000 AGXX40 KNHC 280725 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 325 AM EDT SUN OCT 28 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... HURRICANE SANDY MOVING FURTHER N OF 30N IS ALLOWING FRESH TO STRONG NW WINDS E OF 85W TO SLOWLY DIMINISH THIS MORNING. ASCAT SCATTEROMETER PASS AT 0210 UTC SHOWED LARGE SWATH OF 20-22 KT WINDS...BUT LITTLE OR NO AREAS 25 KT OR GREATER IN THE NE GULF. EXPECT THIS TREND TO CONTINUE AS SANDY MOVES FURTHER AWAY FROM THE REGION...WITH SEAS GRADUALLY SUBSIDING BY ANOTHER FT OR SO THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. A COLD FRONT SNAKES ITS WAY ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO...EXTENDING FROM THE BIG BEND OF FLORIDA TO 24N 87W TO 23N93W TO 18N95W. FRESH TO STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS PREVAIL W OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY...WITH ASCAT SHOWING A SMALL AREA OF NEAR-GALE FORCE WINDS AROUND 30 KT ALONG THE COAST OF MEXICO S OF 21N W OF 96W. A GALE WARNING WAS ISSUED FOR THIS REGION LAST NIGHT BUT ASCAT INDICATES WINDS BELOW GALE FORCE THIS MORNING. THE COLD FRONT PUSH SOUTHEASTWARD TODAY THROUGH THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA AND THE YUCATAN CHANNEL...AND WILL EXTEND FROM WESTERN CUBA TO THE YUCATAN PENINSULA BY LATE TONIGHT. SEAS EXPECTED 7-9 FT BEHIND FRONT TODAY. WINDS DIMINISH AND BECOME ANTICYCLONIC ACROSS THE ENTIRE GULF OF MEXICO AS HIGH PRES BUILDS SE FROM THE NW GULF INTO THE SE GULF TUE AND WED...WITH LITTLE CHANGE THU. SW N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 65W... THE CENTER OF HURRICANE SANDY HAS MOVED N OF 31N...BUT THE HUGE CIRCULATION ASSOCIATED WITH THE TROPICAL CYCLONE WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS AND VERY LARGE SEAS OVER A WIDE SWATH OF THE SW N ATLC THROUGH MON AFTERNOON...THEN SLOWLY SUBSIDE MON NIGHT THROUGH LATE WED...BEFORE CONDITIONS BEGIN TO IMPROVE SIGNIFICANTLY ON THU. USING A BLEND OF GFS AND ECMWF MODELS AND WW3 WAVE GUIDANCE AS BASIS FOR FORECAST. EXPECT AREA OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS TO EXPAND SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE NEXT 48-60 HOURS EVEN AS SANDY MOVES N OF THE AREA AND CONTINUES ITS HYBRID TRANSITION INTO AN EXTRATROPICAL CYCLONE. HUGE SEAS ACROSS THE W SEMICIRCLE WILL CONTINUE TO INUNDATE COASTAL AREAS WITH POUNDING SURF AND WAVE RUN UP...CAUSING SEVERE TO EXTREME COASTAL EROSION ESPECIALLY IN THE OUTER BANKS OF NORTH CAROLINA. LARGE CYCLONIC FLOW SURROUNDING SANDY WILL AFFECT ALL WATERS N OF 24N THROUGH MON MORNING. LARGE SWELL IMPACTING NE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ARRIVING LATER TODAY...AND SHOULD BE SIGNIFICANT BY THIS EVENING...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. A WEAKENING COLD FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM THE NORTHERN BAHAMAS TO WESTERN CUBA LATE TONIGHT...THEN FROM THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS INTO CENTRAL CUBA MON AFTERNOON. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC W OF 55W... LARGE CYCLONIC FLOW CONTINUES ACROSS THE BASIN S OF SANDY...WITH FRESH TO STRONG W-SW WINDS NEAR THE WINDWARD PASSAGE AND FRESH S-SW WINDS THROUGH THE MONA PASSAGE. WINDS AND SEAS WILL BEGIN TO ABATE FURTHER ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN THROUGH TONIGHT AS SANDY MOVES FARTHER N. A WEAKENING COLD FRONT WILL REACH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL SUN...THEN STALL OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN... ACCOMPANIED BY MODERATE TO FRESH N-NW WINDS ACROSS THE W CARIBBEAN MON THROUGH TUE. COOLER DRIER AIR WILL SPILL INTO THE FAR W CARIB TUE. NW SWELL SPREADING OUTWARD FROM SANDY WILL MOVE THROUGH NE CARIBBEAN PASSAGES BY THIS AFTERNOON...AND INCREASE THROUGH MON...REACHING TO THE W COASTS OF FAR N LEEWARD ISLANDS. 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...ZONES AMZ111-115-117-119. .HURRICANE WARNING...ZONE AMZ113. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER MUNDELL