. SW N ATLC W OF 55W... SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE STARTING TO INCREASE OFF THE N FLORIDA COAST...BETWEEN HIGH PRES OVER THE CENTRAL ATLC AND DEEPENING LOW PRES OVER THE SE UNITED STATES. WINDS BETWEEN N FLORIDA AND BERMUDA WILL VEER SW AND INCREASE TODAY...AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT MOVING OFF THE N FLORIDA COAST BY THIS EVENING. THE FRONT WILL PUSH SE AND EXTEND FROM BERMUDA TO THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA BY LATE THU...FOLLOWED BY FRESH N TO NE WINDS. NORTHERLY SWELL WITH HEIGHTS OF UP TO 15 FT AND PERIODS OF 12 SECONDS WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA MAINLY OVER THE WATERS E OF 70W...WITH THE HIGHEST SEAS E OF BERMUDA. WARNINGS... ATLC... NONE. CARIBBEAN... .NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. $$ FORECASTER CHRISTENSEN