000 AGXX40 KNHC 271847 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 250 PM EDT TUE APR 27 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 HAS ENTERED THE N WATERS AND WILL MOVE QUICKLY ACROSS NE GULF THIS AFTERNOON EXITING THE AREA THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT. A RECENT WINDSAT PASS SHOWED NW WINDS OF 20 KT BEHIND THE FRONT. WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20 TO 25 KT AHEAD AND BEHIND THE FRONT OVER THE NE PORTION OF THE GULF LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. HIGH PRES BUILDS BEHIND THIS FRONT WED MOVING INTO E GULF THU AND E OF FL FRI AND SAT. STRONG SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW...IN THE 20 TO 30 KT RANGE...WILL BUILD ACROSS THE GULF FRI AND SAT AS THE PRES GRADIENT STRENGTHENS BETWEEN THE HIGH CENTERED OVER THE SW ATLC AND TROUGHING OVER TEXAS AND NE MEXICO. THE SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS ARE EXPECTED TO PEAK LATE FRI INTO SAT WITH SEAS TO AROUND 13 FT. A COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO ENTER THE NW PORTION OF THE GULF LATE SAT. SW N ATLANTIC S OF 31N W OF 55W... A COLD FRONT ENTERS THE AREA NEAR 31N73W AND CONTINUES SW TO WESTERN CUBA AND THE NW CARIBBEAN WHERE IT BECOMES STATIONARY. STRONG SW WINDS ARE NOTED AHEAD OF THE FRONT PER AN EARLIER WINDSAT PASS AND A COUPLE OF ASCAT PASS FROM THIS MORNING. THESE WINDS COVER MAINLY THE AREA N OF 27N AND E OF FRONT TO 60W. A SECOND COLD FRONT WHICH IS ALREADY OVER THE N GULF OF MEXICO WATERS...WILL MOVE INTO NW PORTION OF THE AREA TONIGHT FOLLOWED BY FRESH TO STRONG NW WINDS. THE LATEST RUN OF THE GFS COMPUTER MODEL SHOWS SW WINDS NEAR GALE FORCE JUST AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT LATE TONIGHT. THIS FRONT IS FORECAST TO MERGE WITH THE ABOVE MENTIONED FRONT BY LATE WED. THE MERGED FRONT WILL EXTEND OVER THE SE PORTION OF THE AREA THU AND GRADUALLY DISSIPATE OVER THE REGION ON FRI. HIGH PRES STRENGTHENS AS IT MOVES E ACROSS THE ZONE N OF 29N THU THROUGH SAT. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... A FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY THROUGH WED AND GRADUALLY DISSIPATE THERE. MODERATE TO FRESH TRADE WINDS OVER THE W CARIBBEAN AND NEAR COAST OF COLOMBIA WILL INCREASE TO STRONG LATE THU THROUGH SAT. FRESH TRADE WINDS IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE TROPICAL N ATLANTIC WILL DIMINISH BY THU AS HIGH PRES OVER THE CENTRAL ATLC MOVES NE AND WEAKENS. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE N PORTION OF THE ZONE SAT. WARNINGS... ATLC... .NONE. CARIBBEAN... .NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER GR