000 AGXX40 KNHC 221730 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 100 PM EST SAT DEC 22 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 PRES OVER THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA WILL SHIFT EASTWARD ALONG 30N INTO THE WESTERN ATLC THROUGH SUN. ANTICYCLONIC SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH SUN NIGHT AS THE HIGH SHIFTS E. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE NORTHERN GULF MON THEN STALL AS A STATIONARY FRONT N OF 28N MON NIGHT AND TUE AS THE UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT FOR THE BOUNDARY BECOMES MORE ZONAL. FRESH TO STRONG S WINDS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE WEST-CENTRAL GULF TUE AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT...EXPECTED TO REACH THE TEXAS/LOUISIANA COAST TUE AFTERNOON. A DIGGING POLAR JET WILL CAUSE THE SFC LOW ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT TO RAPIDLY DEEPEN OVER THE SOUTHERN STATES AND PROPEL THE FRONT RAPIDLY SE ACROSS THE REGION TUE NIGHT AND WED...WITH FRESH TO STRONG N WINDS AND BUILDING SEAS BEHIND THE FRONT. WINDS AND SEAS WILL DIMINISH THU AS THE FRONT MOVES E INTO THE ATLC. SW N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W... A STRONG COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM 31N65W TO EASTERN CUBA WILL REACH FROM 26N65W TO HISPANIOLA TONIGHT THEN WEAKEN AS IT TRANSITIONS INTO A SHEAR LINE ACROSS THE SE WATERS SUN AND SUN NIGHT. WINDS AND SEAS WILL THEN GRADUALLY DIMINISH THROUGH TUE AS HIGH PRES BEHIND THE FRONT SHIFTS EASTWARD ALONG 30N. SE TO S ANTICYCLONIC WINDS WILL INCREASE TUE AND TUE NIGHT AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO REACH THE FLORIDA PENINSULA WED. EXPECT FRESH TO STRONG S-SW WINDS TO DEVELOP WED IN NW PORTION AND FRESH WINDS ELSEWHERE IN THE NORTHERN ZONES WED AND THU ON EITHER SIDE OF THE FRONT. MODEL GUIDANCE INDICATES MOST OF THE STRONGER WINDS WILL REMAIN N OF 30N AS THE FRONT SLIDES E THU. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC S OF 22N W OF 55W... COLD FRONT FROM EASTERN CUBA TO THE GULF OF HONDURAS WILL EXTEND FROM HISPANIOLA TO THE SW CARIBBEAN TONIGHT THEN STALL AND WEAKEN INTO A SHEAR LINE ACROSS THE WEST-CENTRAL CARIBBEAN SUN AND SUN NIGHT THEN BECOME DIFFUSE ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN BASIN MON AND TUE. FRESH TO STRONG NE WINDS W OF THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT AND PERSIST IN THE WINDWARD PASSAGE A WHILE LONGER THROUGH SUN NIGHT. LARGE N SWELL GENERATED BY A PREVIOUS COLD FRONT WILL SPREAD E OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS THROUGH ATLC PASSAGES INTO THE NE CARIBBEAN AND ACROSS THE TROPICAL N ATLC E OF THE WINDWARDS THROUGH SUN. WINDS AND SEA HEIGHTS WILL SLOWLY DIMINISH ACROSS MOST OF THE REGION TUE AND WED AS HIGH PRES N OF THE AREA SHIFTS E ALONG 30N. FRESH E TRADE WINDS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN TUE NIGHT AND PERSIST THROUGH THU. A FAST-MOVING COLD FRONT WILL REACH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL WED NIGHT...THEN BECOME STATIONARY OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN THU. 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... .NONE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER MUNDELL