000 AGXX40 KNHC 160602 MIMATS Marine Weather Discussion NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL 202 AM EDT Thu Mar 16 2017 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... High pressure is building southward over the gulf basin this morning and continues to support fresh northerly winds over the eastern Gulf, fresh to strong northeast winds over the south central Gulf, partially associated with a thermal trough moving off the Yucatan, and moderate winds elsewhere. The high will become centered very near the northeast gulf today and will remain in place through Saturday. This pattern will support light winds over the north central and northeast Gulf with fresh to strong winds over the extreme southeast and south central Gulf, and moderate winds elsewhere. The high will retrograde west to the north central Gulf and weaken slightly as a weak front clips the northeast Gulf Sunday. This will allow winds to decrease slightly over the southern Gulf Sunday through Tuesday, except at night when the thermal trough moves off the Yucatan and pulses winds to fresh to strong. ...CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLANTIC FROM 07N TO 19N BETWEEN 55W AND 64W... A stationary front that extends from the eastern tip of Cuba to the Nicaragua/Honduras coast will meander southward the next day or two. The front will then weaken and dissipate early this weekend. High pressure to the north will support strong northeast winds behind this front during this time period with seas to 8 ft. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected within about 100 nm of either side of this front. Strong winds along the coast of Colombia will pulse to near gale tonight due to local influences. As the high to the north builds closer to the region through Friday, the winds along the coast of Colombia will increase slightly. This will likely allow winds to reach gale force Friday night, and possibly again Saturday night. Meanwhile, generally moderate to fresh trades will cover the remainder of the Caribbean and tropical Atlantic waters now through Saturday night. The high to the north will slide west and weaken by Sunday which will allow winds over the central and eastern Caribbean to decrease slightly. Large trade wind induced swell will persist over the tropical Atlantic waters through Sunday, and will diminish below 8 ft by late Sunday. ...SW N ATLANTIC INCLUDING THE BAHAMAS... A pair of cold fronts over the northern waters will merge through the day today. The main front will then reach from 30N60W to the Windward Passage by tonight. The southern portion will stall out from near 23N65W to the Haiti coast Friday, before dissipating over the weekend. Strong winds will diminish this morning across the northern waters as low pressure lifts well north of the region and the pressure gradient lessens. Swell of 8 to 12 ft over the northern waters will become confined to the northeast waters through the end of the week. High pressure building over the western Atlantic through tonight will tighten the pressure gradient over the southeast Bahamas and elsewhere within about 200 nm northwest of the stalling frontal boundary south of 25N, resulting in strong northeast winds and seas of 8 to 10 outside of the protected areas of the Bahamas. The area of high pressure will bring tranquil conditions to the northern waters briefly Friday night through Saturday. Then, another cold front will enter the northwest waters. This front will move quickly eastward and exit the northern zones by Monday, while stalling out over the southern waters early next week. Forecast models continue to indicate strong to near gale winds mainly north of 28N with this front with seas of 8 to 11 ft. Over the southeast zones, large trade wind swell will continue into the weekend and will merge with northerly swell from the storm system currently affecting the northern waters. The swell will decrease below 8 ft by late Sunday. $$ .WARNINGS...Any changes impacting coastal NWS offices will be coordinated through AWIPS II Collaboration Chat, or by telephone: .GULF OF MEXICO... None. .CARIBBEAN SEA AND TROPICAL N ATLANTIC FROM 07N TO 19N BETWEEN 55W AND 64W... .AMZ031...CARIBBEAN FROM 11N TO 15N BETWEEN 72W AND 80W INCLUDING COLOMBIA BASIN... GALE CONDITIONS POSSIBLE Fri night. .SW N ATLANTIC INCLUDING THE BAHAMAS... None. $$ *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.