000 AGXX40 KNHC 030657 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 330 AM EDT TUE APR 03 2012 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC S OF 19N W OF 55W...AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC FROM 19N TO 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS CONTINUE TO FLARE UP ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE GULF...PARTICULARLY ALONG THE LOUISIANA COAST AND COASTAL WATERS AS WELL AS N OF 27N BETWEEN 88W AND 91W. WINDS AND SEAS WILL BE HIGHER NEAR TSTMS WITH ASSOCIATED OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES. WEAK 1013 MB HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER THE NE GULF JUST W OF THE TAMPA BAY AREA CONTINUES TO INFLUENCE THE BASIN WITH MAINLY MODERATE TO FRESH SE RETURN FLOW ACROSS THE WESTERN GULF AND LIGHT TO MODERATE WINDS ACROSS THE E GULF. THE MOST RECENT ASCAT PASS PROVIDED OBSERVATIONS OF 20 KT SE WINDS ACROSS THE WESTERN GULF DUE TO THE PRES GRADIENT BETWEEN A LOW PRES OVER NE MEXICO WITH A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDING SOUTHWARD ALONG EASTERN MEXICO...AND THE WEAK HIGH IN THE NE GULF. WINDS WILL VEER TO THE SW AND W ACROSS THE N WATERS THU AND FRI AS A LOW PRES MOVES EASTWARD FROM THE SOUTH CENTRAL PLAINS INTO THE SE CONUS. LITTLE CHANGE IS EXPECTED IN THE OVERALL SYNOPTIC PATTERN THROUGH SAT AS THE RIDGE IS SLOW TO SLIDE EASTWARD INTO THE SW NORTH ATLC THROUGH THE WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL ATLC S OF 19N W OF 55W... MODERATE TO FRESH TRADES WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE BASIN THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF THIS COMING WEEKEND. THE STRONGEST WINDS CAN BE FOUND NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA AND IN THE GULF OF HONDURAS. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE TROPICAL N ATLC WATERS TODAY. THIS FRONT IS FORECAST TO MERGE WITH A STRONGER COLD FRONT PRESENTLY MOVING ACROSS THE SW N ATLC LATER TODAY. THEN...THE FRONT WILL STALL AND WEAKEN OVER THE SAME AREA WED AND THU. LONG PERIOD NW SWELL ARE EXPECTED IN THE WAKE OF THE STRONGER FRONT REACHING THE TROPICAL N ATLC WED. THIS SWELL TRAIN IS EXPECTED TO PROPAGATE INTO THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE ZONE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. SOUTHWEST N ATLC FROM 19N TO 31N W OF 55W... A STRONG COLD FRONT HAS REACHED THE N WATERS WITH INCREASING WINDS AND BUILDING SEAS. EXPECT WINDS IN THE 20 TO 30 KT RANGE EITHER SIDE OF THE FRONT AND SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS OF AROUND 15 FT E OF 70W. THE FRONT CURRENTLY EXTENDS SW AND THEN W ROUGHLY ALONG 30N FROM A VIGOROUS LOW PRES SYSTEM CENTERED OVER THE CENTRAL ATLC WHICH WILL REMAIN JUST TO THE N OF OUR AREA. GALE FORCE WINDS ARE ALREADY OCCURRING AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND E OF 65W. THE 0040 UTC ASCAT PASS CONFIRMED THE PRESENCE OF THESE STRONG WINDS WHICH ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH EARLY WED MORNING AS THE LOW PRES MOVES MORE TO THE NE AND AWAY FROM THE AREA. THE LARGE NW SWELL FOLLOWING THE FRONT WILL BUILD TO UP TO 22 FT BETWEEN 55W AND 60W THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. THE FRONT WILL MOVE QUICKLY SE EXITING THE AREA LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. HIGH PRES WILL BUILD IN BEHIND THE FRONT THROUGH WED. ONCE AGAIN... WINDS WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE N WATERS WED NIGHT AHEAD OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT FORECAST TO ENTER THE AREA BY THU...BECOMING DIFFUSE ACROSS THE WATERS N OF 27N THROUGH SAT AS A WEAK RIDGE EXTENDS INTO THE AREA FROM THE E. 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 GR