000 AGXX40 KNHC 120725 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 230 AM EST THU JAN 12 2012 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... A COLD FRONT IS OVER THE FAR SE WATERS AND WILL MOVE E OF THE AREA THIS MORNING WHILE WEAKENING. THE 20-25 KT WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT HAVE DIMINISHED TO AROUND 15 KT. MEANWHILE...A REINFORCING COLD FRONT IS JUST MOVING INTO THE FAR NW PORTION OF THE GULF. THE FRONT WILL REACH FROM SE LOUISIANA TO NE MEXICO THIS MORNING AND FROM N FLORIDA TO THE BAY OF CAMPECHE THIS EVENING...EXITING THE GULF WATERS ON FRI. SW WINDS OF 20 KT ARE NOTED OVER THE NW GULF AHEAD OF THE FRONT PER SCATTEROMETER AND SURFACE DATA. NW TO N WINDS OF 20 TO 30 KT ARE EXPECTED IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT WITH BUILDING SEAS OF 8 TO 12 FT. MODEL GUIDANCE SHOWS A BROAD AREA OF 30 KT WINDS OVER THE SW GULF BEHIND THE REINFORCING COLD FRONT...AND GALE FORCE WINDS WILL LIKELY OCCUR WITHIN THIS AREA PARTICULARLY S OF 24N AND W OF 96W. AS A RESULT...A GALE WARNING WILL BE IN EFFECT FOR THAT AREA BEGINNING AT 1800 UTC. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... FRESH TO STRONG NE WINDS PERSIST NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA AS SEEN IN A COUPLE OF SHIP OBSERVATIONS AND THE 0212 UTC ASCAT PASS. WINDS ARE FORECAST TO INCREASE QUITE SIGNIFICANTLY FROM EAST TO WEST ACROSS THE TROPICAL N ATLC AND THE EAST AND CENTRAL BEGINNING TODAY AS CENTRAL ATLC HIGH PRES BUILDS SW INTENSIFYING THE PRES GRADIENT INTO SUN BEFORE WEAKENING SOME INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. 30 METER MODEL WIND GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT WINDS MAY INCREASE TO 25 KT OVER MUCH OF THE AREA WITH 30 KT ALONG THE COAST OF COLOMBIA INCLUDING THE POSSIBILITY OF WINDS REACHING 35 KT THROUGH THU NIGHT INTO EARLY SAT MORNING VERY NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA. A COLD FRONT IS OVER THE FAR NW PORTION OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA WHERE IS FORECAST TO SLOWLY DISSIPATE THROUGH FRI. ANOTHER COLD FRONT THAT SWEEPS ACROSS THE GULF WILL MERGE WITH THE REMNANTS OF THIS FIRST FRONT ON FRI WITH STRONG HIGH BUILDING SE FROM THE GULF INTO MUCH OF THE NW CARIBBEAN THROUGH SUN. THE RESULTANT PRES GRADIENT WILL FORTIFY THE ALREADY PRESENT NE WINDS OF 15-20 KT INTO 20-25 KT WINDS SAT AFTERNOON INTO MON. WAVEWATCH GUIDANCE BUILDS SEAS THERE TO 9 FT...AND TO POSSIBLY 13 OR 14 FT NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA FRI INTO EARLY SAT BEFORE SUBSIDING SOME THROUGH MON. SOUTHWEST N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W... A COLD FRONT ENTERS THE ZONE NEAR 31N76W THEN CONTINUES SW TO S FLORIDA AND THE SE PORTION OF THE GULF OF MEXICO. S TO SW WINDS OF 20 KT ARE NOTED MAINLY W OF 70W PER SCATTEROMETER DATA AND BUOYS OBSERVATIONS. WINDS WILL VEER TO THE W AND NW BEHIND THE FRONT AND REMAIN IN THE 20 TO 25 KT RANGE. THE STRONG CONVECTION AHEAD OF THE FRONT HAS DIMINISHED AND CURRENTLY A BAND OF SHOWERS WITH ISOLATED TSTMS IS NOTED IS ASSOCIATION WITH THE FRONT WHICH IS FORECAST TO REACH FROM 31N75W TO WESTERN CUBA TODAY...THEN WEAKEN FROM 31N71W TO CENTRAL CUBA TONIGHT. A STRONGER COLD FRONT WILL MOVE OFF THE SE U.S. COAST TONIGHT AND REACH FROM 31N72W TO W CUBA FRI...FROM 31N70W TO CENTRAL CUBA FRI NIGHT...FROM 31N65W TO E CUBA SAT...THEN WEAKEN AND STALL ON SUN. STRONG HIGH PRES BUILDING SE WILL PRODUCE FRESH TO STRONG WINDS ACROSS NE PORTION MON. SWLY WINDS OF 20 TO 30 KT ARE EXPECTED AHEAD OF THE REINFORCING COLD FRONT TONIGHT WITH W TO NW WINDS OF 20 TO 30 KT IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT AND BUILDING SEAS TO AROUND 12 FT. THESE STRONG WINDS WILL MAINLY AFFECT THE N WATERS N OF 27N. WARNINGS... GULF OF MEXICO... .GMZ082...GALE WARNING. .CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... .NONE. .SW N ATLC... .NONE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER GR