000 FZNT24 KNHC 171516 OFFNT4 OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 1030 AM CDT SUN AUG 17 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. GMZ089-172130- SYNOPSIS FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO 1030 AM CDT SUN AUG 17 2008 .SYNOPSIS...TROPICAL STORM FAY S OF CUBA NEAR 20.5N 78.6W 1003 MB AT 10 AM CDT MOVING WNW AT 11 KT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS 45 KT GUSTS 55 KT. FAY WILL MOVE NW NEAR THE S COAST OF CUBA TODAY AND TONIGHT AND STRENGTHEN WITH TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS BEGINNING TO SPREAD ACROSS THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY MON. FAY WILL CROSS CUBA AND BE NEAR 24.5N 82.0W MON EVENING...26.2N 82.2 TUES MORNING...AND THEN REACH THE W CENTRAL FLORIDA COAST AS A HURRICANE TUE AFTERNOON AND WEAKEN OVER N CENTRAL FL LATE TUE AND WED. ELSEWHERE...A WEAK STATIONARY FRONT OVER THE N GULF TODAY WILL BECOME DIFFUSE MON. HIGH PRES OVER THE CENTRAL GULF TODAY WILL MOVE LITTLE AND THEN SHIFT NW MON AND STRETCH FROM THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA TO THE CENTRAL GULF COAST WED AND THU. $$ GMZ080-172130- NW GULF N OF 25N W OF 90W INCLUDING FLOWER GARDEN BANKS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY 1030 AM CDT SUN AUG 17 2008 .THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...S OF 28N S TO SW WINDS 10 KT OR LESS BECOMING SE TO S THIS EVENING. N OF 28N VARIABLE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS EXCEPT NE TO E NEAR SHORE. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT THROUGHOUT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS N OF 27N. .MON AND MON NIGHT...S OF 27N W OF 93W SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING E TO SE. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. ELSEWHERE VARIABLE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 1 TO 3 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS NEAR THE COAST. .TUE AND WED...W OF 94W SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING S TO SW WED. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT. E OF 94W VARIABLE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS BECOMING SE TO S 10 TO 15 KT. WED. SEAS 1 TO 3 FT. .THU...SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. $$ GMZ082-172130- SW GULF S OF 25N W OF 90W 1030 AM CDT SUN AUG 17 2008 .THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THU...E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT EXCEPT NE TO E 15 TO 20 KT NEAR THE YUCATAN COAST AT NIGHT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. $$ GMZ084-172130- MIDDLE GULF BETWEEN 85W AND 90W 1030 AM CDT SUN AUG 17 2008 .THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...S OF 24N NE TO E WINDS 10 TO 15 KT INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KT E OF 87W TONIGHT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT E OF 87W. FROM 24N TO 27N VARIABLE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. N OF 27N SW TO W WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS N OF 27N. .MON AND MON NIGHT...S OF 27N E OF 87W NE TO N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT. N OF 28N S TO SW WINDS 10 KT OR LESS BECOMING NE...E OF 87W LATE. SEAS 2 FT OR LESS. ELSEWHERE VARIABLE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 1 TO 3 FT BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSTMS N OF 28N. .TUE AND TUE NIGHT...N OF 25N E OF 87W NW TO N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT DIMINISHING TO 15 KT LATE. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FT LATE. N OF 25N W OF 87W NW TO N WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. S OF 25N VARIABLE MOSTLY E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. SCATTERED TSTMS NE PART. .WED...N OF 26N W TO NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT EXCEPT 10 KT OR LESS W OF 87W. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT EXCEPT 1 TO 3 FT W OF 87W. S OF 25N SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING E TO SE. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. .THU...N OF 25N SW TO W WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. S OF 25N E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. $$ GMZ086-172130- E GULF BETWEEN 81W AND 85W 1030 AM CDT SUN AUG 17 2008 ...TROPICAL STORM WARNING S OF 24N... ...HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED N OF 25N TUE... .THIS AFTERNOON...S OF 25N NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT INCREASING TO 20 TO 25 KT OVER THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA LATE. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT BUILDING TO 4 TO 7 FT IN THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA. N OF 25N W TO NW WINDS 10 KT OR LESS BECOMING NE 10 KT S OF 26N LATE. SEAS 2 FT OR LESS. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS STRAITS OF FLORIDA INCREASING. .TONIGHT...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS DEVELOPING OVER THE SOUTHERN STRAITS OF FLORIDA LATE TONIGHT. HIGHEST WINDS 50 KT GUSTS 60 KT S OF AREA. SEAS BUILDING TO 6 TO 10 FT EXCEPT 8 TO 12 FT SOUTHERN STRAITS OF FLORIDA. ELSEWHERE S OF 25N N TO NE WINDS 20 TO 30 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT BUILDING TO 5 TO 8 FT. N OF 25N NW TO N WINDS 10 KT OR LESS BECOMING N TO NE. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. SCATTERED SQUALLS S OF 25N. .MON AND MON NIGHT...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WITHIN 100 NM OF CENTER OF FAY. HIGHEST WINDS 50 KT GUSTS 60 KT INCREASING TO 55 KT GUSTS 65 KT. SEAS 12 FT OR GREATER IN AREA OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS. HIGHEST SEAS 19 FT BUILDING TO 22 FT. ELSEWHERE N TO NE WINDS 20 TO 33 KT EXCEPT NE TO E 10 TO 15 KT N OF 28N. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT BUILDING TO 8 TO 12 FT EXCEPT 1 TO 2 FT BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT N OF 28N. NUMEROUS SQUALLS. .TUE...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WITHIN 120 NM OF CENTER OF FAY. HIGHEST WINDS 55 KT GUSTS 65 KT INCREASING TO 65 KT GUSTS 80 KT BEFORE LANDFALL. SEAS 12 FT OR GREATER IN AREA OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS. HIGHEST SEAS TO 25 FT. N OF 27N NE TO E WINDS 15 TO 20 KT BECOMING NW TO N EXCEPT INCREASING TO 20 TO 30 KT W OF 84W TUE AFTERNOON. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT BUILDING TO 4 TO 7 FT EXCEPT 5 TO 8 FT W OF 84W. ELSEWHERE SW TO W WINDS 20 TO 33 KT DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT LATE. SEAS 8 TO 12 FT SUBSIDING TO 4 TO 7 FT LATE. NUMEROUS SQUALLS N OF 24N. .WED...N OF 26N W TO NW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT EXCEPT 20 TO 25 KT N OF 28N EARLY DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT EXCEPT 6 TO 9 FT N OF 28N SUBSIDING TO 3 TO 5 FT LATE. S OF 26N SW WINDS 10 KT OR LESS BECOME E TO SE STRAITS OF FLORIDA LATE. SEAS SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 3 FT LATE. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS FAR N PART DIMINISHING. .THU...N OF 26N W TO NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT DIMINISHING TO 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. S OF 26N S TO SW WINDS 10 KT OR LESS BECOMING NE TO E. SEAS 2 FT OR LESS. $$ FORECASTER KIMBERLAIN