WEATHER BULLETIN FOR THE HIGH SEAS FOR METAREA VII.
ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN WEATHER SERVICE ON THE
18TH OF MAY 2026 AT 08:30 UTC.
FOR SOUTH-EAST SECTOR OF METAREA. VII, PREPARED BY REUNION, SEE AREA 2
BELOW.
NOTE: WX OBSERVATIONS.
======================
COULD ALL VESSELS EXPERIENCING UNEXPECTED, SEVERE WX/SEA STATE PLEASE
MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO REPORT THIS TO SAWS VIA CAPE TOWN RADIO.
AREA 1:
=======
FORECAST VALID FROM 181000 TO 191000 UTC:
WIND IN KNOTS, WAVE HEIGHTS IN METERS. NO SEA STATE GIVEN IF WAVES LESS THAN 3M.
NOTE THE WIND SPEEDS QUOTED HERE ARE THE EXPECTED AVERAGE SPEEDS.
INDIVIDUAL GUSTS MAY EXCEED THESE VALUES BY A FACTOR OF UP TO 1.5.
WAVE HEIGHTS ARE SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS, WHICH MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY INDIVIDUAL WAVES 1.5 TO 2.0 TIMES HIGHER.
GALE FORCE WARNINGS:
====================
1. TRISTAN : N to NW 35 in the north-west from mid-period, spreading to
the central-south towards end of the period.
2. CAPE WEST: S to SE 35 in the east by mid-period.
3. MARION FORTIES EAST: W to SW 35 to 40 in the southern parts, where it
will reach 45 towards end of period.
SYNOPTIC CHART 06:00Z
=====================
High 1034 hPa 42s09e, High 1030 hPa 36s49e.
Low 1009 hPa 44s08w, Low 972 hPa 59s50e.
1. Cold Front: 34s13w 38s08w 44s06w 45s07w into 44s08w.
2. Cold Front: 43s38e 47s50e 52s57e 58s55e into 59s50e.
AREA FORECAST:
==============
ASCENSION (06S/15S, 00E/20W):
WIND : E to SE 10 to 20.
VIS : Good.
SEA STATE: 3.0m in the north-east until mid-period.
ANGOLA (06S/15S, 00E/00N):
WIND : S to SW 05 to 10 in the east, otherwise S to SE 10 to 20.
VIS : Good.
ST HELENA (15S/30S, 00E/20W):
WIND : N to NW 05 to 15 in the south and south-west, otherwise E to
SE 05 to 15.
VIS : Good, but moderate in rain and showers in the south-west.
TRADES (15S/30S, 00E/WEST COAST):
WIND : S to SE 10 to 20, reaching 25 in the south-east.
VIS : Good.
SEA STATE: 3.0m in the central and southern parts, with S to SE
swell.
TRISTAN (30S/40S, 00E/20W) :
WIND : NE to E 10 to 20 in the north-east, otherwise N to NW 15 to
25, reaching 30 to 35 in the north-west from mid-period,
spreading to the central-south towards end of the period,
while becoming SW 15 to 25 in the south-west.
VIS : Good, but moderate to poor in showers and thundershowers in
the central and southern parts and in rain in the western
parts from mid-period.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 3.5m in places in the central and southern parts,
subsiding in the central from mid-period, while becoming 3.5
to 4.0m in the south-west with NW swell.
CAPE WEST (30S/40S, 00E/20E):
WIND : N to NE 10 to 20 in the south-west, otherwise S to SE 15 to
25, but 30 in places in the east and south-east, reaching 35
in the east by mid-period, becoming cyclonic 10 to 20 in the
north-east towards end of period.
VIS : Good, but moderate in showers and thundershowers in places in
the central-east.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 4.0m in places in the north and east, reaching 5.0m in
the central-east towards end of period, with S to SE swell.
CAPE EAST (32.5S/40S, 20E/50E):
WIND : Anti-cyclonic 05 to 15 int east, otherwise NW 10 to 20 but S
to SE 15 to 25 in the west, reaching 30 int north-west towards
the end of period.
VIS : Good, but moderate in light showers and thundershowers in
places in the west, central and southern parts.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 4.0m in the south and western parts, with SW swell.
