000 AGXX40 KNHC 141833 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 245 PM EDT SAT APR 14 2012 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... 1027 MB SURFACE HIGH PRES CENTERED JUST OFF THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA EXTENDS A RIDGE SW ACROSS THE GULF WATERS. SLY RETURN FLOW HAS ALREADY INCREASED TO 20-25 KT W OF 90W PER THE MOST RECENT SCATTEROMETER DATA. WINDS ARE ON INCREASE ON THE EASTERN HALF OF THE GULF. PRES GRADIENT BETWEEN THE HIGH AND A LOW PRES MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS STATES WILL MAINTAIN THESE STRONG WINDS THROUGH SUN...WITH THESE CONDITIONS SPREADING E ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE BASIN THROUGH MON. EXPECT BUILDING SEAS TO 8-10 FT IN THE NW PART OF THE GULF LATER TODAY. SEAS WILL RANGE FROM 7 TO 9 FT E OF 90W. WINDS WILL DIMINISH ON MON AHEAD OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT FORECAST TO ENTER THE NW PORTION OF THE GULF MON NIGHT...THEN STALL OVER THE NW WATERS TUE...AND GRADUALLY DISSIPATE WED. A RIDGE WILL EXTEND E TO W ALONG 28N ON WED. CARIBBEAN SEA... HIGH PRES LOCATED JUST OFF THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA WILL MOVE SE TO A POSITION NEAR 31N72W DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. UNDER THIS WEATHER PATTERN...EXPECT A SURGE OF FRESH TO STRONG NE WINDS ACROSS THE WINDWARD AND MONA PASSAGES...AND THEN ACROSS THE NORTHERN CARIBBEAN WATERS TODAY AND SUN...WITH THESE CONDITIONS SPREADING ACROSS THE ENTIRE CARIBBEAN SEA SUN THROUGH TUE AS STRONG HIGH PRES REMAINS N OF THE AREA. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH FROM THE N BY WED. LATEST SCATTEROMETER DATA ALONG WITH SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SHOW NE WINDS OF 20 KT THROUGH THE WINDWARD PASSAGE. SEAS WILL BUILD TO AROUND 8-9 FT THROUGH THE WINDWARD PASSAGE LATER TODAY AND TO AROUND 9-11 FT THROUGH THE MONA PASSAGE INTO THE CARIBBEAN SEA...LEE OF DOMINICAN REPUBLIC BY SUN. TROPICAL NORTH ATLANTIC S OF 19N W OF 55W... A RIDGE EXTENDS SW FROM A HIGH PRES NEAR THE AZORES INTO THE TROPICAL N ATLC. BUOYS ALONG WITH SCATTEROMETER DATA SHOW EAST TRADES OF 10 TO 15 KT S OF THE RIDGE AFFECTING THE AREA. SEAS HAVE GRADUALLY SUBSIDED ACROSS THE AREA AND CURRENTLY BOTH BUOY 41101 AND BUOY 41040 ARE REPORTING 6-7 FT DUE TO PERSISTENT MODERATE TRADES AND NE SWELL. WINDS AND SEAS THROUGH THE NORTHERN LEEWARDS AND ADJACENT ATLC WATERS WILL INCREASE TO 20 TO 25 KT LATE TONIGHT INTO SUN...WITH SEAS BUILDING TO AROUND 10 FT AS A WEAK DYING FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA...FOLLOWED BY RIDGING BUILDING BEHIND THE FRONT N OF THE FORECAST AREA. SW NORTH ATLANTIC S OF 31N W OF 55W... A COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM 31N52W TO 18N69W WILL REACH FROM 31N50W TO 22N55W TO 17N61W EARLY SUN...AFFECTING THE SE PART OF ZONE AMZ127. THE FRONT WILL WEAKEN SUN AND MOVE E OF AREA LATE SUN. SURFACE HIGH PRES WILL SHIFT SE OFF THE CAROLINAS LATER TODAY...REACHING 31N70W LATE SUN THEN MEANDER ALONG 31N WITH RIDGE EXTENDING E TO W ALONG 31N MON. THE RIDGE WILL EXTEND FROM BERMUDA TO CENTRAL FLORIDA TUE AND WED. THE HIGH WILL MAINTAIN FRESH TO STRONG NE TO E WINDS MAINLY S OF 27N THROUGH SUN..THEN S OF 23N MON AND TUE...WITH SEAS BUILDING TO AS HIGH AS 10 FT OUTSIDE THE SOUTHERN BAHAMAS TONIGHT INTO SUN. SEAS WILL GRADUALLY SUBSIDING AT THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. A FRONTAL TROUGH...ASSOCIATED WITH A DEVELOPING LOW PRES N OF AREA IS FORECAST TO MOVES ACROSS THE N WATERS E OF 65W MON NIGHT THROUGH WED BRINGING SOME INCREASE IN WINDS AND SEAS. NOTE... EFFECTIVE APR 3, 2012 AT 1800 UTC THE OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST ZONES CHANGED FOR THE CARIBBEAN AND SW N ATLANTIC AND THE GULF OF MEXICO. ISSUANCE TIME FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO OFFSHORE WATERS FORECASTS IS REFERENCED TO THE EASTERN TIME ZONE. FOR DETAILS SEE WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/ABOUTTAFBPROD.SHTML#OWF GRIDDED MARINE OUTPUT IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/TAFB/GRIDDED_MARINE (LOWER CASE). 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