000 AGXX40 KNHC 030741 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 345 AM EDT SAT APR 3 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 OVER THE N GULF STATES COMBINED WITH LOWER PRES OVER TEXAS IS PRODUCING MODERATE TO FRESH SE RETURN FLOW OVER THE WESTERN GULF. THIS FLOW WILL RELAX SOME TODAY AS RIDGE RETRACTS E ALLOWING A WEAK COLD FRONT TO MOVE OFF THE TX COAST EARLY THIS MORNING. WINDS QUICKLY VEER TO NE...AT 10 TO 15 KT BEHIND FRONT WHICH IS EXPECTED TO STALL FROM LOUISIANA TO THE BAY OF CAMPECHE THIS AFTERNOON. AS THE ATLC RIDGE BUILDS W AGAIN TONIGHT INTO SUN...THE REMNANTS OF FRONT WILL MOVE BACK W TO A PSN WELL INLAND BY SUN AFTERNOON. SE RETURN FLOW IN THE 15 TO 20 KT RANGE WILL SET UP AGAIN ACROSS THE WESTERN GULF AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. ANOTHER WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE OFF THE TEXAS COAST BY WED FOLLOWED BY NE WINDS OF AROUND 20 KT. SW N ATLC W OF 55W... A RIDGE OF HIGH PRES EXTENDING JUST E AND PARALLEL TO THE BAHAMA ISLANDS TO PUERTO RICO IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN ALONG ROUGHLY THIS POSITION THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. THE COMBINATION OF THIS RIDGE AND A 1003 MB LOW LOCATED NEAR 30N56W IS STILL GENERATING AN AREA OF NW WINDS IN THE 20 TO 25 KT RANGE WITH MAX SEAS TO 14 FT IN N SWELL OVER THE NE PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA MAINLY N OF 25N AND E OF 70W. THESE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH BELOW 20 KT BY SUN MORNING AS THE LOW PRES MOVES SLOWLY NE. THE ASSOCIATED NLY SWELLS RESULTING IN COMBINED SEAS TO 8 FT...WILL ARRIVE AT NE CARIBBEAN PASSAGES THIS AFTERNOON. 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 ENTERS THE TROPICAL N ATLC NEAR 20N55W THEN CONTINUES SW ACROSS THE LEEWARD ISLANDS...BETWEEN ANTIGUA AND GUADALOUPE...INTO THE NE CARIBBEAN TO NEAR 16N70W. THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO WEAKEN WHILE DRIFTING E AND SE THROUGH SUN NIGHT. OTHERWISE ELY TRADES WILL PREVAIL THROUGH REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD...WITH THE NORMAL ENHANCED AREA OF WINDS AND SEAS NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA. WARNINGS... ATLC... .NONE. CARIBBEAN... .NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER GR/MN