000 AGXX40 KNHC 140645 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 200 AM EST MON FEB 14 2011 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC...AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... HIGH PRES CENTERED OVER THE NORTH-CENTRAL GULF NEAR 29N86W WILL MEANDER OVER THE NE PORTION OF THE AREA THROUGH TUE THEN WILL SHIFT NE OF THE REGION TOWARD THE CAROLINAS...WITH A RIDGE EXTENDING FROM NW FLORIDA TO NE MEXICO THROUGH LATE IN THE WEEK. NE WINDS AT 15-20 KT ARE STILL NOTED NEAR THE YUCATAN CHANNEL BUT WILL DIMINISH BELOW 20 KT LATER TODAY. WINDS WILL BECOME LIGHT AND VARIABLE N OF 25N AROUND THE HIGH PRES CENTER THROUGH EARLY TUE...THEN INCREASE IN THE SLY RETURN FLOW NW OF RIDGE AXIS OVER NW WATERS DURING MID WEEK PULSING TO 15-20 KT ALONG NE MEXICO AND EAST TX COAST BEGINNING ON TUE NIGHT WITH SEAS BUILDING TO ABOUT 7 FT IN THIS AREA THU INTO FRI. SW N ATLC W OF 55W... A RIDGE IS BUILDING E ACROSS FL INTO THE NW WATERS ALONG 29N. A QUASI-STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDS FROM 27N65W TO EASTERN CUBA AND IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING SE BUT SLOW DOWN TODAY. A BAND OF NE WINDS AT 20 KT IS NOTED S OF 26N WITHIN 300 NM W OF THE FRONT WITH SEAS TO 9 FT OVER ATLC WATERS NE OF THE BAHAMIAN CHAIN. THE 0144 UTC ASCAT PASS VERIFIED THE WIND SPEEDS. AS THE FRONT SLOWS TODAY THE WINDS WILL DIMINISH TO 15 KT BUT SEAS CONTINUE TO 9 FT WATERS NE OF BAHAMAS IN THE N SWELL. BY THEN...WLY WINDS N OF RIDGE WILL INCREASE TO 15-20 KT IN ADVANCE OF SECOND DRIER COLD FRONT MOVING OFF GA COAST THIS EVENING. THIS SECOND FRONT WILL RACE SE...MERGING WITH REMNANTS OF THE INITIAL FRONT AROUND TUE MORNING...WITH THE MERGED FRONT WASHING OUT FROM 23N55W TO E HISPANIOLA LATE IN THE WEEK. NW TO N WINDS IN THE 20 TO 25 KT RANGE ARE EXPECTED BEHIND THE MERGING COLD FRONT BY TUE AFTERNOON WITH BUILDING SEAS TO AROUND 14-15 FT IN NW SWELL. THE HIGHEST SEAS CAN BE FOUND ACROSS THE NE PART OF THE FORECAST AREA. A RIDGE WILL EXTEND E-W FROM NEAR BERMUDA TO NE FL FRI. A BELT OF NE WINDS AT 15-20 KT WILL DOMINATE THE WATERS S OF 23N E OF THE BAHAMAS ACCOMPANIED BY 8-11 FT SEAS IN N SWELL. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL ATLC WATERS... A QUASI-STATIONARY FRONT EXTENDS FROM EASTERN CUBA TO NE HONDURAS. NLY WINDS OF 20 KT WITH ISOLATED SPOTS OF 25 KT ARE NOTED IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT OVER THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN AND THE GULF OF HONDURAS. THE FRONT IS FORECAST TO GRADUALLY DISSIPATE THROUGH TONIGHT. NE-E WINDS OF 15 TO 20 KT ARE BLOWING ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE BASIN EXCEPT LOCALLY ENHANCED TO 25 KT NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH TO NE-E 15-20 KT THROUGHOUT TUE AND TUE NIGHT...AND 10-15 KT FROM LATE WED THROUGH FRI...BUT STILL SLIGHTLY HIGHER ALONG THE COAST OF COLOMBIA. FRESH TRADE WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE TROPICAL N ATLC WITH SEAS OF 8-13 FT IN MIXED N AND E SWELL. THIS WEATHER PATTERN WILL PERSIST THROUGH TUE. PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL RELAX WED-THU WITH SEAS SUBSIDING TO 9 FT E OF THE WINDWARDS...BUT NE-E WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20 KT WITH SEAS 8-12 FT IN N SWELL OVER THE WATERS NE OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS WED NIGHT-FRI. WARNINGS.. ATLC... .NONE. CARIBBEAN... .NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER GR