000 AGXX40 KNHC 071820 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 120 PM EST THU JAN 7 2010 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 OFF THE TEXAS COAST FOLLOWED BY 20 TO 25 KT NW FLOW. THE FRONT WILL REACH A POSITION FROM ROUGHLY MOBILE BAY ALABAMA TO JUST NORTH OF TAMPICO MEXICO THIS EVENING...THEN CONTINUE SE REACHING FROM SW FLORIDA TO THE BAY OF CAMPECHE BY FRI EVENING THEN SWEEPING SE OF THE GULF ON SAT. WINDS WILL REACH GALE FORCE ALONG THE COAST FROM S TEXAS TO S OF VERACRUZ THROUGH SAT. STRONG NORTHERLY FLOW WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE GULF AS WELL...WITH SEAS BUILDING AS HIGH AS 12 TO 16 FT IN N SWELL OVER SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE GULF. HIGH PRES STARTS TO BUILD FROM TEXAS THROUGH THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY SUN THROUGH TUE. WINDS WILL DIMINISH FROM WEST TO EAST ACCORDINGLY. SEAS WILL LAG THE WINDS BUT SUBSIDE TO LESS THAN 8 FT IN N SWELL OVER THE SE GULF BY LATE MON. LIGHT TO MODERATE N TO NE FLOW WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE GULF BY TUE. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL N ATLC W OF 55W... 1025 MB SURFACE HIGH PRES OVER FLORIDA WILL MOVE INTO THE ATLC OVERNIGHT...ALLOWING WINDS ACROSS THE NW CARIBBEAN TO DIMINISH TEMPORARILY...BUT ALSO ALLOWING WINDS TO INCREASE ELSEWHERE PRIMARILY OVER THE S CENTRAL CARIBBEAN THROUGH FRI. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE GULF OF MEXICO AND THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL BY EARLY SAT...FOLLOWED BY STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS. THE FRONT WILL PUSH S...REACHING A POSITION FROM SE CUBA TO NE NICARAGUA BY EARLY SUN...FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TO COSTA RICA BY EARLY MON...THEN STALLING FROM THE MONA PASSAGE TO WESTERN PANAMA BY EARLY TUE. WINDS ALONG THE COAST MAY REACH NEAR GALE FORCE FROM HONDURAS TO PANAMA SUN INTO TUE BEHIND THE FRONT...WITH SEAS BUILDING IN EXPOSED AREAS TO AS HIGH AS 13 FT WITH N SWELL. STRONG NE WINDS WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT OVER CENTRAL CARIBBEAN AS WELL MON INTO TUE. MEANWHILE A FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS STALLING TO THE NE OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS WHERE IT WILL DISSIPATE THROUGH FRI. SW N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W... BUOY AND ASCAT OBSERVATIONS SHOW WINDS DIMINISHING OVER THE REGION AS A 1025 MB HIGH PRES CENTER MOVES OFF FLORIDA INTO THE ATLC. BUOYS ARE INDICATING NW SWELL OF 7 TO 10 FT OUTSIDE OF THE BAHAMAS. WINDS WILL CONTINUE DIMINISH THROUGH TONIGHT AS THE HIGH PRES BUILDS E...BUT N SWELL WILL REMAIN IN PLACE E OF 70W. SW FLOW WILL INCREASE TO 20 TO 25 KT BETWEEN N FLORIDA AND BERMUDA MAINLY N OF 25N AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT MOVING OFF THE N FLORIDA COAST EARLY FRI. THE FRONT WILL REACH A POSITION FROM BERMUDA TO THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA EARLY SAT...AND FROM 31N60W TO SE CUBA BY EARLY SUN. GLOBAL MODELS SUGGEST A WEAK LOW WILL FORM ALONG THE FRONT NEAR 30N65W BY LATE SUN. EXPECT WINDS TO GALE FORCE IN THE NORTHERLY FLOW BEHIND THE FRONT ON THE WEST SIDE OF THIS LOW SUN NIGHT INTO MON. THE LOW WILL LIFT OUT MON AHEAD OF HIGH PRES BUILDING FROM THE WEST ALONG 30N. THIS WILL ALLOW WINDS TO DIMINISH N OF 22N...WITH FRESH TRADE WIND FLOW REMAINING IN PLACE S OF 22N. SEAS WILL GRADUALLY SUBSIDE THROUGH TUE WITH N SWELL. WARNINGS... ATLC... .GALE CONDITIONS EXPECTED N OF 29N SUN. CARIBBEAN... .NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... .GALE CONDITIONS EXPECTED GMZ080-082 W OF 93W TONIGHT AND GMZ082 S OF 21N W OF 95W FRI AND SAT. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER CHRISTENSEN