DURBAN EAST (32.5S/25S, EAST COAST/55E):
WIND : N to NE 05 to 15 in the west, otherwise E to SE 15 to 25 but
SW 05 to 15 in the extreme south-west.
VIS : Good, but moderate to poor in showers and thundershowers in
the eastern parts, and in the west from mid-period.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 4.0m in the east and central parts, with S to SE swell.
MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL:
WIND : S to SE 10 to 20, reaching 25 in the south-east at times.
VIS : Good, but moderate in showers and thundershowers in places.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 3.5m in the south and central parts, with S to SE
swell.
MADAGASCAR EAST (10S/25S, EAST COAST/55E):
WIND : S to SE 05 to 15.
VIS : Good, but moderate in showers and rain in places.
SEA STATE: 3.0m in the south, with SE swell.
MARION FORTIES EAST (40S/50S, 35E/50E):
WIND : N to NW 20 to 30 in the north-east, and SE in the north-west,
Otherwise, W to SW 15 to 25, reaching 30 to 40 in the southern
parts, where it will reach 45 towards end of period.
VIS : Good, but moderate in a band of showers and rain in the
northern and eastern parts, and in the southern parts towards
the end of the period.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 4.0m in the central, but 5.0 to 6.0m in the southern
parts, reaching 6.5m in the extreme south, becoming 7.0 to
9.0m in the central-south towards end of the period, with W to
SW swell.
AREA 2:
=======
MARINE METEOROLOGICAL BULLETIN FROM METEO-FRANCE/LA REUNION ON AREA ACK (AMSTERDAM-CROZET-KERGUELEN)
26/05/18 AT 0500UTC
AVERAGED WIND SPEED ON BEAUFORT SCALE. (WIND GUSTS MAY BE ABOUT 40%
STRONGER THAN THE AVERAGES GIVEN HERE).
PART 1: WARNING
- GALE FORCE 8 OVER CRO AND KER.
PART 2: GENERAL SYNOPSIS, 26/05/18 AT 0000UTC
- COLD FRONT CF LEAVING AMS AT FIRST.
- ANTICYCLONIC BELT 1029 HPA NEAR 36S/48E, LATER OVER WAM AND AMS.
- COLD FRONT CG AXIS 40S/31E, 43S/40E, 50S/49E, MOVING EASTWARD, OVER
CRO, LATER OVER KER.
PART 3: FORECAST FOR 24 HOURS FROM 26/05/18 AT 0600UTC TO 26/05/19 AT
0600UTC
WAM (30S/40S, 50E/65E)
RAIN OR SHOWERS MORE FREQUENT OVER FAR NORTHERN.
WIND : ANTICLOCKWISE 3 TO 5 INCREASING E 6 OVER NORTHERN, LATER NW 6
OVER SOUTHWESTERN.
SEA : MODERATE TO ROUGH. SOUTH-WEST SWELL 3 TO 4 M, DECREASING LATER,
2 TO 3 M.
VIS : POOR ON RAIN.
AMS (30S/40S, 65E/80E)
AT FIRST, RAIN AND FRONTAL SHOWERS OVER NORTHEASTERN.
WIND : BACKING SW 5/6 BEHIND CF, THEN BECOMING ANTICLOCKWISE 3 TO 5.
SEA : ROUGH. SOUTH-WEST SWELL 3 TO 4 M.
VIS : POOR TO VERY POOR ON RAIN.
CRO (40S/50S, 50E/65E)
FRONTAL RAINS AND SHOWERS.
WIND : WESTERLY 6 TO 8 FROM NORTH TO SOUTH. GUSTS IN VICINITY OF
FRONT.
SEA : ROUGH TO VERY ROUGH. SOUTH-WEST 3 TO 4 M.
VIS : POOR TO VERY POOR ON RAIN.
KER (40S/50S, 65E/80E)
RAIN, SHOWERS OR SQUALLS LATER WITH CG.
WIND : SW 6 VEERING NW 7 AHEAD CG, BACKING WESTERLY 6 TO 8 FROM NORTH
TO ,SOUTH BEHIND. STRONG GUSTS.
SEA : ROUGH TO VERY ROUGH. SW SWELL 3 TO 4 M.
VIS : POOR TO VERY POOR DURING RAINFALL.