000 AGXX40 KNHC 020741 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 345 AM EDT FRI APR 2 2010 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W GULF OF MEXICO... SURFACE HIGH PRES LOCATED OVER THE SW N ATLC EXTENDS A RIDGE SW ACROSS THE GULF WATERS. PRES GRADIENT BETWEEN THIS HIGH AND LOWER PRES OVER TEXAS IS RESULTING IN SLY RETURN FLOW OF 20 TO 25 KT OVER WEST-CENTRAL GULF. AN ASCAT PASS FROM 0306 UTC CORROBORATED THESE WIND SPEEDS. PRES GRADIENT WILL RELAX LATE TODAY AHEAD OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT MOVING OFF THE TX COAST LATE TONIGHT. THE FRONT WILL STALL FROM LOUISIANA TO THE BAY OF CAMPECHE SAT THEN WILL LIFT NW AS A WARM FRONT SUN AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE E SETTING UP SE RETURN FLOW SUN THROUGH TUE. WINDS WILL AGAIN INCREASE TO 20 TO 25 KT LATE TUE INTO WED WITH THE NEXT COLD FRONT LIKELY ENTERING THE NW PORTION OF THE GULF LATE WED. ACCORDING TO THE MARINE GUIDANCE...STRONG NLY WINDS OF UP TO 30 KT WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT. SW N ATLC W OF 55W... PRES GRADIENT BETWEEN A 1002 MB LOW LOCATED NE OF AREA AND THE 1020 HIGH PRES CENTERED NEAR 30N79W IS RESULTING IN AREA OF NW WINDS OF 20 TO 25 KT OVER THE NE PORTION OF THE FORECAST REGION PARTICULARLY N OF 25N AND E OF 70W. A RECENT ASCAT PASS VERIFIED THESE WIND SPEEDS WHICH ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH BELOW 20 KT LATE TODAY. NLY SWELL ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE LOW WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE REGIONAL WATERS TODAY REACHING THE BAHAMAS AND THE NE CARIBBEAN PASSAGES LATE THIS AFTERNOON. A SURFACE RIDGE EXTENDS FROM THE ABOVE MENTIONED HIGH TO NEAR PUERTO RICO. THIS RIDGE WILL FLATTEN AS SURFACE HIGH CENTER SHIFTS E ACROSS NORTHERN WATERS STALLING NEAR 30N72W MON AND TUE WITH RIDGE E TO W ALONG 30N. THIS WILL SUPPORT E WINDS IN THE 15 TO 20 KT RANGE OVER AREA S OF 25N EARLY NEXT WEEK THEN AS HIGH SHIFTS E GRADIENT WILL RELAX SOME BY MID WEEK. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... HIGH PRES N OF AREA IS PRODUCING NE TO E WINDS OF 15 TO 20 KT OVER MOST OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA WITH STRONGER WINDS...IN THE 20 TO 25 KT RANGE...NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA. THIS WEATHER PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST DURING MOST OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. A COLD FRONT FROM THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC ENTERS THE TROPICAL N ATLANTIC NEAR 22N59W THEN CONTINUES SW OVER THE NE PORTION OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA. THE FRONT WILL REMAIN OVER THE N PORTION OF THE TROPICAL N ATLANTIC AND THE LEEWARD ISLANDS OVER THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOUR BECOMING STATIONARY IN ABOUT 48 HOURS AND THEN DIFFUSE IN 72 HOURS. WARNINGS... ATLC... .NONE. CARIBBEAN... .NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER GR