000 AGXX40 KNHC 260600 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 200 AM EDT MON MAR 26 2012 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC AND SOUTHWEST N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... THE COLD FRONT IS MOVING THROUGH THE FL STRAITS ATTM. SE RETURN HAS DEVELOPED OVER THE NW WATERS WITH A TEMPORARY SURFACE HIGH OVER THE SW LA COASTAL WATERS. THE HIGH SHOULD SHIFT RAPIDLY NE TONIGHT WITH A RIDGE CONTINUING NE-SW ACROSS THE NW PORTION THROUGH FRI. THE SE 10-15 KT RETURN FLOW WILL SPREAD E ACROSS THE ENTIRE GULF BY TUE NIGHT. THE EXCEPTION IS THE ELY WINDS WILL BACK BRIEFLY TO NE ALONG THE W COAST YUCATAN PENINSULA AND INCREASE TO 15-20 KT EACH EVENING. THE ELY WINDS WILL INCREASE TUE NIGHT AND WED OVER THE E AND CENTRAL WATERS WITH A N-S ORIENTATED TROUGH/FRONTAL REMNANTS DECAYING OVER THE E PORTION. SE 10-15 KT WINDS RESUME ACROSS ENTIRE AREA ON FRI. SOUTHWEST N ATLC AND TROPICAL ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W... A COLD FRONT EXTENDS FROM 31N73W TO 26N80W. THE FRONT WILL REACH FROM 31N69W TO E CUBA LATE TODAY. THE SOUTHERN SEGMENT OF THE FRONT WILL WASH OUT TUE ACROSS HISPANIOLA LEAVING ONLY A SLIGHT 5-10 KT WIND SE-W SHIFT OCCURRING ALONG THE BOUNDARY AS IT PROGRESSES E ACROSS THE TROPICAL ATLC WATERS N OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS ON TUE AND WED. THE LEADING EDGE OF A SECONDARY COLD FRONTAL SURGE IS ALREADY OVER THE NW WATERS EXTENDING FROM 31N76W TO 30N80W. THIS REINFORCING SECOND FRONT WILL BECOME THE MAIN FOCUS LATE TONIGHT AND TUE AS IT WILL SEPARATE NLY 20 KT WINDS FROM NLY 10 KT WINDS BEHIND THE INITIAL FRONT...WITH THE SECOND FRONT EXTENDING FROM 31N61W TO 27N65W TO 26N80W EARLY TUE...FROM 27N55W TO 22N78W TUE NIGHT...AND FROM 22N55W TO 21N75W WED NIGHT...THEN WASHING OUT ALONG 20N THU. A POST-FRONTAL RIDGE WILL EXTEND FROM 31N73W TO 31N80W WED AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE TO SHIFT S EXTENDING E-W FROM 27N60W TO 28N80W THU AFTERNOON...THEN SHIFT E OF AREA AS THE NEXT COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE N WATERS LATE THU NIGHT REACHING FROM 31N59W TO 29N65W TO 27N80W LATE FRI NIGHT. CARIBBEAN SEA... A WEAK COLD FRONT ACCOMPANIED BY A 5-10 KT WIND SHIFT IS MOVING THROUGH THE THE YUCATAN PASSAGE ATTM. THIS WEAK FRONT WILL SHIFT E OVER THE EXTREME N WATERS...REACHING HISPANIOLA EARLY TUE WHERE IT WILL DISSIPATE. LOW LEVEL WINDS WILL RESUME TO NE AT 10 KT OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN TUE THROUGH FRI...WITH ELY TRADES BELOW NORMAL...IN THE 10-15 KT RANGE ELSEWHERE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA THROUGH TUE. AS AN ATLC COLD FRONT MOVES S AND STALLS AND DISSIPATES ALONG ROUGHLY 20N ON WED...THE GRADIENT WILL TIGHTEN INCREASING THE NE-E TRADES TO 15-20 KT ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND E CARIBBEAN AND CONTINUING THROUGH FRI...EXCEPT LOCALLY ENHANCED TO 20-25 KT ALONG NW COAST OF COLOMBIA. WARNINGS... GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. .CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... .NONE. .SW N ATLC... .NONE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER NELSON