000 AGXX40 KNHC 020651 MIMATS MARINE WEATHER DISCUSSION NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 300 AM EDT TUE APR 2 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... SURFACE OBSERVATIONS AND SCATTEROMETER DATA INDICATE GENTLE TO MODERATE EASTERLY WINDS PREVAIL ACROSS THE REGION WITH SEAS 3 FT OR LESS. A LOW PRES TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER NE MEXICO OVER THE NEXT 24-36 HOURS AND ALLOW SE WINDS TO INCREASE ACROSS MOST OF THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN GULF THROUGH WED. A LOW PRES SYSTEM WILL START TO DEVELOP IN THE NW GULF ROUGHLY NEAR 27N95W WED NIGHT THEN DEEPEN AS IT MOVES NE TO NEAR PENSACOLA FL BY THU NIGHT...THEN RACING NE UP THE EASTERN SEABOARD FRI. THE LOW WILL DRAG A COLD FRONT ACROSS THE GULF OF MEXICO THU AND FRI. MARINE GUIDANCE SUGGESTS FRESH TO STRONG SE TO S WINDS THEN SW WINDS ACROSS THE EASTERN GULF BY THU WITH SOME POTENTIAL FOR WINDS TO APPROACH GALE FORCE IN THE NE PORTION OF THE GULF. THE FORECAST IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON LOCATION/STRENGTH OF THE LOW PRES CENTER. GENTLE TO MODERATE E-SE WINDS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE REGION SAT. SW N ATLC S OF 31N W OF 55W... HIGH PRES IN THE CENTRAL ATLC EXTENDS A RIDGE WESTWARD ACROSS THE REGION. ASCAT SCATTEROMETER DATA SHOWS BROAD ANTICYCLONIC WINDS FLOW W OF 70W. A WEAK COLD FRONT IS ANALYZED ACROSS N FLORIDA. THE FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS N WATERS THROUGH WED WHILE A SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDS FURTHER SOUTH TO THE EASTERN BAHAMAS... CHARACTERIZED PRIMARILY BY A WIND SHIFT. THE TROUGH WILL EXTEND FROM 30N60W TO 21N70W WED THEN MOVE EAST OF THE AREA THU. A LOW PRES SYSTEM EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN THE GULF OF MEXICO WED NIGHT AND THU WILL CAUSE SE WINDS TO INCREASE FROM W TO E ACROSS THE N WATERS BY THU...WITH SEAS BUILDING TO 7-8 FT IN NW PORTION LATE THU. WINDS MAY REACH NEAR GALE FORCE N OF 30N THU NIGHT AND FRI. A MINORITY OF GFS ENSEMBLE SOLUTIONS INDICATE GALE-FORCE WINDS AT THIS TIME...THOUGH WINDS OF 25-30 KT ARE CONSIDERED LIKELY. CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLC S OF 22N W OF 55W... ASCAT SCATTEROMETER PASS AT 0145 UTC SHOWED LARGE AREA OF FRESH TO STRONG E WINDS ACROSS THE REGION...AND THE AREA OF STRONG TO NEAR GALE WINDS NEAR THE COAST OF COLOMBIA CONSIDERABLY SMALLER AND ALMOST GONE AS HIGH PRES N OF THE AREA CONTINUES TO SHIFT E INTO THE CENTRAL ATLC. BUT THIS IS ENHANCING TRADE WINDS OVER A BROAD AREA OF THE TROPICAL N ATLC. FRESH TO STRONG SE WINDS ARE EXPECTED IN THE GULF OF HONDURAS TONIGHT THROUGH THU AS A LOW PRES TROUGH DEVELOPING OVER NE MEXICO TIGHTENS THE PRES GRADIENT W OF 85W. A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH A DEVELOPING LOW PRES SYS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO IS EXPECTED TO REACH THE YUCATAN CHANNEL FRI...THEN WEAKEN OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN SAT. 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