000 AGXX40 KNHC 021740 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 145 PM 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... AN E TO W RIDGE ACROSS THE N COASTAL PLAINS WILL MAINTAIN SE RETURN FLOW BUT RELAXING SOME EARLY TONIGHT AS RIDGE RETRACTS E ALLOWING A WEAK COLD FRONT TO MOVE OFF THE TX COAST LATE TONIGHT. WINDS QUICKLY VEER TO NE...BUT ONLY AT 10 KT BEHIND FRONT WHICH IS EXPECTED TO STALL IN N TO S ORIENTATION ALONG ROUGHLY 93W SAT AFTERNOON. AS ATLC RIDGE BUILDS W AGAIN SAT NIGHT INTO SUN...REMNANTS OF FRONT WILL MOVE BACK W TO PSN WELL INLAND BY SUN AFTERNOON...BUT ACCOMPANIED BY SOME SHOWERS. SE RETURN FLOW IN THE 15 TO 20 KT RANGE WILL COMMENCE AND CONTINUE THROUGH REMAINDER PERIOD. GUIDANCE STILL SUGGESTING THAT NEXT COLD FRONT WILL MOVE OFF TX COAST AROUND SUNSET WED FOLLOWED BY 20 TO 25 KT NLY WINDS. SW N ATLC W OF 55W... A RIDGE JUST E AND PARALLEL TO THE BAHAMIAN CHAIN WILL SHIFT E AND EXTEND FROM 31N77W TO PUERTO RICO AND IS EXPECTED TO FLUCTUATE ALONG ROUGHLY THIS POSITION THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF PERIOD. A SERIES OF NW SURGES CONTINUE TO PROPAGATE SE OVER THE WATERS E OF THIS RIDGE WITH GRADIENT SUPPORTING 20 TO 30 KT...AND RESULTANT MAX SEAS TO 16 FT IN NNW SWELL. THESE NLY WINDS SHOULD DIMINISH BELOW 20 KT OVER ALL WATERS W OF 65W SAT NIGHT...AND OVER WATERS BETWEEN 65W AND 55W BY LATE SUN NIGHT. ASSOCIATED NLY SWELLS RESULTING IN COMBINED SEAS TO 8 FT...WILL ARRIVE AT NE CARIBBEAN PASSAGES SAT AFTERNOON. E OF 55W... A SURFACE LOW PRES NEAR 31.5N61W IS ESTIMATED AT 1003 MB SHOULD DIP JUST A LITTLE FURTHER S THIS AFTERNOON THEN LIFT QUICKLY NE PULLING THE SERIES OF POST FRONTAL TROUGHS THROUGH WATERS E OF 65W INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. NEXT WEEK WINDS WILL BE IN THE 10 KT RANGE ALL WATERS N OF 27N ROTATING CLOCKWISE AROUND RIDGE...WITH GRADIENT SUPPORTING STRONGER NE TO E WINDS AT 15 TO 20 KT OVER WATERS S OF 27N THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. GUIDANCE SUGGESTING THE NEXT COLD FRONT ALONG E COAST CONUS MIDDAY THU. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... A WEAKENING COLD FRONT WILL MOVE E INTO THE TROPICAL N ATLC WATERS THIS AFTERNOON WHERE IT WILL CONTINUE TO WEAKEN WHILE DRIFTING E AND SE THROUGH SUN NIGHT. A SERIES OF POST FRONTAL TROUGHS WILL FOLLOW THIS INITIAL FRONT OVER THE NORTHERN TROPICAL ATLC WATERS THROUGH SUN NIGHT. OTHERWISE ELY TRADES WILL PREVAIL THROUGH REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD...WITH THE NORMAL ENHANCED AREA WINDS AND SEAS NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA. NEXT COLD FRONT IN YUCATAN CHANNEL ON THU NIGHT. WARNINGS... ATLC... .NONE. CARIBBEAN... .NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER NELSON