000 AGXX40 KNHC 261619 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 145 PM EDT SAT JUN 26 2010 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC FROM 07N TO 22N BETWEEN 55W AND 65W...AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W GULF OF MEXICO... A WEAK RIDGE ALONG 30N IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN OVER THE FAR NE GULF THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MON. OTHERWISE...TROPICAL STORM ALEX IN THE NW CARIBBEAN WAS NEAR 17.3N 86.1W 1003 MB AT 1500 UTC MOVING W-NW AT 8 KT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS AT 1500 UTC WERE 40 KT WITH GUSTS TO 50 KT. ALEX WILL MOVE INLAND OVER THE YUCATAN PENINSULA BY SUN MORNING...THEN WILL EMERGE INTO THE SW GULF ZONE SUN EVENING NEAR 20.5N 91.0W AS A 30 KT TROPICAL DEPRESSION WITH GUSTS TO 40 KT. ALEX IS FORECAST TO RESTRENGTHEN TO A TROPICAL STORM AS IT MOVES TO NEAR 22.0N 92.5W MON MORNING...TO NEAR 23.0N 94.0W TUE MORNING...TO NEAR 23.5N 96.0W WED MORNING...THEN INLAND NEAR 24.0N 98.5W THU MORNING. WHILE ALEX IS FORECAST TO WEAKEN AS IT MOVES INLAND OVER THE YUCATAN PENINSULA...STRONG SE-S WINDS OF 20-25 KT WITH HIGHER GUSTS WILL CONTINUE TO BE FUNNELED UP FROM THE NW CARIBBEAN AND THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL INTO THE S CENTRAL AND SE PORTIONS OF THE GULF. SEAS WILL ALSO BE HIGHEST OVER THIS SAME AREA WHILE ALEX IS STILL INLAND. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... TROPICAL STORM ALEX WAS NEAR 17.3N 86.1W 1003 MB AT 1500 UTC MOVING WNW AT 8 KT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS AT 1500 UTC WERE 40 KT WITH GUSTS TO 50 KT. ALEX WILL MOVE TO NEAR 17.7N 87.5W THIS EVENING...THEN INLAND TO NEAR 19.0N 89.1W SUN MORNING. OTHERWISE A TROPICAL WAVE ALONG 66W IN THE E CARIBBEAN WILL MOVE TO ALONG 70W SUN...TO ALONG 74W MON...78W TUE...THEN APPROACHING NICARAGUA WED AND MOVING INLAND THU. MEANWHILE A TROUGH IN THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE TROPICAL N ATLC WILL MOVE NW OF THE AREA BY EARLY MON. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS WILL PERSIST NEAR THE TROUGH AXIS ALONG WITH 20 KT WINDS. ANOTHER TROPICAL WAVE WILL APPROACH THE TROPICAL N ATLC WATERS LATE WED INTO THU...AND AS A RESULT EXPECT AN EASTERLY WIND SURGE OF 20 TO 25 KT OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE TROPICAL N ATLC WED THROUGH THU. SW N ATLC... A RIDGE OF HIGH PRES WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY ALONG 31N THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MON. MEANWHILE E-SE WINDS OF 20 KT WILL CONTINUE TO BE FUNNELED THROUGH THE WATERS S-SW OF THE BAHAMAS /NORTH OF CUBA AND THROUGH THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MON DUE TO THE LARGE OUTER CIRCULATION AROUND TROPICAL STORM ALEX IN THE NW CARIBBEAN SEA. A TROUGH WILL ENTER THE SE PORTION SUN THEN WILL LINGER E OF 70W THROUGH TUE BEFORE DISSIPATING LATE TUE INTO EARLY WED. SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW WILL STRENGTHEN IN THE NW PORTION LATE TUE THROUGH WED AS A COLD FRONT SLOWLY APPROACHES THE SE U.S. COAST. THIS FRONT WILL MOVE OFFSHORE OF THE CAROLINAS AND GEORGIA N OF 31N THU. THE FRONT WILL ALSO NUDGE THE AFOREMENTIONED RIDGE TO THE S AND E TUE THROUGH THU. WARNINGS... ATLC... .NONE. CARIBBEAN... .TROPICAL STORM WARNING W OF 83W THROUGH TONIGHT. GULF OF MEXICO... .TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS EXPECTED FROM 20N TO 26N W OF 90W MON THROUGH WED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER LEWITSKY