000 AGXX40 KNHC 240611 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 230 AM EDT WED OCT 24 2012 MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO...CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC...AND SOUTHWEST NORTH ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W. GULF OF MEXICO... HIGH ACROSS THE EASTERN U.S. COMBINED WITH TROPICAL STORM SANDY IN THE CARIBBEAN HAS TIGHTENED THE PRES GRADIENT ACROSS THE EASTERN GULF WITH ELY WINDS 15-20 KT WITH SEAS TO 8 FT. AS SANDY MOVES N THE WINDS ACROSS THE SE GULF AND THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA WILL INCREASE TO 20-25 KT...WITH SEAS BUILDING 8 TO 10 FT THROUGH THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA THU. WINDS SHIFT TO THE NW FRI AND SAT AS SANDY MOVES TO THE NE. WINDS AND SEAS SLOWLY SUBSIDE SUN. SW N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 65W... HIGH PRES BUILDS ACROSS THE EASTERN U.S. COMBINED WITH TROPICAL SANDY IN THE CARIBBEAN HAS INCREASED THE ELY WINDS TO 15-20 KT ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA TODAY. TROPICAL STORM SANDY WILL MOVE THROUGH EASTERN CUBA THROUGH THU AND INTO THE SOUTHERN BAHAMAS REACHING 21.7N 76.7W BY THU AND TO 24.1N 76.8N BY THU EVENING AND 27.0N 76.5W BY FRI EVENING AND TO 30.7N 72.5 SAT EVENING AND N OF THE AREA LATE SUN. LARGE SEAS BUILD THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST AREA. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC W OF 55W... TROPICAL STORM SANDY CENTERED NEAR 15.7N 77.1W AT 0600 UTC MOVING N AT 9 KT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS 50 KT GUSTS TO 60 KT WITH MINIMUM CENTRAL PRES OF 989 MB. SANDY WILL MOVE TO 19.0N 76.7W AND INTENSIFY TO A HURRICANE. SANDY WEAKEN TO A TROPICAL STORM AND MOVE N OF AREA THROUGH EASTERN CUBA THU. WINDS AND SEAS SUBSIDE OVER THE WEEKEND. NOTE...GRIDDED MARINE FORECAST IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/TAFB/GRIDDED_MARINE GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... .HURRICANE WARNING ZONE AMZ013. .TROPICAL STORM WARNING ZONES AMZ015...ANZ021...AMZ031 SW N ATLANTIC... .TROPICAL STORM WARNIG ZONE AMZ117 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER DGS