000 AGXX40 KNHC 021846 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 245 PM EDT SEP 02 2011 UPDATED TROPICAL N ATLC AND WARNINGS SECTION FOR FORECAST AND WARNING CONDITIONS REGARDING TROPICAL STORM KATIA 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... PER AIR FORCE RESERVE RECONNAISSANCE...TROPICAL STORM LEE HAS FORMED IN THE NW GULF OF MEXICO THIS AFTERNOON NEAR 27.4N 91.5W OR ABOUT 200 MI SE OF CAMERON LOUISIANA...DRIFTING NW. MAX WINDS ARE 35 KT AND PRES IS 1003 MB. LEE IS LOOKING BETTER ORGANIZED ON SATELLITE IMAGERY AS WELL...WITH A LARGE AREA OF CONVECTION EXTENDING OUT 240 NM TO THE EAST SEMICIRCLE OF THE STORM...WHERE THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE NOTED VIA BUOY...OIL PLATFORM AND WINDSAT DATA. THE OFFICIAL FORECAST CALLS FOR LEE TO DRIFT SLOWLY TOWARD THE LOUISIANA COAST THIS WEEKEND...MAINTAINING PERSISTENT SE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS OVER MUCH OF THE N CENTRAL GULF. SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS WILL BUILD TO 15 FT BY SUN...WITH HIGHER SEAS LIKELY IN NUMEROUS SQUALLS. HIGHEST SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS WILL BE MOSTLY WITHIN 60 NM OF THE COAST. W AND NW FRESH SWELL WITH HEIGHTS TO 9 FT WILL PUSH ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF WATERS FROM LATE SUN THROUGH TUE AS LEE MOVES ASHORE. SEE WTNT23 KNHC/TCMAT3 FOR LATEST DETAILS ON T.S. LEE. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC S OF 22N W OF 55W... HURRICANE KATIA IS CENTERED 17.5N 52.4W 991 MB MOVING WNW AT 12 KT. KATIA IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE WATERS APPROXIMATELY 300 NM NE OF THE LEEWARD ISLAND...THROUGH THE TROPICAL N ATLC MARINE ZONE S OF 22N AND W OF 55W. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS WILL 80 KT WITH GUSTS TO 100 KT...WITH WINDS TO TROPICAL STORM STRENGTH EXPECTED WITHIN 135 NM OF THE CENTER. REFER TO WTNT22 KNHC/TCMAT2 FOR LATEST DETAILS ON KATIA. OUTSIDE THE MAIN STORM ENVIRONMENT OF KATIA...NE SWELL UP TO 8 TO 10 FT AHEAD OF KATIA WILL MOVE INTO THE LEEWARD ISLANDS BY TONIGHT. ELSEWHERE FRESH SE WINDS ALONG BUILDING SEAS FROM THE GULF OF HONDURAS TO THE COAST OF YUCATAN ARE RELATED TO CONVERGENT FLOW INTO T.S. LEE IN THE NW GULF OF MEXICO. THIS FLOW WILL PERSIST UNTIL EARLY NEXT WEEK AS LEE DRIFTS ONSHORE AND WEAKENS. FRESH TRADES ARE ALSO NOTED OVER THE S CENTRAL CARIBBEAN...S OF WEAK HIGH PRES N OF THE AREA. THIS FLOW WILL WEAKEN AS HURRICANE KATIA MOVES INTO THE WATERS BETWEEN PUERTO RICO AND BERMUDA EARLY NEXT WEEK. SW ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W... A WEAK TROUGH EXTENDS FROM NEAR BERMUDA TO 28N77W. ASCAT DATA SHOW NORTHERLY WINDS OF 10 TO 15 KT TO THE NORTH OF THE TROUGH...WITH GENERALLY LIGHT TO MODERATE S TO SW FLOW ELSEWHERE. THE TROUGH WILL LIFT OUT TONIGHT...LEAVING A WEDGE HIGH PRES FROM THE N CENTRAL ATLC THROUGH TO ALMOST THE BAHAMAS. WINDS WILL LARGELY BE S TO SE INTO SUN...THEN START TO BACK AROUND TO THE NE BY LATE SUN IN THE WATERS S OF 25N E OF 70W AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING HURRICANE KATIA. THE HURRICANE WILL MOVE NW THROUGH THE NE PORTIONS OF THE ZONES BY TUE. REFER TO WTNT22 KNHC/TCMAT2 FOR LATEST DETAILS ON KATIA. WARNINGS... GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. CARIBBEAN... .NONE. TROPICAL N ATLC... .AMZ087...HURRICANE WARNING N OF 17N E OF 60W. SW N ATLC... .NONE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER CHRISTENSEN