000 AGXX40 KNHC 251916 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 215 PM EST TUE DEC 25 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... DEVELOPING LOW PRES OVER CENTRAL TEXAS WILL LIFT E-NE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN STATES AND DRAG A FAST-MOVING COLD FRONT INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO LATER TODAY. THE FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA REGION TO TAMPICO MEXICO TONIGHT...FROM CENTRAL FLORIDA TO THE YUCATAN PENINSULA WED...THEN BEGIN TO WEAKEN AND EXIT THE REGION WED NIGHT. MODEL GUIDANCE SHOWS VERY STRONG WINDS IN THE NORTHERN GULF TONIGHT AND WED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE FRONT. A GALE IS IN EFFECT FOR NEAR-COASTAL WATERS WITHIN 60 NM FOR FREQUENT GUSTS TO 35 KT. STRONG N WINDS ARE ALSO EXPECTED IN THE SOUTHERN GULF BEHIND THE FRONT LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WED AFTERNOON. SEAS WILL BUILD TO 10-12 FT IN NW WIND WAVES W OF THE FRONT TONIGHT AND WED. ANTICYCLONIC WIND FLOW ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH PRES OVER THE EASTERN U.S. WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE REGION THU THROUGH FRI. ANOTHER AREA OF LOW PRES WILL DEVELOP OVER SOUTHERN TEXAS FRI MORNING WITH A WARM FRONT EXTENDING E-NE FROM THE LOW ALONG THE COAST OF TEXAS INTO SW LOUISIANA. THE LOW WILL MOVE NE INTO N LOUISIANA FRI WITH A COLD FRONT REACHING THE TEXAS COAST BY FRI EVENING...RAPIDLY MOVING ACROSS THE NW GULF TO EXTEND FROM THE FL PANHANDLE TO VERACRUZ MEXICO SAT...THEN BECOME STATIONARY FROM THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA TO THE WESTERN BAY OF CAMPECHE SUN. WINDS AND SEAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SECOND FRONT ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE NEARLY AS HIGH AS THE FIRST FRONT. MARINE FCST IS BASED ON A BLEND OF GFS AND EUROPEAN GLOBAL MODELS...WHICH ARE SIMILAR. SW N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 65W... S TO SW WINDS WILL INCREASE TONIGHT AHEAD OF STRONG COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO REACH THE COAST OF NE FLORIDA WED. SW WINDS ALONG THE FRONT WILL INCREASE TO GALE FORCE N OF 29N W OF 77W WED. THE FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM 31N78W TO SOUTH FLORIDA WED NIGHT...FROM 31N68W TO CENTRAL CUBA THU...THEN WEAKEN FROM 28N65W TO EASTERN CUBA FRI. STRONG TO NEAR-GALE WESTERLY WINDS ARE LIKELY N OF 27N WED THROUGH THU WHILE THE FRONTAL LOW LIFTS NORTHEASTWARD ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD. SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO PEAK AT 12-13 FT NEAR 30N IN NW SWELL LATE WED THEN SUBSIDE THU AND FRI. WINDS WILL DIMINISH CONSIDERABLY THU NIGHT AND FRI AS THE FRONT SLIDES E IN THE CENTRAL ATLC. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE AGAIN SAT AHEAD OF ANOTHER STRONG COLD FRONT THAT WILL MOVE RAPIDLY EASTWARD OFF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA SAT NIGHT AND EXTEND FROM 31N67W TO THE FLORIDA STRAITS BY SUN EVENING. MARINE FCST IS BASED ON A BLEND OF GFS AND EUROPEAN GLOBAL MODELS...WHICH ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC S OF 22N W OF 55W... HIGH PRES N OF THE AREA WILL MAINTAIN FRESH TRADE WINDS ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH WED NIGHT. A WEAKENING COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO NW CARIBBEAN THU...THEN TRANSITION TO A SHEAR LINE THROUGH FRI. WINDS AND SEAS WILL INCREASE IN THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN AS HIGH PRES BUILDS SOUTHEASTWARD N OF THE AREA THU THROUGH FRI. SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO PEAK AT 12-13 FT NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA SAT THEN GRADUALLY SUBSIDE TO 8-10 FT ACROSS THE WEST-CENTRAL CARIBBEAN THROUGH SUN AS HIGH PRES SHIFTS EASTWARD. THE MARINE FORECAST IS BASED ON A BLEND OF GFS AND EUROPEAN GLOBAL MODELS. 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... .AMZ111...GALE WARNING N OF 29N W OF 77W WED... FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER MUNDELL