000 AGXX40 KNHC 261720 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 100 PM EST WED DEC 26 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... A FAST-MOVING COLD FRONT FROM THE FLORIDA BIG BEND TO VERACRUZ MEXICO WILL EXTEND FROM SOUTH FLORIDA TO THE YUCATAN PENINSULA TONIGHT...THEN BEGIN TO WEAKEN AND EXIT THE REGION THU. SHIP OBS AND SCATTEROMETER DATA SHOW VERY STRONG WINDS IN THE NORTHERN GULF ON BOTH SIDES OF THE FRONT WITH SEAS TO 10-11 FT NEAR THE FRONT. 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... GALE FORCE WINDS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING N OF 29N W OF 77W AHEAD OF STRONG COLD FRONT MOVING ACROSS NORTHERN FLORIDA. THE FRONT WILL EXTEND FROM 31N78W TO SOUTH FLORIDA TONIGHT...FROM 31N68W TO CENTRAL CUBA THU AND WEAKEN FROM 28N65W TO EASTERN CUBA FRI. STRONG TO NEAR-GALE WESTERLY WINDS EXPECTED N OF 27N THROUGH THU WHILE THE FRONTAL LOW LIFTS NORTHEASTWARD ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD. SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO PEAK AT 12-13 FT N OF 30N IN NW SWELL LATE TONIGHT THEN SUBSIDE THU AND FRI. WINDS WILL DIMINISH CONSIDERABLY THU NIGHT AND FRI AS THE FRONT SLIDES E INTO THE CENTRAL ATLC. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE AGAIN SAT AHEAD OF ANOTHER FAST-MOVING COLD FRONT THAT WILL MOVE 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 TONIGHT. A WEAKENING COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE NW CARIBBEAN THU THEN TRANSITION TO A SHEAR LINE ACROSS THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN THROUGH FRI. WINDS AND SEAS INCREASE IN THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN TONIGHT AND THU AS HIGH PRES BUILDS SOUTHEASTWARD N OF THE AREA THROUGH FRI. SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO PEAK AT 12-13 FT NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA SAT THEN GRADUALLY SUBSIDE TO 8-10 FT OVER THE WEST-CENTRAL CARIBBEAN THROUGH SUN AS HIGH PRES SHIFTS EAST. 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... .GALE WARNING N OF 29N W OF 77W...AMZ111. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER MUNDELL