000 AGXX40 KNHC 240728 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 325 AM EDT WED AUG 24 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 WEAK PRES PATTERN CONTINUES OVER THE GULF THIS MORNING...WITH 1014MB HIGH PRES CENTERED OVER THE N CENTRAL GULF. SHIP...BUOY AND OIL RIG DATA SHOW MAINLY 5 TO 10 KT OF E TO SE FLOW OVER THE WESTERN 2/3 OF THE GULF...WITH NE WINDS AT 10 KT OVER THE EASTERN GULF. THE OUTLIER REMAINS THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA AND THE FAR SE GULF...WHERE SHIP OBSERVATIONS INDICATED 10 TO 15 KT...AND OCCASIONALLY UP TO 20 KT. LIGHT TO MODERATE NE TO E WINDS WILL PERSIST INTO FRI...WITH MODERATE TO FRESH NE WINDS OVER THE EASTERN GULF DUE TO THE ADVANCE OF HURRICANE IRENE OVER THE WESTERN ATLC. WINDS WILL START TO BACK TO THE NW AND W THROUGH SAT ACROSS THE GULF AS IRENE MOVE TOWARDS THE CAROLINAS...AND A WEAK COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. THE FRONT DISSIPATES OVER THE N GULF COAST BY SUN AS IRENE LIFTS OUT TO THE NE...LEAVING LIGHT NORTHERLY FLOW ACROSS THE GULF. SW ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W... HURCN IRENE N OF HAITI NEAR THE TURKS AND CAICOS...CURRENTLY CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE ...FORECAST TO INTENSIFY AS IT MOVES NW ACROSS BAHAMAS THROUGH FRI. IRENE THEN TRACK MORE NORTHWARD...AND BE N OF AREA THROUGH FRI NIGHT...WITH EXPANDING WIND FIELD. IRENE IS A LARGE SYSTEM IMPACTING ENTIRE SW ATLC ZONE WITH AT LEAST STRONG WINDS AND SEAS GREATER THAN 8 FT ELSEWHERE OVER ATLC WATERS W OF 65W. REFER TO WTNT24 KNHC/MIATCMAT4 FOR LATEST INFORMATION ON IRENE. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC S OF 22N W OF 55W... RECENT BUOY DATA FROM THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN ALONG WITH WINDSAT DATA FROM 22Z INDICATE 15 TO 20 KT SOUTHERLY FLOW PERSISTS OVER THE NE CARIBBEAN...AS CONVERGENT INFLOW INTO IRENE CENTERED N OF HAITI. SEAS OVER THE NE CARIBBEAN ARE ESTIMATED TO BE 5 TO 7 FT BASED ON BUOY DATA. NW WINDS FLOW TO 20 KT MAY ALSO BE IMPACTING THE WINDWARD PASSAGE TO THE SW OF IRENE. ELSEWHERE LIGHT TO MODERATE FLOW CONTINUES WITH SEAS OF ONLY 2 TO 4 FT. LIKEWISE IN THE TROPICAL ATLC WATERS E OF THE LESSER ANTILLES TO 55W WHERE SE WINDS TO 10 TO 15 KT ARE NOTED. THE WINDS OVER THE NE CARIBBEAN WILL DIMINISH TONIGHT AND THU AS IRENE LIFTS OUT. LIGHT WINDS WILL GRADUALLY BECOME E TO SE ACROSS THE BASIN FRI AND SAT...THEN START TO INCREASE ON SUN AS HIGH PRES BUILDS N OF THE AREA OVER THE WESTERN ATLC IN THE WAKE OF IRENE. WARNINGS... GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL N ATLC... .NONE. SW N ATLC... .AMZ080...HURCN WRNG S OF 28N E OF 70W. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER CHRISTENSEN