000 FZNT24 KNHC 150855 OFFNT4 OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 330 AM CST TUE DEC 15 2009 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. GMZ089-151530- SYNOPSIS FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO 330 AM CST TUE DEC 15 2009 .SYNOPSIS...A WEAK HIGH PRES RIDGE REMAINS IN PLACE FROM THE W ATLC INTO THE NE GULF...WITH A WEAK WARM FRONT STALLED ALONG THE COASTLINES FROM TEXAS TO NW FLORIDA. THE RIDGE WILL WEAKEN TODAY AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE TEXAS COAST...MOVING OFFSHORE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AND REACHING FROM NEAR TAMPA TO 24N95W TO 20N96W BY WED MORNING. AN AREA OF LOW PRES IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT NEAR 25N95W BY LATE WED...THEN WILL SLOWLY MOVE TO THE E GULF NEAR 28N85W BY FRI AFTERNOON... DRAGGING A TRAILING COLD FRONT WITH IT. THE LOW WILL THEN MOVE ACROSS FLORIDA AND INTO THE ATLC...WITH THE COLD FRONT MOVING SE OF THE GULF WATERS BY EARLY SAT. HIGH PRES WILL THEN BUILD IN BEHIND THE FRONT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEKEND. $$ GMZ080-151530- NW GULF N OF 25N W OF 90W INCLUDING THE FLOWER GARDEN BANKS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY 330 AM CST TUE DEC 15 2009 .TODAY AND TONIGHT...SE TO S WINDS 10 KT THIS MORNING BECOMING BEHIND FRONT N TO NE WINDS 20 TO 30 KT BY LATE AFTERNOON. SEAS 3 TO 4 FT BUILDING 6 TO 10 FT LATE. SE OF FRONT WINDS BECOMING VARIABLE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT. SEAS 3 TO 4 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .WED AND WED NIGHT...NW OF FRONT N TO NE WINDS 20 TO 30 KT. SEAS BUILDING 8 TO 12 FT. SE OF FRONT NE TO E WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 5 TO 7 FT IN NE SWELL. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .THU...W OF 94W NW TO N WINDS 20 TO 30 KT WITH HIGHER GUSTS BECOMING N TO NE THU NIGHT. SEAS 8 TO 13 FT. ELSEWHERE NE TO E WINDS 20 TO 30 KT. SEAS 8 TO 11 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS SE PORTION. .FRI...N TO NE WINDS 20 TO 30 KT WITH HIGHER GUSTS BECOMING N 15 TO 20 KT FRI NIGHT. SEAS 9 TO 13 FT SUBSIDING TO 6 TO 9 FT FRI NIGHT. .SAT...NW TO N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT. $$ GMZ082-151530- SW GULF S OF 25N W OF 90W 330 AM CST TUE DEC 15 2009 .TODAY AND TONIGHT...SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT THIS MORNING BECOMING NE TO E 10 TO 15 KT TONIGHT...BECOMING NW OF FRONT NW TO N 20 TO 30 KT LATE. SEAS 3 TO 4 FT BUILDING TO 6 TO 10 FT NW OF FRONT LATE. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .WED AND WED NIGHT...NW OF FRONT NW TO N WINDS 20 TO 30 KT. SEAS 8 TO 13 FT. SE OF FRONT E WINDS 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING SE TO S 15 TO 20 KT LATE WED NIGHT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT BUILDING TO 5 T0 8 FT LATE WED NIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .THU...W OF FRONT W TO NW WINDS 20 TO 30 KT WITH HIGHER GUSTS DIMINISHING TO 20 TO 25 KT THU NIGHT. E OF FRONT S TO SW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 6 TO 8 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .FRI...W TO NW WINDS 20 TO 25 KT BECOMING NW TO N 15 TO 20 KT FRI NIGHT. SEAS 9 TO 12 FT SUBSIDING TO 6 TO 9 FT FRI NIGHT. .SAT...NW TO N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 6 TO 8 FT IN N SWELL SUBSIDING TO 4 TO 6 FT LATE. $$ GMZ084-151530- MIDDLE GULF BETWEEN 85W AND 90W 330 AM CST TUE DEC 15 2009 .TODAY AND TONIGHT...SE TO S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT EARLY BECOMING VARIABLE WINDS 10 KT SE OF FRONT. SEAS 3 TO 4 FT. NW OF FRONT WINDS BECOMING N TO NE 20 TO 25 KT TONIGHT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT BUILDING QUICKLY TO 6 TO 8 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .WED AND WED NIGHT...NW OF FRONT NE WINDS 20 TO 25 KT BECOMING NE TO E WED NIGHT. SEAS 6 TO 9 FT. SE OF FRONT NE TO E WINDS 15 TO 20 KT DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT WED NIGHT. SEAS BUILDING 4 TO 7 FT IN NE SWELL. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .THU...NW OF FRONT NE TO E WINDS 20 TO 25 KT BECOMING N TO NE 25 TO 30 KT THU NIGHT. SEAS 6 TO 8 FT BUILDING TO 7 TO 11 FT THU NIGHT. S OF FRONT E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING S TO SW 20 TO 25 KT THU NIGHT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT BUILDING TO 7 TO 10 FT THU NIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .FRI...NW OF FRONT AND LOW N TO NE WINDS 20 TO 30 KT BECOMING NW TO N 20 TO 25 KT LATE. SEAS 8 TO 12 FT SUBSIDING TO 7 TO 10 FT LATE. SE OF FRONT AND LOW SW TO W WINDS 20 TO 30 KT. SEAS 7 TO 10 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ALONG FRONT AND LOW. .SAT...NW TO N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 6 TO 9 FT SUBSIDING TO 4 TO 7 FT LATE. $$ GMZ086-151530- E GULF BETWEEN 81W AND 85W 330 AM CST TUE DEC 15 2009 .TODAY AND TONIGHT...S OF 26N E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING LATE TONIGHT NE TO E WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. ELSEWHERE VARIABLE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT BECOMING BEHIND FRONT N TO NE WINDS 20 KT LATE TONIGHT. SEAS BUILDING BEHIND FRONT 4 TO 6 FT LATE. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .WED AND WED NIGHT...N OF FRONT N TO NE WINDS 20 TO 25 KT BECOMING NE TO E WED NIGHT. SEAS 5 TO 6 FT. S OF FRONT NE TO E WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .THU...N OF FRONT NE TO E WINDS 20 TO 25 KT. SEAS 4 TO 5 FT. S OF FRONT E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT BECOMING SE TO S 15 TO 20 KT THU NIGHT. SEAS 3 TO 4 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .FRI...N OF FRONT AND LOW N TO NE WINDS 20 TO 30 KT BECOMING NW TO N LATE. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT BUILDING TO 5 TO 7 FT LATE. SE OF FRONT AND LOW SW TO W WINDS 20 TO 25 KT BECOMING W TO NW LATE. SEAS 5 TO 7 FT BUILDING TO 6 TO 8 FT LATE. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ALONG FRONT AND LOW. .SAT...NW WINDS 20 TO 25 KT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT. $$ FORECASTER STRIPLING