000 AGXX40 KNHC 271830 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 245 PM EDT FRI APR 27 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 RIDGE DOMINATES THE GULF WATERS EXTENDING FROM N FLORIDA TO THE TEXAS COAST BEND. SLY RETURN FLOW AT 15-20 KT IS NOTED ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE RIDGE AFFECTING THE EXTREME W WATERS PARTICULARLY N OF 23N W OF 94W. E-SE 15-20 KT WINDS ARE OBSERVED ELSEWHERE W OF 90W. ELY WINDS WILL PULSE AT 15-20 KT ACROSS THE SE GULF THROUGH SAT. A WEAK HIGH PRES IS FORECAST TO FORM OVER THE NE GULF LATER TODAY...WITH THE RIDGE SHIFTING N BY SAT AS THE HIGH PRES MOVES TOWARD THE GA/FL BORDER. AN INVERTED TROUGH WILL DEVELOP IN THE VICINITY OF THE CAY SAL BANK LATE SAT NIGHT AND EARLY SUN. MODEL GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT THE TROUGH WILL DRIFT WWD ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA SUN AND MON REACHING THE SE WATERS OF THE GULF LATE MON AND THE CENTRAL GULF BY TUE. EXPECT INCREASING WINDS OF AT LEAST 15-20 KT AND BUILDING SEAS TO AROUND 8-9 FT IN ASSOCIATION WITH THIS TR0UGH. SW N ATLC FROM 19N TO 31N W OF 55W... A WEAK RIDGE DOMINATES THE AREA EXTENDING ALONG 29N TO N FLORIDA. SW WINDS OF 15-20 KT ARE N OF THE RIDGE AND E WINDS AT 15-20 KT ARE NOTED S OF THE RIDGE...BUT MAINLY S OF 22N. THE RIDGE WILL SHIFT N TO ALONG 31N SAT...THEN WEAKEN AS THE AFOREMENTIONED TROUGH DEVELOPS W OF THE NW BAHAMAS THIS WEEKEND. PRES GRADIENT BETWEEN THIS TROUGH AND HIGH PRES TO E OF THE AREA WILL SUPPORT ELY WINDS IN THE 15-20 KT RANGE ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION S OF 25N...EXCEPT NE 15-20 KT WINDS IN THE FL STRAITS W OF TROUGH AXIS. WINDS SHOULD DIMINISH FROM THE E ON MON AND TUE AS THE TROUGH MOVES W ACROSS THE SOUTHERN GULF OF MEXICO...BUT GENERALLY EXPECT E 15-20 KT THROUGHOUT THE BAHAMAS THROUGH TUE NIGHT. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL ATLC S OF 19N W OF 55W... A BROAD TROUGH REMAINS OVER THE SW CARIBBEAN GENERATING A LARGE CLUSTER OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS. ELY TRADES OF 15-20 KT CAN BE FOUND E OF THE TROUGH AXIS WITH HIGHER WINDS AND SEAS NEAR THE TSTMS. TRADES WILL DIMINISH FROM THE E LATE IN THE WEEKEND AS ATLC HIGH PRES SHIFTS N...AND THE LOW LEVEL TROUGH MOVES ACROSS THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN AND FINALLY W OF THE AREA MON NIGHT. 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... .NONE. ATLANTIC... .NONE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER GR