000 AGXX40 KNHC 290701 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 300 AM EDT FRI MAR 29 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... HIGH PRES CENTERED OVER THE NE GULF NEAR 30N86W WILL SHIFT SLOWLY EASTWARD THROUGH THE WEEKEND...ALLOWING ANTICYCLONIC FLOW TO DOMINATE THE REGION THROUGH MON NIGHT. EXPECT RIDGE AXIS TO REMAIN ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF ALONG 27N-28N THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS...WITH GENERALLY SE WINDS SOUTH OF THE RIDGE AND S TO SW WINDS NORTH OF THE RIDGE. GFS AND ECMWF MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT...AND A BLEND OF THE TWO WAS USED TO POPULATE THE FORECAST GRIDS. MODELS SHOW STRONG HIGH PRES PLUNGING SOUTH OVER THE EASTERN U.S. MON AND MON NIGHT...PUSHING A COLD FRONT INTO THE NORTHERN GULF TUE MORNING. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO EXTEND FROM BIG BEND OF FLORIDA TO EAST COAST OF MEXICO BETWEEN TAMPICO AND VERACRUZ TUE NIGHT THEN BECOME NEARLY STATIONARY ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO WED. SW N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W... A WEAK COLD FRONT FROM 23N55W TO THE MONA PASSAGE WILL BECOME STATIONARY AND TRANSITION TO A SHEAR LINE THROUGH FRI NIGHT. HIGH PRES WILL SLOWLY SHIFT E ACROSS NORTHERN FLORIDA TO NEAR 29N70W BY SAT NIGHT AND NEAR 30N58W MON. THE DOMINANT FEATURE IN THE REGION OVER THE NEXT 4-5 DAYS WILL BE A HIGH PRES RIDGE ALONG 28N...WITH E TO SE WINDS SOUTH OF THE RIDGE AND S TO SW WINDS NORTH OF THE RIDGE. FRESH E TRADE WINDS ARE EXPECTED S OF 22N SUN AND MON. SW WINDS WILL INCREASE IN NW PORTION TUE NIGHT AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE COASTS OF SOUTHERN GEORGIA AND NORTHERN FLORIDA. GFS AND ECMWF MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT... AND A BLEND OF THE TWO WAS USED TO POPULATE THE FORECAST GRIDS. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC S OF 22N W OF 55W... A SHEAR LINE FROM HAITI TO THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN WILL DISSIPATE SAT MORNING. SCATTEROMETER DATA SHOWS FRESH NE WINDS FUNNELING THROUGH THE WINDWARD PASSAGE. HIGH PRES WILL BUILD N OF THE REGION THROUGH SUN AS THE HIGH SHIFTS EAST ACROSS THE FLORIDA PENINSULA AND ESTABLISHES A RIDGE ALONG 28N. RESULTING PRES GRADIENT WILL SUPPORT FRESH TO STRONG E-NE WINDS IN THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN WITH MAX WINDS TO 30 KT NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA. MAX SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO BUILD TO 11 FT BY SAT NIGHT BETWEEN 74W AND 77W AND REMAIN NEAR 12 FT THROUGH TUE. GFS WAS USED TO ADJUST THE FORECAST ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST OF COLOMBIA TO 30- 35 KT IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS SAT THROUGH MON. WARNINGS... GULF OF MEXICO... .NONE. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC... .NONE. SW N ATLC... .NONE. EFFECTIVE 20 MARCH 2013...TAFB GRIDDED MARINE FORECASTS FOR 10-M WINDS...10-M WIND GUSTS...SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS AND HAZARDS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE NATIONAL DIGITAL FORECAST DATABASE (NDFD) ON AN EXPERIMENTAL BASIS AT: HTTP://PREVIEW.WEATHER.GOV/GRAPHICAL ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIFICATION/PNS13OFFSHORE_HIGHSEAS.HTM NOTE...GRIDDED MARINE FORECASTS AT WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/TAFB/GRIDDED_MARINE WILL BE DISCONTINUED ONCE THE "OCEANIC" VIEW IS ADDED TO THE EXPERIMENTAL NDFD GRAPHICAL INTERFACE. $$ FORECASTER MUNDELL