000 FZNT24 KNHC 312101 OFFNT4 OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 330 PM CST WED DEC 31 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. GMZ089-010330- SYNOPSIS FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO 330 PM CST WED DEC 31 2008 .SYNOPSIS...A COLD FRONT FROM THE WESTERN FL PANHANDLE TO 28N90W TO CENTRAL TEXAS WILL BECOME ALONG 26N BY LATE TONIGHT ...THEN LIFT BACK N AS A WARM FRONT FROM THE STRAITS OF FLORIDA TO NEAR CORPUS CHRISTI THU AND TO ACROSS SE LOUISIANA ON FRI. A SECOND COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO APPROACH E TEXAS ON AND BECOME STATIONARY JUST INLAND NORTHERN GULF COAST SAT AND SUN. A THIRD STRONGER COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH E TEXAS SUN...AND OFFSHORE THE NW GULF COAST LATE SUN INTO MON MORNING REACHING FROM NEAR SW LOUISIANA TO FAR SOUTHERN TEXAS MON. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE OVER THE W GULF FRI THROUGH SAT IN ADVANCE OF THE THIRD FRONT. HIGH PRES THEN BUILDS SE INTO THE GULF BEHIND THE FRONT. $$ GMZ080-010330- NW GULF N OF 25N W OF 90W INCLUDING FLOWER GARDEN BANKS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY 330 PM CST WED DEC 31 2008 .TONIGHT...N OF FRONT NE WINDS 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT. S OF FRONT NE TO E WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT IN N SWELL. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ALONG AND SE OF FRONT. .THU...E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. .THU NIGHT THROUGH FRI NIGHT...S TO SW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT... INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KT LATE FRI NIGHT W OF 94W. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT...BUILDING TO 4 TO 5 FT LATE FRI NIGHT W OF 94W. .SAT THROUGH MON...S WINDS 15 TO 20 KT...DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT SUN AFTERNOON AND TO VARIABLE 5 TO 10 KT JUST ALONG THE FRONT...WINDS SHIFT TO N NEAR THE COAST LATE SUN AND TO 20 TO 25 KT LATE MON. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT...BUILDING TO 5 TO 8 FT BEHIND FRONT MON. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ALONG AND SE OF FRONT. $$ GMZ082-010330- SW GULF S OF 25N W OF 90W 330 PM CST WED DEC 31 2008 .TONIGHT...NE TO E WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING SE TONIGHT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. .THU THROUGH MON..SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT...INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KT SAT THROUGH MON. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT...BUILDING TO 4 TO 6 FT SAT...THEN BECOMING 3 TO 4 FT THROUGHOUT SUN AND TO 2 TO 4 FT MON. $$ GMZ084-010330- MIDDLE GULF BETWEEN 85W AND 90W 330 PM CST WED DEC 31 2008 .TONIGHT...N OF FRONT N TO NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT. S OF FRONT NE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS NEAR FRONT. .THU AND THU NIGHT...N OF 26N E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING S THU NIGHT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. S OF 26N NE TO E WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSTMS N WATERS. .FRI AND FRI NIGHT...N OF 25N VARIABLE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 2 FT. S OF 25N E WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS NEAR THE COAST. .SAT AND SUN...SE TO S WINDS 15 TO 20 KT...BECOMING SW N PART SUN. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT...BUILDING TO 4 TO 6 FT N PART SUN. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS FAR N WATERS. .MON...SE TO S WINDS DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT THROUGHOUT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. $$ GMZ086-010330- E GULF BETWEEN 81W AND 85W 330 PM CST WED DEC 31 2008 .TONIGHT...N OF FRONT NW TO N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT...BECOMING NE LATE. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. S OF FRONT N WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 1 TO 3 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS ALONG FRONT. .THU AND THU NIGHT...N OF 27N E TO SE WINDS 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. S OF 27N E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. .FRI AND FRI NIGHT...VARIABLE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 2 FT. .SAT...E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. .SUN...SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT....INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KT N OF 27N. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT N OF 27N AND 2 TO 3 FT S OF 27N. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS FAR N WATERS NEAR THE COAST. ISOLATED SHOWERS ELSEWHERE. .MON...SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT THROUGHOUT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. ISOLATED SHOWERS. $$ FORECASTER AGUIRRE