000 AGXX40 KNHC 101850 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 145 PM EST THU MAR 10 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... A COLD FRONT EXTENDS FROM W CENTRAL FLORIDA TO THE BAY OF CAMPECHE. A LINE OF CONVECTION IS MOVING AHEAD OF THE FRONT OVER THE SE GULF OF MEXICO INTO THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA...DELIVERING STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND COPIOUS LIGHTNING. BUOY...SHIP AND SCATTEROMETER OBSERVATIONS SHOW STRONG NORTHERLY FLOW BEHIND THE FRONT. LAND BASED OBSERVATIONS ALONG THE WESTERN COAST OF THE BAY OF CAMPECHE INDICATED FREQUENT GUSTS TO GALE FORCE EARLIER THIS MORNING AS THE FRONT PUSHED THROUGH THE AREA. WINDS WILL DIMINISH THROUGH FRI MORNING AS HIGH PRES BUILDS OVER THE NORTHERN GULF. SEAS WILL SUBSIDE BY FRI AFTERNOON OVER THE SE GULF AFTER THE WINDS DIMINISH AND AS N SWELL DECAYS. SE RETURN FLOW WILL INCREASE OVER THE FAR WESTERN GULF BY FRI NIGHT AND PERSIST THROUGH SUN. A SURFACE RIDGE WILL SET UP ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF SUN INTO TUE...ALLOWING FRESH E TO SE WINDS TO SET UP OVER THE BAY OF CAMPECHE. SW N ATLC...A COLD FRONT IS MOVING OFF THE N FLORIDA COAST INTO THE WATERS N OF THE BAHAMAS. FRESH TO STRONG SW WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL SHIFT NW BEHIND THE FRONT AS PUSHES E...REACHING FROM 31N77W TO 27N80W THIS EVENING...FROM 31N73W TO CENTRAL CUBA FRI MORNING...FROM 31N65W TO E CUBA SAT MORNING...THEN DISSIPATING SUN MORNING. HIGH PRES WILL SHIFT E ACROSS N FLORIDA AND INTO SW N ATLC LATE SAT THROUGH MON. FRESH NW WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT WILL DIMINISH BY LATE FRI. BUOY DATA SHOW NE SWELL WITH HEIGHTS TO 9 FT AND PERIODS TO 12 SECONDS MOVING INTO THE AREA N OF 28N. THIS WILL PUSH S ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND...BUT DECAY N OF 25N BY LATE SUN. TRADE WIND FLOW INCREASES S OF 22N MON AND TUE...AS HIGH PRES BUILDS N OF AREA. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL N ATLC W OF 55W... E WINDS TO 20 KT PERSIST ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN E OF 77W. THE PRES GRADIENT WEAKENS TONIGHT ALLOWING WINDS TO DECREASE AS HIGH PRES OVER THE ATLC MOVES EWD. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL LATE TONIGHT AND EXTEND FROM CENTRAL CUBA TO N BELIZE FRI MORNING THEN DISSIPATE 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 21N W OF 94W THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER CHRISTENSEN