000 AGXX40 KNHC 301804 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 215 PM EDT SAT MAR 30 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 E OF FLORIDA EXTENDS A RIDGE ACROSS THE GULF PRODUCING MAINLY GENTLE TO MODERATE SE TO S WINDS AND SEAS GENERALLY UNDER 5 FT. THESE MARINE CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THE REST OF THE WEEKEND. A COLD FRONT WILL CLIP THE N WATERS ON MON WITH LITTLE IMPACT IN WINDS AND SEAS. COMPUTER MODELS SHOW STRONG HIGH PRES BUILDING SOUTH OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS MON AND MON NIGHT...PUSHING A SECOND AND STRONGER COLD FRONT INTO THE NORTHERN GULF TUE NIGHT. IT WILL REACH FROM THE FLORIDA BIG BEND TO THE BAY OF CAMPECHE BY WED NIGHT...WITH STRONG NE WINDS AND BUILDING SEAS INDICATED N AND W OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. GFS MODEL SHOWS A WAVE OR WEAK LOW PRES DEVELOPING ALONG THE FRONT WED WHICH INCREASES THE PRES GRADIENT ACROSS N AND W PORTIONS OF THE REGION. FOR NOW...THE FORECAST SHOWS INCREASING WINDS TO 20- 30 KT AND BUILDING SEAS TO 7-10 FT IN ZONES GMZ011 AND GMZ013. SW N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W... HIGH PRES CENTERED NEAR 29N77W WILL SHIFT ESE TO A POSITION NEAR 28N68W IN ABOUT 24 HOURS. A RIDGE WILL BECOME WELL ESTABLISHED ALONG 28N THROUGH MON NIGHT. FRESH TO STRONG EASTERLY TRADES ARE EXPECTED S OF 22N ON THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE RIDGE. MODERATE TO FRESH SW WINDS WILL DEVELOP N OF 29N SUN AND MON AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS THE N WATERS TUE AND WED. A REINFORCING COLD FRONT WILL FOLLOW REACHING THE NW WATERS LATER ON WED. THE LOW PRES FORECAST TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO BY WED MAY AFFECT THE NW WATERS ON THU. SEAS CONTINUES TO SUBSIDE ACROSS THE SW N ATLC AND CURRENTLY ARE LESS THAN 8 FT E OF THE BAHAMAS BASED ON LATEST SHIP AND BUOY OBSERVATIONS...BUT WILL INCREASE AGAIN TO 8 FT WITHIN THE AREA OF THE TRADE WINDS LATE SUN AND MON. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC S OF 22N W OF 55W... THE MOST RECENT SCATTEROMETER DATA PROVIDED OBSERVATIONS OF 20- 25 KT WINDS ACROSS THE MAJORITY OF THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN... THROUGH THE MONA AND WINDWARD PASSAGES AND IN LEE OF E-CENTRAL CUBA...AND 25 TO 30 KT NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA. AS HIGH PRES N OF AREA SLOWLY SHIFTS E OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS...A TIGHT PRES GRADIENT OVER THE REGION WILL RESULT IN FRESH TO STRONG TRADE WINDS TO PERSIST ACROSS MOST OF CENTRAL CARIBBEAN. EXPECT MAX SUSTAINED WINDS TO 30 KT NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO GALE FORCE THROUGH MON. THIS STRONG FLOW WILL ALLOW SEAS TO BUILD TO 12-13 FT BY LATE TONIGHT OR EARLY SUN. WINDS AND SEAS WILL DIMINISH TUE AND WED IN THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN AS HIGH PRES SHIFTS E INTO CENTRAL ATLC AND TROUGHING SETS UP NORTH OF THE AREA...BUT SUPPORTING A BROAD AREA OF FRESH TRADES ACROSS THE TROPICAL N ATLC WITH SEAS TO AROUND 8 FT. 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 GR