000 AGXX40 KNHC 201915 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 215 PM EST SUN DEC 20 2009 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W GULF OF MEXICO... NLY WINDS CONTINUE TO DIMINISHED ACROSS ALL BUT THE SE GULF TODAY AS HIGH PRES GRADUALLY SINKS INTO THE NW GULF COAST REGION. NW TO N WIND NEAR 20 KT CONTINUE ACROSS THE FAR SE GULF AND THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL AS DEPICTED BY A MORNING WINDSAT PASS. HIGHEST SEAS WERE THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL AT 7-8 FT AND OFF THE NW COAST OF CUBA WHERE HIGH SURF LIKELY CONTINUED...AND A 12Z SHIP REPORTED 10 FT SEAS. THE SURFACE HIGH PRES CENTERED OVER THE MS DELTA WILL SINK INTO THE NW GULF THIS EVENING AND THEN SHIFT E TO THE FL PANHANDLE MON NIGHT... ALLOWING SLY RETURN FLOW TO INCREASE W OF 92W MON NIGHT THEN SPREADING E TO COVER AREA W OF 85W TUE NIGHT. GUIDANCE INDICATES SLY WINDS IN THE 20 TO 30 KT RANGE. THE NEXT COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE OFF THE TEXAS COAST WED EVENING WITH ANOTHER BLAST OF COOL AIR ACROSS THE W AND NW THU. CURRENTLY...GUIDANCE INDICATES MAX WINDS OF 25-30 KT IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT. CARIBBEAN AND SW N ATLC W OF 55W... WEAKENING FRONT FROM EASTERN CUBA TO JAMAICA TO THE SW CARIBBEAN ALONG THE NICARAGUA-COSTA RICA BORDER WILL PERSIST FOR ANOTHER 24 HOURS BEFORE BEGINNING TO DRIFT N AS A WARM FRONT MON NIGHT THROUGH TUE NIGHT. A MORNING WINDSAT PASS SHOWED A BROAD AREA OF 25 KT NLY WINDS DIVING BEHIND THE FRONT...BUILDING SEAS TO 6 TO 8 FT...WELL UNDER WWIII GUIDANCE. MODERATE SELY FLOW ACROSS THE ERN CARIBBEAN IS PRODUCING RELATIVELY MILD CONDITIONS ACROSS ALL BUT THE FAR SRN CARIB WATERS...WITH MODERATE NLY SWELL CONTINUING TO BLEED THROUGH THE CARIBBEAN PASSAGES TODAY...WHILE FADING. STRONG COLD FRONT SWEEPING THROUGH THE REGION PAST FEW DAYS WAS BECOMING SOMEWHAT DIFFUSE ACROSS THE CENTRAL ATLC ALONG ABOUT 30N AND EXTENDED SE TO THE ERN COASTS OF CUBA. SUPPORTING UPPER LEVEL WLYS WILL DRAG THIS FRONT E AND SE NEXT FEW DAYS...WHILE IT SNAGS ACROSS THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN OF HISPANIOLA. BROAD FIELD OF NW TO W WINDS OF 20-25 KT DOMINATES MOST OF THE ATLC N OF 25-26N E OF THE BAHAMAS TODAY...WITH AREAS OF 25-30 KT N OF 28N. THIS ALL GENERATING LARGE NW TO W-NW SWELL PROPAGATING TOWARDS THE TROPICAL ATLC AND AFRICA. FIRST PULSE OF THIS NWLY ENERGY IS MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL TROPICAL ATLC ATTM...WITH A NEW PULSE CURRENTLY BEING GENERATED W OF 60W ACROSS THE W AND NW ATLC ASSOCIATED WITH DEEP LAYERED LOW SHIFTING OFF OF NEW ENGLAND. THIS WILL MAINTAIN HIGH SEAS IN EXCESS OF 12 FT ACROSS N PORTIONS OF THE AREA FOR SEVERAL MORE DAYS...PEAKING AT OR ABOVE 20 FT ALONG 30N WITH EACH PULSE. ANOTHER SHARP AND HIGH AMPLITUDE SRN STREAM UPPER TROUGH IS MOVING FROM THE EPAC INTO MEXICO AND SW TEXAS TODAY...AND IS FORECAST TO SLIDE ENE ACROSS THE REGION DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS...THEN LIFT A BIT MORE NE OVER THE FLAT UPPER RIDGE ACROSS THE TROPICAL ATLC WED-THU. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR INTERACTION OF THE LINGERING FRONTAL BOUNDARY IN THE CARIBBEAN AND ACROSS HISPANIOLA TUE-WED...AND WILL LIFT THE BOUNDARY N AND NE AND INDUCE VERY ACTIVE WEATHER...AND HEAVY PRECIP. HIGH PRES TO THE N OF THE BOUNDARY WILL AID IN CREATING 2-25 KT WINDS WITHIN A FEW DEGREES N OF THE BOUNDARY...AND ACROSS THE BAHAMAS...E HALF OF CUBA...AND THROUGH THE WINDWARD PASSAGE TUE AFTERNOON THROUGH WED...YIELDING SEAS 8-12 FT WHERE THERE IS SUFFICIENT FETCH. WARNINGS... ATLC... .NONE. CARIBBEAN... .NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER STRIPLING