000 FZNT24 KNHC 240911 OFFNT4 OFFSHORE WATERS FORECAST FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL 330 AM CST THU DEC 24 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. GMZ089-241530- SYNOPSIS FOR THE GULF OF MEXICO 330 AM CST THU DEC 24 2009 .SYNOPSIS...FRESH TO STRONG S WINDS ARE BLOWING ACROSS THE WESTERN GULF AS LOW PRES OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS MOVES INTO THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO THE NW GULF THIS MORNING...FOLLOWED BY GALE FORCE WINDS. THE FRONT WILL REACH A POSITION FROM THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE TO THE SW GULF OF MEXICO BY THIS EVENING...THEN WILL MOVE SE AND EXTEND FROM SW FLORIDA TO THE NE YUCATAN PENINSULA BY FRI EVENING...CLEARING THE SE GULF THROUGH SAT. FRESH TO STRONG NE TO E WINDS WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE GULF SUN INTO MON AS HIGH PRES BUILDS TO THE NORTH. A TROUGH OR LOW PRES MAY DEVELOP ACROSS THE SW GULF SUN INTO MON. NE TO E WINDS WILL INCREASE BY MON OVER THE GULF BETWEEN THE WEAK TROUGH...AND HIGH PRES BUILDING N OF THE AREA. $$ GMZ080-241530- NW GULF N OF 25N W OF 90W INCLUDING THE FLOWER GARDEN BANKS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY 330 AM CST THU DEC 24 2009 ...GALE WARNING N OF 25N W OF 93W... .TODAY AND TONIGHT...W OF FRONT NW WINDS 25 TO 35 KT DIMINISHING TO 20 TO 30 KT TONIGHT. SEAS 8 TO 12 FT. E OF FRONT S TO SW WINDS 20 TO 30 KT. SEAS 8 TO 12 FT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .FRI...NW TO N WINDS 20 TO 25 KT DIMINISHING TO 15 TO 20 KT LATE. SEAS 8 TO 12 FT SUBSIDING 5 TO 8 FT LATE. .FRI NIGHT...NE TO E WINDS DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. .SAT...NE TO E WINDS INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT S OF 27N AND 2 TO 4 FT N OF 27N. .SUN...S OF 27N NE WINDS INCREASING TO 20 TO 25 KT. SEAS BUILDING TO 6 TO 9 FT. N OF 27N NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. .MON...NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT. $$ GMZ082-241530- SW GULF S OF 25N W OF 90W 330 AM CST THU DEC 24 2009 .TODAY AND TONIGHT...W OF FRONT NW TO N WINDS 20 TO 30 KT. SEAS BUILDING 6 TO 9 FT. E OF FRONT S TO SW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT EARLY DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT LATE. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT AND SUBSIDING TO 3 TO 5 FT LATE. SCATTERED TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .FRI AND FRI NIGHT...NE TO E WINDS 15 TO 20 KT DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT FRI NIGHT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT SUBSIDING TO 4 TO 6 FT LATE. .SAT...E TO SE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KT N OF 23N LATE. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. .SUN...N OF 23N NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 5 TO 7 FT. S OF 23N NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. .MON...N OF 22N NE WINDS INCREASING TO 20 TO 25 KT. SEAS BUILDING TO 8 TO 11 FT. S OF 22N NW TO N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT. $$ GMZ084-241530- MIDDLE GULF BETWEEN 85W AND 90W 330 AM CST THU DEC 24 2009 .TODAY AND TONIGHT...SE TO S WINDS 20 TO 30 KT...THEN SHIFTING TO NW 20 TO 30 KT BEHIND FRONT THIS EVENING. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT S OF 25N AND 8 TO 12 FT N OF 25N. SCATTERED TSTMS ALONG FRONT. .FRI AND FRI NIGHT...W OF FRONT NW TO N WINDS 20 TO 25 KT DIMINISHING TO 15 TO 20 KT FRI NIGHT. SEAS 8 TO 11 FT SUBSIDING TO 6 TO 9 FT FRI NIGHT. .SAT...N TO NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT...SUBSIDING TO 4 TO 6 FT SAT. .SUN...N TO NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT N OF 26N AND 4 TO 6 FT S OF 24N. .MON...N TO NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT INCREASING TO 20 TO 25 KT S OF 24N LATE. SEAS BUILDING TO 7 TO 10 FT S OF 24N LATE. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT REMAINDER OF AREA. $$ GMZ086-241530- E GULF BETWEEN 81W AND 85W 330 AM CST THU DEC 24 2009 .TODAY...SE WINDS 20 TO 25 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT S OF 25N AND 5 TO 8 FT N OF 25N. SCATTERED SHOWERS N OF 25N. .TONIGHT...N OF 25N S TO SW WINDS 20 TO 30 KT SHIFTING W 20 KT LATE. SEAS 6 TO 9 FT. S OF 25N SE TO S WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT. .FRI AND FRI NIGHT...NW OF FRONT NW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT. SE OF FRONT S TO SW 10 KT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT. .SAT...N TO NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT. .SUN...N TO NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. .MON...N TO NE WINDS INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT. $$ FORECASTER GR