000 AGXX40 KNHC 151856 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 230 PM EDT FRI MAR 15 2013 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... 1026 MB HIGH PRES IS CENTERED OVER SE LOUISIANA WITH RIDGING EXTENDING FROM THE HIGH ALONG THE U.S. GULF COAST. 1-3 FT SEAS ARE ACROSS THE NE AND N CENTRAL GULF WITH 3-6 FT ELSEWHERE. LIGHT TO GENTLE WINDS COVER THE NW HALF OF THE GULF WITH MODERATE TO FRESH BREEZE NE WINDS IN THE SW HALF. THE HIGH WILL DRIFT E-SE ACROSS THE FLORIDA PENINSULA THIS WEEKEND WITH MODERATE TO FRESH SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW DOMINATING THE GULF WATERS. LITTLE CHANGE IN THESE CONDITIONS IS EXPECTED INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AHEAD OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT WHICH WILL APPROACH THE TEXAS COAST LATE MON. THE FRONT WILL QUICKLY DROP S REACHING FROM THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE TO NEAR THE TEXAS/MEXICO BORDER TUE MORNING WITH NORTHEASTERLY INITIALLY FRESH TO STRONG WINDS BEHIND IT. THE WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT WILL DIMINISH SLIGHTLY AS THE FRONT SAGS TO THE S...REACHING FROM SW FLORIDA TO THE CENTRAL GULF WHERE IT WILL BECOME STATIONARY BACK TOWARD THE LOWER TEXAS COAST BY TUESDAY. IT IS THEN FORECAST TO LIFT BACK TO THE N AS A WARM FRONT BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC S OF 22N W OF 55W... A COLD FRONT HAS PROGRESSED EASTWARD AND EXTENDS FROM HAITI SOUTHWESTWARD TO SOUTH OF JAMAICA WITH AN EXTENSION OF THE BOUNDARY AS A SHEAR LINE TO THE NICARAGUA BORDER. IN THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN WEST OF THE FRONT...FRESH TO STRONG NE WINDS ARE OCCURRING AS OBSERVED FROM A 1530Z ASCAT SCATTEROMETER PASS. THIS FRONT WILL DEGENERATE INTO A SHEAR LINE WHILE SHIFTING SLIGHTLY MORE TO THE SE DURING THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS. E OF THE FRONT...NE-E MODERATE TO FRESH WINDS PREVAIL...EXCEPT LOCALLY TO STRONG NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA. FRESH TO STRONG TRADES WILL SET UP ACROSS THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN THIS WEEKEND AS WELL AS IN THE WINDWARD PASSAGE...STRONGEST FROM FRI NIGHT THROUGH SUN MORNING...CONTINUING INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS HIGH PRES REMAINS IN CONTROL N OF THE AREA WITH LOWER PRES OVER NW COLOMBIA. WINDS WILL LIKELY INCREASE TO 30 KT NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA WITH SEAS BUILDING TO 11-12 FT BY THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEKEND AS THE PRES GRADIENT TIGHTENS. IN THE TROPICAL N ATLC...A DISSIPATING COLD FRONT WILL SINK S INTO THE NORTHERN WATERS SUN AND EVOLVE INTO A SHEAR LINE BY EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH NE 20-25 KT WINDS N OF IT AND 15 KT WINDS S OF IT. THE SHEAR LINE WILL REACH TO ALONG 20N SUN EVENING...18N MON MORNING...AND DISSIPATE BY TUE. SW N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W... A PAIR OF COLD FRONTS ARE CONTINUING TO IMPACT THE BASIN. THE EASTERN FRONT REACHES FROM 31N55W TO 26N62W TO HAITI NEAR 27N72W. A TRAILING AND REINFORCING FRONT EXTENDS FROM EAST OF BERMUDA TO THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS NEAR 23N75W. SCATTERED SHOWERS PRECEDE BOTH FRONTS. MAINLY MODERATE TO FRESH N WINDS ARE BEHIND THE FRONTS. HIGH PRES WILL BUILD IN FROM THE W-NW THIS EVENING WITH A RIDGE SETTLING ALONG 27N BY SAT MORNING. WINDS WILL DIMINISH TO LIGHT TO MODERATE AS THIS OCCURS. THIS RIDGE WILL THEN ATTEMPT TO REMAIN FIRMLY IN PLACE THROUGH SUN...SHIFTING N TO ALONG 29N BY MORNING MORNING...THEN BEING REPLACED BY A RIDGE FARTHER NORTH. AS THE RIDGE HOLDS IN PLACE ANY NEW FRONTS OR FRONTAL TROUGHS THAT TRY TO APPROACH THE AREA WILL BE RESTRICTED TO THE WATERS N OF 31N...ALONG WITH ANY WINDS OF STRONG BREEZE OR GREATER CONDITIONS. THE RIDGE AND HIGH WILL WEAKEN TUE FINALLY ALLOWING FOR ANOTHER FRONT TO IMPACT THE BASIN. THAT FRONT WILL ENTER THE NW PORTION TUE EVENING...REACHING FROM 31N67W TO SE FLORIDA WED MORNING. FRESH TO MODERATE NE WINDS WILL FOLLOW THIS FRONT. NOTE...GRIDDED MARINE FORECAST IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/TAFB/GRIDDED_MARINE WARNINGS... GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... .NONE. SW N ATLC... .NONE. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.HURRICANES.GOV/MARINE $$ FORECASTER LANDSEA/MUNDELL