000 AGXX40 KNHC 271900 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 300 PM EDT SAT OCT 27 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... THE HUGE CYCLONIC CIRCULATION ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE SANDY IN THE SW N ATLC CONTINUES TO EXTEND INTO THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO.... WITH NW-N WINDS 20-25 KT E OF 85W...AND SEAS 8-11 FT IN THE W PORTION OF THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA...AND 7-9 FT ACROSS THE OUTER COASTAL WATERS OF SW FL. A COLD FRONT IS MOVING SSE THROUGH THE NW AND N CENTRAL GULF WITH NLY WINDS AROUND 20 KT BEHIND THE FRONT EXCEPT 20-30 KT W OF 95W SPILLING DOWN THE COAST OF MEXICO....WHERE PEMEX PLATFORM CS-1 IS REPORTING SEAS TO 10 FT. THE WIND FIELD BEHIND THE FRONT WILL BEGIN TO MERGE WITH THE FRESH NWLY FLOW OFF THE W COAST OF FLORIDA THIS EVENING AS THE FRONT CONTINUES SSE AND SLOWLY WEAKENS. FRONT EXPECTED TO REACH FROM NEAR SANIBEL ISLAND TO SW GULF BY 12Z SUN...THEN DISSIPATING FROM CENTRAL BAHAMAS TO NRN YUCATAN AND BAY OF CAMPECHE ALONG 21N BY 12Z MON AS A REINFORCING SURGE OF COOLER AIR W OF SANDY PUSHES S INTO THE NORTHERN GULF. SEAS EXPECTED 8-10 FT W PORTIONS BEHIND FRONT TONIGHT THEN 7-9 FT SUN...AND 7-9 FT SE PORTIONS LATE SUN-MON. WINDS WILL DIMINISH ACROSS ALL BUT SE PORTIONS BY TUE AS HIGH PRES BUILDS OVER THE AREA...WITH RECENT GUIDANCE SUGGESTING PERSISTENT NW FLOW 20-25 KT ACROSS THE FAR NE TUE AS SANDY MEANDERS NW. SW N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 65W... HURRICANE SANDY MAKING THE FORECAST NE TURN TODAY AND HAS BECOME MORE TROPICAL LOOKING IN STLT PICS. WIND MAX ACROSS NW QUAD WILL BEGIN TO ROTATE CYCLONICALLY AROUND SANDY NEXT 24 HOURS AND GENERATE VERY HIGH SEAS IN THE PROCESS (30 TO POSSIBLY 40 FT). NLY FLOW ACROSS W SEMICIRCLE GENERATING N TO NE SWELL THAT WILL BATTER FLORIDA COASTLINES NEXT 24 HOURS...WITH WIND GRADUALLY BACKING TO NW AND BEGINNING TO AIM SWELL FOR REST OF SW N ATLC AND NE CARIB. PEAK ENERGY FROM BUOYS THIS MORNING CENTERED ON 15 SECONDS IS NOW 13-15 SECS AS FETCH IS REALIGNING. BUOY OBS FROM OUTER COASTAL WATERS NEAR 20 FT FROM THE CAROLINAS TO CENTRAL FLORIDA. OPERATIONAL WW3 HAS REASONABLE SOLUTION FOR WAVE FIELD TODAY BUT WAS A LITTLE UNDERDONE ACROSS NW QUAD...LIKELY FROM UNDERFORECAST ELY SWELL OF YESTERDAY MOVING INTO THAT QUAD. THE AREA OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WILL EXPAND SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE NEXT 48-72 HOURS AS SANDY MOVES N OF THE AREA AND CONTINUES A HYBRID OR SUBTROPICAL TRANSITION. HUGE SEAS ACROSS THE W AND SW SEMICIRCLES WILL CONTINUE TO INUNDATE COASTAL AREAS WILL TREMENDOUS SURF AND RUN UP CAUSING SIGNIFICANT TO EXTREME COASTAL EROSION FROM THE OUTER BANKS TO FLORIDA...WITH POTENTIALLY WORSE TO COME FOR THE NE U.S. LARGE CYCLONIC FLOW SURROUNDING SANDY WILL AFFECT ALL WATERS N OF 24N THROUGH MON MORNING. LARGE SWELL EXPECTED TO AFFECT THE NE CARIB ISLANDS NOW FORECAST TO BEGIN ARRIVING SUNDAY AND SHOULD BE SIGNIFICANT BEFORE SUNSET SUN...AND THEN INCREASE QUICKLY SUN NIGHT. THIS SWELL INITIALLY WILL HAVE ENOUGH WLY COMPONENT TO REACH W COASTAL PORTIONS OF PUERTO RICO TO THE LESSER ANTILLES...ABOUT 8-10 FT AT 15-17 SEC. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC W OF 55W... LARGE CYCLONIC FLOW CONTINUES ACROSS THE BASIN S OF SANDY...WITH SW TO W WINDS 20-25 KT N OF 18N BETWEEN THE WINDWARD PASSAGE AND S OF CUBA...SSW WINDS 20-25 KT LIKELY THROUGH THE MONA PASSAGE. SEAS THROUGH THE CAYMANS AND WINDWARD PASSAGE STILL 6-9 FT. WINDS AND SEAS WILL BEGIN TO ABATE FURTHER ACROSS THE CARIB TONIGHT AS SANDY LIFTS FARTHER N. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL REACH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL SUN...THEN STALL OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN... ACCOMPANIED BY MODERATE TO FRESH N FLOW ACROSS THE W CARIBBEAN MON THROUGH TUE. COOLER DRIER AIR WILL SPILL INTO THE FAR W CARIB BY TUE FOR A DECIDED DIFFERENCE. NWLY SWELL FROM SANDY WILL MOVE THROUGH THE NE CARIB PASSAGE BEGINNING SUN AFTERNOON AND INCREASE THROUGH MON AND WILL GET IN TO THE W COASTS OF THE FAR N LEEWARD ISLANDS. TRANQUIL CONDITIONS ACROSS THE SW N ATLC WILL END EARLY MONDAY WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THIS STRONG LONG PERIOD SWELL. NOTE...GRIDDED MARINE FORECAST IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/TAFB/GRIDDED_MARINE GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... .NONE. SW N ATLANTIC... .TROPICAL STORM WARNING...ZONE AMZ111-115-117-119. .HURRICANE WARNING...ZONES AMZ113. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER STRIPLING