000 AGXX40 KNHC 161847 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 0250 PM EDT THU SEP 16 2010 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... TROPICAL STORM KARL WAS UPGRADED TO A HURRICANE THIS MORNING. THE CURRENT TRACK HAS KARL MOVING WEST AT 10 KT. KARL IS EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL OVER MEXICO NEAR 20.5N97W FRIDAY EVENING. WINDS 20 KT OR GREATER WILL AFFECT THE SW GULF OF MEXICO THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...THEN WILL DIMINISH BELOW 20 KT SATURDAY. OTHERWISE...NE TO E WINDS OF 15 TO 20 KT AND SEAS OF 3 TO 5 FT WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. SW N ATLC... WINDS ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA HAVE SHIFTED N TO NE DUE TO THE LARGE CIRCULATION AROUND HURRICANE IGOR. IGOR IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE EASTERN PART OF THE AREA...N OF 22N FRI NIGHT. EXPECT INCREASING WINDS AND BUILDING SEAS AS IGOR APPROACHES AND THEN MOVES INTO THE EASTERN PART OF THE FORECAST AREA. HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED N OF 23N E OF 69W BY FRI NIGHT. LARGE SWELLS FROM IGOR WILL DOMINATE THE MAJORITY OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... MAJOR HURRICANE IGOR IS MOVING ACROSS THE NE PORTION OF THE TROPICAL N ATLC. A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT N OF 17N THROUGH FRI NIGHT. LARGE SWELLS GENERATED BY IGOR WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE LEEWARD ISLANDS...PUERTO RICO AND THE UK/US VIRGIN ISLANDS. IGOR IS FORECAST TO BE N OF AREA BY SAT NIGHT. WINDS AND SEAS WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE AFTERWORDS THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. ASIDE FROM NORTHERLY SWELLS MOVING THROUGH EXPOSED PASSAGES INTO THE CARIBBEAN...WINDS LESS THAN 15 KT AND SEAS LESS THAN 5 FT WILL GENERALLY BE EXPECTED OVER THE CARIBBEAN THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. WARNINGS... SW N ATLC... .HURRICANE WARNING N OF 23N E OF 69W FRIDAY. CARIBBEAN... .NONE. TROPICAL N ATLC... .HURRICANE WARNING N OF 17N. GULF OF MEXICO... .HURRICANE WARNING S OF 21N W OF 93W. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER AL