000 FZNT24 KNHC 160244 OFFNT4 OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 1030 PM CDT FRI AUG 15 2008 OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO SEAS GIVEN AS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT...WHICH IS THE AVERAGE HEIGHT OF THE HIGHEST 1/3 OF THE WAVES. INDIVIDUAL WAVES MAY BE MORE THAN TWICE THE SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT. GMZ089-160930- SYNOPSIS FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO 1030 PM CDT FRI AUG 15 2008 .SYNOPSIS...TROPICAL STORM FAY NEAR SE OF THE AREA NEAR 18.7N 70.8W 1008 MB AT 10 PM CDT MOVING W AT 12 KT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS 40 KT GUSTS 50 KT. FAY WILL MOVE WNW THROUGH SAT NIGHT ...THEN TURN NW OVER OR NEAR EASTERN CUBA SUN MORNING AND SLOWLY STRENGTHEN AS IT CONTINUES NW ACROSS CENTRAL CUBA AND INTO THE STRAITS OF FL MON MORNING REACHING TO NEAR 24.0N 81.5W AS A HURRICANE BY MON NIGHT. FAY WILL THEN STRENGTH SOME AS IT CONTINUES TO MOVE NW REACHING TO NEAR 27.5N 83.0W BY TUE NIGHT...AND IS FORECAST TO MOVE INLAND THE FL PANHANDLE AROUND WED MORNING. FAY WILL MOVE FURTHER INLAND AS IT ONCE AGAIN WEAKENS TO A TROPICAL STORM OVER EXTREME SOUTHERN GEORGIA LATE WED. ELSEWHERE...RIDGE FROM 29N65W THROUGH CENTRAL FL TO 27N86W WILL LIFT N IN RESPONSE TO FAY. A WEAK FRONT WILL BRUSH THE N CENTRAL AND NE WATERS SAT THROUGH EARLY MON. $$ GMZ080-160930- NW GULF N OF 25N W OF 90W INCLUDING FLOWER GARDEN BANKS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY 1030 PM CDT FRI AUG 15 2008 .TONIGHT...SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...EXCEPT S TO SW 5 TO 10 KT N OF 28N E OF 93W. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT...EXCEPT 1 TO 2 FT N OF 28N E OF 93W. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ENTIRE AREA. .SAT AND SAT NIGHT...N OF 28N S TO SW WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. S OF 28N W OF 94W SE TO S WINDS 10 KT TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 4 FT. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ENTIRE AREA. .SUN THROUGH MON...W OF 94W E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 4 FT. E OF 94W NW TO N WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 1 TO 3 FT. .TUE...W OF 94W E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. E OF 94W NE TO E WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. .WED...VARIABLE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...EXCEPT E TO SE S OF 26N. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT IN SE SWELL W OF 94W...AND 1 TO 2 FT E OF 94W. $$ GMZ082-160930- SW GULF S OF 25N W OF 90W 1030 PM CDT FRI AUG 15 2008 .TONIGHT...SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT...EXCEPT 1 TO 3 FT S OF 20N. .SAT THROUGH SUN NIGHT...E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT...EXCEPT 2 TO 3 FT S OF 20N. .MON THOUGH WED...N OF 22N E OF 93W E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 4 FT. ELSEWHERE SE WINDS 10 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. $$ GMZ084-160930- MIDDLE GULF BETWEEN 85W AND 90W 1030 PM CDT FRI AUG 15 2008 .TONIGHT...N OF 26N S TO SW WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. FROM 24N TO 27N VARIABLE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. S OF 24N E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 4 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS N OF 26N. .SAT AND SAT NIGHT...N OF 28N S TO SW WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. FROM 25N TO 28N VARIABLE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. S OF 25N E WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. .SUN AND SUN NIGHT...N OF 27N W TO NW WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. FROM 24N TO 27W VARIABLE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. S OF 24N NE TO E WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. .MON...S OF 25N E OF 86W N TO NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT...BUILDING 4 TO 6 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. ELSEWHERE VARIABLE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING NE TO E 5 TO 10 KT S OF 24N W OF 86W. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT...BUILDING TO 2 TO 3 FT S OF 24N W OF 86W. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS INCREASING FAR SE PART. .TUE...N TO NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...EXCEPT 5 TO 10 KT W OF 88W FROM 24N TO 27N...AND 15 TO 20 KT E OF 86W FROM 24N TO 27N. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT...BUILDING TO 5 TO 7 FT E OF 86W FROM 24N TO 27N. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND SQUALLS FAR E PART NEAR 85W. .WED...N OF 28N E OF 86W NW TO N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 5 TO 7 FT. ELSEWHERE N OF 25N NW TO N WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...DIMINISHING TO 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 3 TO 4 FT. VARIABLE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SQUALLS FAR NE PART. $$ GMZ086-160930- E GULF BETWEEN 81W AND 85W 1030 PM CDT FRI AUG 15 2008 ...HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED MON THROUGH WED.... .TONIGHT...N OF 25N SW TO W WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 2 FT LATE. S OF 25N E TO SE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. SCATTERED TSTMS N OF 28N. .SAT AND SAT NIGHT...N OF 26N W TO NW WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING NW TO N SAT NIGHT. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. S OF 26N N TO NE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. .SUN...N OF 26N NW TO N WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 2 FT OR LESS. S OF 26N N TO NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 1 TO 3 FT. .SUN NIGHT...N OF 26N WINDS BECOMING W TO SW. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. FROM 24N TO 26N VARIABLE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. S OF 24N NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KT LATE. SEAS BUILDING TO 4 TO 6 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS FAR SE PART. .MON...HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WITHIN 90 NM NE QUADRANT...75 NM SE AND NW QUADRANTS...AND 30 NM SW QUADRANT OF FAY. HIGHEST WINDS 70 KT GUSTS 85 KT. SEAS 12 FT OR GREATER IN AREA OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE OR GREATER WINDS. HIGHEST SEAS 19 FT. ELSEWHERE S OF 26N WINDS 20 TO 30 KT. SEAS BUILDING 8 TO 11 FT. N OF 26N VARIABLE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING N TO NE LATE. SEAS BUILDING 2 TO 4 FT IN SE SWELL. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SQUALLS S OF 26N. .TUE...HURRICANE CONDITIONS AND SEAS 12 FT OR GREATER EXPECTED N OF 23N. S OF 23N WINDS 20 TO 33 KT. SEAS 8 TO 12 FT. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SQUALLS SPREADING FROM S TO N. .WED...HURRICANE CONDITIONS AND SEAS 12 FT OR GREATER EXPECTED N OF 27N. FROM 24N TO 27N WINDS 20 TO 33 KT. SEAS 8 TO 12 FT. S OF 24N S TO SW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT...BECOMING VARIABLE 5 TO 10 KT LATE. SEAS SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 3 FT. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SQUALLS N OF 26N. $$ FORECASTER SCHAUER CLARK/AGUIRRE