Special Features

Western and Central Atlantic Gale Warnings/Significant Swell: A cold front that extends from 31N51W to the Mona Passage is inducing gale conditions on both sides of the front along and north of 30N. Scattered moderate convection is also present in this area. These gales will diminish this morning as the front weakens. Another cold front moving off the SE U. S. coast early this morning will move into area waters today, inducing a broad area of gales N of 27N between 77W and 50W as the front tracks eastward through Mon. Winds close to 30N Sat night into Sun night may be near storm-force to the S of Bermuda. Very rough seas generated by these gales combined with swell from storm-force low pressures to the north will propagate southward to impact most waters N of 18N into the middle of next week, with peak seas of 30 to 35 ft possible Sun through Sun night closer to 30N to the SE of Bermuda.

Please read the latest High Seas and Offshore Waters Forecasts issued by the National Hurricane Center at website: https: //www. nhc. noaa. gov/text/MIAHSFAT2. shtml and https: //www. nhc. noaa. gov/marine/offshores. php for more details on these events.

Monsoon Trough Itcz

A monsoon trough enters the Atlantic near 09N13W and extends southwestward to 05N17W. An ITCZ continues west-southwestward to 00N32W. Scattered moderate convection is seen within 30 nm of the ITCZ.

Gulf Of America

A 1024 mb high centered near 24N91W continues to dominate the entire Gulf. Moderate to fresh NW to winds and seas of 5 to 7 ft are seen across the north-central and eastern Gulf, including the Florida Straits. Gentle winds and 2 to 4 ft seas prevail for the rest of the Gulf.

For the forecast, fresh NW winds in the NE Gulf will diminish as high pressure settles over the waters. This high will dominate the weather through the middle of next week, bringing quiescent conditions to the basin.

Caribbean Sea

A weakening cold front extends from the Mona Passage to offshore Panama. Convection associated with this front has dissipated early this morning. Strong N winds and seas of 8 to 10 ft are present behind the front in the SW basin. In the NW basin, moderate to fresh N winds and moderate seas prevail. Elsewhere, the tradewind regime has been disrupted by the cold front, leaving light to gentle winds and seas of 3 to 5 ft remaining.

For the forecast, the cold front will gradually dissipate into tonight. Strong N winds and rough seas will prevail in the SW basin behind the front through dissipation. In the wake of the front, fresh to strong trades will develop offshore Colombia and Hispaniola Sun night, then increase and expand through the central basin into the middle of next week as high pressure builds N of the area. Rough seas will develop in this area of strong winds. Additionally, large N to NW swell will impact the Mona Passage, Anegada Passage, and tropical N Atlantic waters beginning on Mon.

Atlantic Ocean

Please see the Special Features section for details on a Gale Warning and on areas of significant swell.

Outside of the gale warning areas, strong SW winds are ahead of the central Atlantic cold front, N of 25N and W of 40W. Rough seas are present in this area. Strong W winds are also present N of 25W behind the cold front, with rough to very rough seas. Moderate to fresh trades dominate waters S of 22N and E of 50W, with gentle to moderate winds elsewhere. Rough seas are impacting waters N of 15N and E of 40W, and S of 10N between 35W and 50W. Elsewhere, moderate seas prevail.

For the forecast W of 55W, gale-force winds along and N of 30N on both sides of a cold front that extends from 31N51W to just NW of Puerto Rico are diminishing early this morning. New gales are developing on either side of a reinforcing front that is entering the NW waters this morning, and widespread gale-force to near storm-force winds will impact waters N of 27N E of 77W this weekend as the combined front reaches 31N47W to the Leeward Islands Sun. The front will continue moving east through the SE waters early next week, with gales gradually subsiding in NE waters late Mon. Very rough seas generated by the gales, and storm-force winds to the north of the waters, will propagate SE and impact much of the waters into early next week, with peak seas of 30 to 35 ft possible SE of Bermuda Sun. The very rough seas are likely to finally depart the region to the east Wed.

Posted about 6 hours ago by NHC Forecaster Konarik