000 AGXX40 KNHC 111844 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 145 PM EST SAT FEB 11 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 HAS SHIFTED SE OF THE AREA WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING ACROSS THE GULF WATERS IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT. LATEST ASCAT...BUOY... CMAN AND SHIP OBSERVATIONS INDICATES FRESH TO STRONG NW TO N WINDS PREVAIL OVER THE GULF WATERS WITH SEAS 5 TO 7 FT. CONTINUED COLD AIR ADVECTION THIS EVENING WILL DESTABILIZE THE LOWER LEVELS ENOUGH TO MIX HIGHER MOMENTUM AIR TO THE SURFACE WITH NEAR GALE WINDS EXPECTED OVER THE NORTHERN PART OF THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO OVERNIGHT. OTHERWISE...FRESH TO STRONG WINDS WILL PREVAIL OVER THE AREA THROUGH SUN. SE RETURN FLOW WILL SET UP OVER THE W GULF BY SUN NIGHT. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE OFF THE TEXAS COAST LATE MON NIGHT AND MOVE ACROSS THE N GULF THROUGH TUE. THE FRONT WILL STALL FROM THE FLORIDA BIG BEND REGION TO THE CENTRAL GULF EARLY WED WITH THE FRONTAL TROUGH THEN LIFTING N WED. A THIRD COLD FRONT WILL MOVE OFF THE TEXAS COAST ON THU...EXTENDING FROM SE LOUISIANA TO NORTHERN MEXICO BY THU AFTERNOON. SW N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W... A COLD FRONT EXTENDS FROM BERMUDA TO WESTERN CUBA. LATEST ASCAT PASS CONFIRMED GALE FORCE WINDS N OF 28N E OF THE COLD FRONT. THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO SHIFT EASTWARD AND WILL EXTEND FROM 31N63W TO THE WINDWARD PASSAGE SUN MORNING WITH GALE FORCE WINDS EXPECTED N OF 28N ON EITHER SIDE OF THE COLD FRONT. WINDS WILL DIMINISH BELOW GALE FORCE MON MORNING AS THE COLD FRONT EXTENDS FROM 28N55W TO 21N65W WITH THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE FRONT TRANSITIONED TO A SHEAR LINE TO HISPANIOLA. LARGE NW SWELLS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE AREA BY SUN NIGHT...WITH COMBINED SEAS REACHING NEAR 20 FT OVER THE N PART OF THE AREA. THE SWELL WILL SLOWLY SUBSIDE TO BELOW 8 FT THROUGH THU. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT THROUGH MID WEEK. A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL MOVE OFF THE SE UNITED STATES WED EVENING AND WILL SHIFT ACROSS THE N PART OF THE AREA THROUGH THU. CARIBBEAN AND TROPICAL N ATLC... A COLD FRONT HAS MOVED INTO THE FAR NW CARIBBEAN THIS AFTERNOON. THE FRONT WILL REACH FROM HISPANIOLA TO HONDURAS LATE SUN WHERE IT WILL STALL AND WEAKEN TO A SHEAR LINE BEFORE DIMINISHING THROUGH TUE. THE FRONT WILL CLIP THE NW PORTION OF THE TROPICAL N ATLC ZONE EARLY MON WHERE IT WILL STALL AND WEAKEN TO A SHEAR LINE THROUGH TUE AND DISSIPATE BY EARLY WED. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT N OF THE AREA THROUGH MIDWEEK WITH MODERATE TO FRESH TRADEWINDS PREVAILING. WARNINGS... GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. .SW N ATLC... .AMZ080...GALE WARNING N OF 28N W OF FRONT AND WITHIN 120 NM E OF FRONT THROUGH SUN. .CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... .NONE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER AL