000 AGXX40 KNHC 280548 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 200 AM EDT WED SEP 28 2011 UPDATED WARNINGS AND THE CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL N ATLC W OF 55W SECTIONS FOR TROPICAL STORM OPHELIA. 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 1014 MB HIGH PRES IS OVER THE CENTRAL GULF NEAR 27N87W NEARLY STATIONARY THROUGH TONIGHT THEN MOVE INTO THE NW GULF THU AND FRI. OTHERWISE WEAK PRES PATTERN ACROSS THE GULF WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE FRI. WINDS WILL BE GENERALLY LESS THAN 15 KT AND SEAS LESS THAN 3 FT. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE NW GULF FRI AND EXTEND FROM TAMPA BAY TO NE MEXICO SAT AND FROM S FLORIDA TO THE BAY OF CAMPECHE SUN. STRONG HIGH PRES BUILDS BEHIND THE FRONT AND WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE N-NE AND INCREASE TO 15-20 KT ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF SAT AND SUN. SW N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 65W... HIGH PRES JUST N OF THE FORECAST AREA WILL GRADUALLY WEAKEN THROUGH THU AND MOVE TO THE NE FRI AND SAT. RE-FORMED TROPICAL DEPRESSION OPHELIA CURRENTLY LOCATED OVER THE N PORTION OF TROPICAL N ATLC ZONE. OPHELIA IS FORECAST TO BECOME A TROPICAL STORM LATER TODAY AND A MINIMAL HURRICANE FRI NIGHT. LATEST NHC ADVISORY KEEPS OPHELIA E OF THE FORECAST AREA. WIND MAY INCREASE ACROSS THE FAR E PORTION OF THE AREA TOWARD END OF THE WEEK AS OPHELIA PASS E OF THE AREA. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE FAR NW PORTION OF THE AREA LATE THU AND FRI AND WILL EXTEND FROM 31N73W TO CENTRAL BAHAMAS SAT. A STRONGER FRONT WILL MOVE OFF THE SE U.S. COAST SAT MOVING RAPIDLY E MERGING WITH FIRST FRONT FRONT 31N67W TO THE NORTHERN BAHAMAS SUN. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC W OF 55W... TROPICAL DEPRESSION OPHELIA NEAR 18.4N 59.5W AT 0300 UTC DRIFTING TO THE NW 3 KT. OPHELIA IS FORECAST TO BECOME A TROPICAL STORM NEAR 18.8N 59.8W LATER THIS MORNING. OPHELIA WILL BE LOCATED NEAR 19.5N 60.2W TONIGHT AND NEAR 20.9N 60.9W THU THEN JUST N OF THE AREA AT 22.4N 61.6W THU NIGHT THEN MOVE RAPIDLY N THEREAFTER. OTHERWISE A WEAK PRES PATTERN WITH LIGHT WINDS ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND. WARNINGS... GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... .TROPICAL STORM WARNING N OF 17N W OF 58W...AMZ087. SW N ATLC... .NONE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER DGS