000 FZNT24 KNHC 180915 OFFNT4 OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 430 AM CDT MON AUG 18 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. GMZ089-181530- SYNOPSIS FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO 430 AM CDT MON AUG 18 2008 .SYNOPSIS...TROPICAL STORM FAY OVER CUBA NEAR 22.5N 80.9W 1003 MB AT 4 AM CDT MOVING NNW 10 KT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS 45 KT GUSTS 55 KT. FAY WILL MAINTAIN ITS INTENSITY AND CROSS CUBA AND EMERGE IN THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA NEAR 23.5N 81.5W TODAY IN THE AFTERNOON. FAY WILL STRENGTHEN GRADUALLY AS IT MOVES CLOSER TO THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF FLORIDA NEAR 25.1N 82.0W EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. FAY WILL BECOME A HURRICANE BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON STILL OVER THE WATERS JUST WEST OF FLORIDA NEAR 26.6N 82.3W. FAY WILL MOVE INLAND IN FLORIDA AND WEAKEN TO A TROPICAL STORM NEAR 28.2N 82.2W EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. FAY WILL STAY A TROPICAL STORM AND MOVE NORTHWARD TO SOUTHEASTERN GEORGIA NEAR 31.1N 82.0W EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. ELSEWHERE...A WEAK STATIONARY FRONT OVER THE N GULF TODAY WILL BECOME DIFFUSE MON AS HIGH PRES OVER THE NE GULF SHIFTS TO THE NW GULF MON THROUGH THU. $$ GMZ080-181530- NW GULF N OF 25N W OF 90W INCLUDING FLOWER GARDEN BANKS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY 430 AM CDT MON AUG 18 2008 .TODAY AND TONIGHT...S TO SW WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...EXCEPT 10 TO 15 KT S OF 28N W OF 95W BECOMING SE TONIGHT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. .TUE AND TUE NIGHT...S OF 28N W OF 93W SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT. ELSEWHERE VARIABLE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING E TO SE TUE NIGHT. SEAS 1 TO 3 FT. .WED...E OF 93W SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. W OF 93W S TO SW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT. SCATTERED TSTMS NEAR TEXAS COAST. .THU...S TO SW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING SE TO S LATE. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. .FRI...E OF 93W E TO SE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. W OF 93W SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. $$ GMZ082-181530- SW GULF S OF 25N W OF 90W 430 AM CDT MON AUG 18 2008 .TODAY THROUGH THU...E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT... EXCEPT SE 15 TO 20 KT S OF 22N. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. .FRI...E TO SE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS BUILDING TO 4 TO 6 FT. $$ GMZ084-181530- MIDDLE GULF BETWEEN 85W AND 90W 430 AM CDT MON AUG 18 2008 .TODAY AND TONIGHT...S OF 27N E OF 87W N TO NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT. S OF 25N NE TO E WINDS BECOMING N TO NE. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT. N OF 28N S TO SW WINDS 10 KT OR LESS BECOMING VARIABLE LATE. SEAS 2 FT OR LESS. ELSEWHERE VARIABLE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 1 TO 3 FT BUILDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSTMS N OF 28N. .TUE AND TUE NIGHT...N OF 25N E OF 87W NW TO N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT. N OF 25N W OF 87W NW TO N WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. S OF 25N VARIABLE MOSTLY E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FT. SCATTERED TSTMS FAR E PART SPREADING N. .WED...N OF 26N E OF 86W W TO NW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT. ELSEWHERE N OF 26N W TO NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT EXCEPT 10 KT OR LESS W OF 87W. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT EXCEPT 1 TO 3 FT W OF 87W. S OF 25N SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING E TO SE. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. .THU AND FRI...N OF 28N SW TO W WINDS 10 KT OR LESS. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT. FROM 25N TO 28N SE TO S WINDS 10 KT OR LESS BECOMING NE TO E FRI. SEAS 2 FT OR LESS. S OF 25N E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING NE TO E. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. $$ GMZ086-181530- E GULF BETWEEN 81W AND 85W 430 AM CDT MON AUG 18 2008 ...TROPICAL STORM WARNING S OF 26N E OF 84W... ...HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED N OF 25N TUE THROUGH WED... .TODAY AND TONIGHT...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WITHIN 90 NM E SEMICIRCLE OF FAY. HIGHEST WINDS INCREASING TO 55 KT GUSTS 65 KT. SEAS 12 FT OR GREATER IN AREA OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS. HIGHEST SEAS 18 FT. ELSEWHERE S OF 27N N TO NE WINDS 20 TO 33 KT. SEAS 8 TO 12 FT. N OF 27N NE TO E WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 4 FT. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SQUALLS S OF 27N. .TUE THROUGH WED....TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WITHIN 120 NM E AND 50 NM W SEMICIRCLE OF FAY. HIGHEST WINDS INCREASING TO 65 KT GUSTS 80 KT...DECREASING TO 60 KT GUSTS TO 75 KT EARLY WEDNESDAY AFTER LANDFALL...CONDITIONS MOVING NE OF AREA LATE WED. SEAS 12 FT OR GREATER IN AREA OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS. HIGHEST SEAS BUILDING TO 24 FT. SEAS SUBSIDING TO 8 TO 12 FT EARLY WED ...SUBSIDING TO 6 TO 9 FT LATE. ELSEWHERE WINDS 20 TO 33 KT...DIMINISHING TO SW TO W 15 TO 20 KT WED... EXCEPT S TO SW 5 TO 10 KT FAR S WATERS WED. SEAS 8 TO 12 FT... SUBSIDING TO 4 TO 6 FT...EXCEPT 2 TO 4 FT FAR S WATERS WED. NUMEROUS SQUALLS N OF 24N SPREADING N. .THU...N OF 27N SW TO W WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...DIMINISHING TO 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 6 TO 9 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FT LATE. S OF 27N S TO SW WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING NE TO E LATE. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT ...SUBSIDING TO 1 TO 2 FT LATE. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS FAR NE PART LIFTING N OF AREA LATE. .FRI...NE TO E WINDS 10 KT...EXCEPT 10 TO 15 KT STRAITS OF FL. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT N OF 26N...AND 2 TO 4 FT S OF 26N. $$ FORECASTER MT