000 AGXX40 KNHC 210616 MIMATS Marine Weather Discussion NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL 116 AM EST WED DEC 21 2016 Marine Weather Discussion for the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and Tropical North Atlantic from 07N to 19N between 55W and 64W and the Southwest North Atlantic including the Bahamas ...GULF OF MEXICO... MODEL PREFERENCE: Global model blend. High confidence. A stationary front that currently extends from south Florida to the central Gulf to near Veracruz Mexico will gradually dissipate from west to east through today and tonight as high pressure to the north and west of the Gulf basin weakens and slides eastward. Strong northwest winds south of 23N west of the front will diminish through the day today to under 20 kt. Seas currently 8 to 12 ft offshore Veracruz will subside below 8 ft later this morning. The remainder of the Gulf will experience moderate to fresh northeasterly winds through tonight. Cloud cover and showers near the frontal zone will dissipate through the day today. On Thursday, a weak cold front will move over the northern Gulf. This front will stall out from northern Florida to near Veracruz Mexico by Thursday night, then dissipate through Friday. Moderate to locally fresh east to southeast flow will then develop Friday through the upcoming weekend with seas running around 2 to 4 ft across the majority of the basin. ...CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLANTIC FROM 07N TO 19N BETWEEN 55W AND 64W... MODEL PREFERENCE: Global model blend. High confidence. High pressure north-northeast of the region will shift eastward through Friday. Low pressure will persist over northern Colombia through the weekend. Expect winds and seas in the western and central Caribbean to diminish somewhat through today as the pressure gradient relaxes. However, fresh to strong trades and rough seas to 10 to 11 ft will continue in tropical north Atlantic for several more days as high pressure builds over the central Atlantic, behind a cold front pushing off the east coast of the United States later in the week. Fresh to strong NE winds will continue through the Windward Passage the next few days. ...SW N ATLANTIC INCLUDING THE BAHAMAS... MODEL PREFERENCE: Global model blend. High confidence. A stationary front extends from near 31N72W to south Florida this morning. The northern portion of the front will transition to a cold front today and move eastward across our northeastern zones. The entire front should dissipate by tonight. High pressure will continue to dominate the remainder of the Atlantic forecast zones through Thursday. Swell generated by trades over the central Atlantic will continue to propagate over our southeastern zones the next few days. A cold front will enter the northwestern zones on Thursday evening and extend from near Bermuda to the northern Bahamas by Friday evening. Strong high pressure will build eastward, north of our area behind this front on Friday. This will support northeasterly winds increasing to 20 to 25 kt northwest of the front Friday into Friday night. $$ .WARNINGS...Any changes impacting coastal NWS offices will be coordinated through AWIPS II Collaboration Chat, or by telephone: .GULF OF MEXICO... None. .CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLANTIC FROM 07N TO 19N BETWEEN 55W AND 64W... None. .SW N ATLANTIC INCLUDING THE BAHAMAS... None. $$ *For detailed zone descriptions, please visit: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/abouttafbprod.shtml#OWF Note: gridded marine forecasts are available in the National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD) at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/marine/grids.php For additional information, please visit: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/marine $$ .Forecaster Latto. National Hurricane Center.