000 FZNT24 KNHC 120900 OFFNT4 OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 430 AM CDT FRI SEP 12 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. GMZ089-121530- SYNOPSIS FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO 430 AM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008 .SYNOPSIS...HURRICANE IKE NEAR 26.7N 91.6W 953 MB AT 4 AM CDT MOVING W NW OR 290 DEG AT 11 KT. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS 90 KT GUSTS TO 110 KT. IKE IS EXPECTED TO STRENGTHEN TO 95 KT GUSTS TO 115 KT NEAR 27.4N 93.2W THIS AFTERNOON AND FURTHER STRENGTHEN TO 100 KT GUSTS TO 120 KT NEAR 29.0N 94.8W TONIGHT. IKE EXPECTED TO MOVE INLAND AND WEAKEN TO 55 KT GUSTS TO 65 KT NEAR 31.3N 95.7W SAT AFTERNOON AND BE WELL N OF AREA LATE SAT NIGHT. THE REMNANT LOW PRES OF IKE WILL DRAG A COLD FRONT OFF TEXAS COAST AROUND SUNSET SUN STALLING FROM THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA TO BAY OF CAMPECHE MON NIGHT AND TUE. $$ GMZ080-121530- NW GULF N OF 25N W OF 90W INCLUDING FLOWER GARDEN BANKS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY 430 AM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008 ...HURRICANE WARNING E OF 97W... .TODAY AND TONIGHT...HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WITHIN 240 NM E AND WITHIN 180 NM W SEMICIRCLES WITH HIGHEST WINDS 90 KT GUSTS 110 KT INCREASING TO 100 KT GUSTS TO 120 KT TONIGHT PRIOR TO LANDFALL. SEAS 12 FT OR GREATER ENTIRE AREA. HIGHEST SEAS BUILDING TO 52 FT NE NEAR CENTER NE QUADRANT PRIOR TO LANDFALL. ELSEWHERE WINDS 20 TO 33 KT. NUMEROUS SQUALLS. .SAT AND SAT NIGHT...TROPICAL STORM FORCE OR GREATER WINDS OVER FORECAST WATERS WITHIN 175 NM E AND WITHIN 75W NM W SEMICIRCLES. SEAS 12 FT OR GREATER N OF 26N E OF 97W WITH HIGHEST SEAS 35 FT SAT SUBSIDING TO 12 FT LATE SAT NIGHT. ELSEWHERE WINDS 20 TO 33 KT DIMINISHING TO 20 TO 30 KT LATE SAT NIGHT. SEAS 8 TO 11 FT. NUMEROUS SQUALLS NW PORTION SHIFTING N OF AREA LATE SAT NIGHT. .SUN...S WINDS 15 TO 20 KT SHIFTING TO N BEHIND FRONT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT. SCATTERED TSTMS NEAR FRONT. .MON...E OF FRONT S TO SW WINDS 10 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. W OF FRONT N TO NE WINDS 20 TO 25 KT. SEAS 6 TO 9 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS ISOLATED TSTMS NEAR FRONT. .TUE...E OF FRONT SE TO S WINDS 10 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. W OF FRONT N TO NE WINDS 20 TO 25 KT DIMINISHING TO 15 TO 20 KT LATE. SEAS 6 TO 9 FT SUBSIDING TO 4 TO 6 FT LATE. ISOLATED TSTMS NEAR FRONT. $$ GMZ082-121530- SW GULF S OF 25N W OF 90W 430 AM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008 ...TROPICAL STORM WARNING N OF 23N E OF 94W... .TODAY AND TONIGHT...TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WITHIN 200 NM S SEMICIRCLE. SEAS 12 FT OR GREATER WITHIN 360 NM S SEMICIRCLE. ELSEWHERE N OF 23N WINDS 20 TO 33 KT. SEAS 8 TO 11 FT. S OF 23N S WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT. SCATTERED TSTMS AND SQUALLS N PORTION. .SAT AND SAT NIGHT...N OF 22N E OF 95W SE TO S WINDS 20 TO 25 KT DIMINISHING TO 15 TO 20 KT SAT NIGHT. SEAS 7 TO 10 FT SUBSIDING TO 5 TO 8 FT IN N SWELL SAT NIGHT. ELSEWHERE SE TO S WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT. SCATTERED TSTMS AND SQUALLS N OF 23N EARLY. .SUN...SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT EXCEPT 2 TO 4 FT S OF 21N. .MON AND TUE...E OF FRONT E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. W OF FRONT N WINDS 20 TO 30 KT. SEAS 7 TO 11 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSTMS ALONG FRONT. $$ GMZ084-121530- MIDDLE GULF BETWEEN 85W AND 90W 430 AM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008 ...HURRICANE WARNING N OF 23N W OF 86W... .TODAY AND TONIGHT...HURRICANE AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS WITHIN 240 NM E SEMICIRLCE OF CENTER. HIGHEST WINDS 90 KT GUSTS 110 KT INCREASING 95 KT GUSTS 115 KT THIS AFTERNOON AND FURTHER INCREASING TO 100 KT GUSTS TO 120 KT TONIGHT. SEAS 12 FT OR GREATER WITHIN 390 NM E SEMICIRCLE WITH HIGHEST SEAS 40 FT TODAY AND 22 FT TONIGHT. ELSEWHERE WINDS 20 TO 33 KT. SEAS 8 TO 12 FT SUBSIDING TO 5 TO 8 FT S OF 24N LATE TONIGHT. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND TSTMS W HALF DIMINISHING LATE. .SAT AND SAT NIGHT...N OF 25N SE WINDS 20 TO 25 KT DIMINISHING TO 15 TO 20 KT LATE. SEAS 10 TO 11 FT SUBSIDING TO 5 TO 7 FT LATE. S OF 25N SE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT SUBSIDING TO 4 TO 7 FT LATE. .SUN...SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FT LATE. SCATTERED TSTMS NW WATERS SUN NIGHT. .MON...N OF 27N S TO SW WINDS 10 KT SHIFTING NW BEHIND FRONT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. S OF 27N SE TO S WINDS 10 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. SCATTERED TSTMS NEAR FRONT. .TUE...SE TO S WINDS 10 KT. SEAS 2 FT. $$ GMZ086-121530- E GULF BETWEEN 81W AND 85W 430 AM CDT FRI SEP 12 2008 .TODAY AND TONIGHT...SE WINDS 20 TO 25 KT DIMINISHING TO 15 TO TO 20 KT TONIGHT. N OF 25N SEAS 8 TO 14 FT SUBSIDING TO 5 TO 8 FT LATE. S OF 25N SEAS 5 TO 8 FT SUBSIDING TO 3 TO 5 FT LATE. .SAT AND SAT NIGHT...N OF 29N SE TO S WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. S OF 29N E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. .SUN THROUGH TUE...VARIABLE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 1 TO 3 FT. $$ FORECASTER NELSON