000 AGXX40 KNHC 091906 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 200 PM EST WED MAR 09 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... FRESH TO STRONG SW FLOW IS EVIDENT IN ASCAT AND BUOY DATA OVER THE N CENTRAL GULF AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT MOVING OFF THE TEXAS COAST AND INTO THE NW GULF OF MEXICO. STRONG TO NEAR GALE FORCE WINDS WILL FOLLOW THE FRONT ACROSS MUCH OF THE WESTERN HALF OF THE GULF. SREF AND GFS ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE INDICATE A DECENT CHANCE OF GALE FORCE WINDS ALONG THE SOUTHERN COAST OF VERACRUZ STATE IN THE FAR SW GULF BY VERY LATE TONIGHT PERSISTING THROUGH TOMORROW MORNING. SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH AS HIGH AS 13 FT OVER THE SW GULF BY THU MORNING...WITH 8 TO 12 FT ELSEWHERE. THE FRONT WILL SWEEP SE OF THE GULF BY LATE THU/EARLY FRI...WITH WINDS AND SEAS DIMINISHING FROM NW TO SE ACROSS THE GULF AS HIGH PRES SETTLES BEHIND THE FRONT. LINGERING N SWELL OVER THE SE GULF WILL GRADUALLY SUBSIDE BELOW 8 FT BY SAT. SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW WILL INCREASE AGAIN BY LATE FRI OVER THE FAR WESTERN GULF. THE HIGH PRES WILL STALL OVER THE NE GULF BY LATE SAT...WITH A RIDGE EXTENDING W ALONG ROUGHLY 25N. EXPECT FRESH SE WINDS OVER THE SW GULF BY SUN S OF THE RIDGE AXIS...DIMINISHING BY MON. SW N ATLC... A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE DEEP SOUTH STATES WILL PUSH OFF THE SE U.S. COAST MOVE OFF SE COAST THU AFTERNOON AND EXTEND FROM 31N73W TO CENTRAL CUBA FRI MORNING...FROM 31N65W TO E CUBA SAT MORNING THEN DISSIPATE FROM26N65W TO THE WINDWARD PASSAGE BY SUN MORNING. FRESH SE WINDS OFF THE N FLORIDA COAST AND N OF THE BAHAMAS WILL VEER SW AND INCREASE THROUGH EARLY THU...THEN SHIFT NW BY THU AFTERNOON AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. EXPECT FRESH TO STRONG W OF THE FRONT FRI THEN DECREASE SAT WITH LARGE NLY SWELLS TO 10 FT W OF THEN FRONT FRI AND SAT SUBSIDING SUN. LIGHT TO MODERATE NE WINDS WILL PREVAIL BY MON MORNING...WITH TRADES INCREASING BY LATE MON S OF 22N. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL N ATLC W OF 55W... MODERATE TO FRESH SE WIND ARE NOTED BY SHIP AND OBSERVATIONS OFF THE YUCATAN COAST...WITH NE TO E TRADES IN THE 20-25 KT RANGE ELSEWHERE. THE PRES GRADIENT WEAKENS ON THU ALLOWING WINDS TO DECREASE AS HIGH PRES OVER THE ATLC MOVES EWD. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE THROUGH YUCATAN CHANNEL LATE THU NIGHT AND EXTEND FROM CENTRAL CUBA TO N BELIZE FRI MORNING...BEFORE DISSIPATING FRI NIGHT. HIGH PRES BEHIND THE FRONT WILL MOVE N OF REGION SAT THROUGH MON TO FRESHEN TRADES ACROSS CENTRAL CARIBBEAN. WARNINGS.. ATLC... .NONE. CARIBBEAN... .NONE. GULF OF MEXICO... .GMZ084...S OF 20N W OF 95W THU MORNING. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER CHRISTENSEN