WEATHER BULLETIN FOR THE HIGH SEAS FOR METAREA VII.
ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN WEATHER SERVICE ON THE
26th OF MAY 2026 AT 17:00 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:
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FORECAST VALID FROM 262200 TO 272200 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. CAPE WEST: N to NW 35 in the south shifting to south-east towards the
end of the period.
2. MARION FORTIES EAST: N to NW 35 in the south-east at first.
SYNOPTIC CHART 12:00Z
=====================
High 1023 hPa 26s10w, 1031 hPa 43s53e.
Low 970 hPa 51s01e, Low 962 61s24e.
Cold front: 38s07w, 41s01w, 46s03w into 51s01w
AREA FORECAST:
==============
ASCENSION (06S/15S, 00E/20W):
WIND : SE to E 05 to 15.
VIS : Good.
ANGOLA (06S/15S, 00E/00N):
WIND : S to SE 05 to 15, but SW 05 to 15 in the north-east.
VIS : Good.
ST HELENA (15S/30S, 00E/20W):
WIND : N to NE 05 TO 15 in the south-west, otherwise SE to E 10 to 15
but variable 05 in the south-east.
VIS : Good, but moderate in showers and rain in the south-west.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 3.5m, with SW swell.
TRADES (15S/30S, 00E/WEST COAST):
WIND : Anticyclonic 05 to 10 in the south, otherwise S to SE 05 to
15, reaching 20 to 25 in the north-east by mid-period.
VIS : Good.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 4.0m in the south-west spreading to the north by mid-
period, with SW swell.
TRISTAN (30S/40S, 00E/20W) :
WIND : Anticyclonic 05 to 10, but SW to S 10 to 20 in the south-east.
VIS : Good, becoming moderate in showers and rain in the north-
East and the north-western parts.
SEA STATE: 4.0 to 5.0m reaching 5.5 to 6.0m in the south-east at first,
with SW swell.
CAPE WEST (30S/40S, 00E/20E):
WIND : Variable 05 to 10 in the north-east, otherwise N to NW 15 to
24, reaching 30 to 35 in the south shifting to south-east
towards the end of the period.
VIS : Good, but moderate in showers in a frontal band across north-
west, central parts and the south-east clearing from mid-
period.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 4.0m in the north, but 5.0 to 6.0m in the
South with SW swell.
CAPE EAST (32.5S/40S, 20E/50E):
WIND : SW to W 15 to 25 in the south-west, otherwise NW to N 10 to
20, but N to NE 10 to 20 in the east.
VIS : Good at times over the central parts, otherwise moderate in
showers and thundershowers.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 4.0m in the west reaching 4.5 to 5.0m in the south-west
towards mid-period, with S to SW swell.
DURBAN EAST (32.5S/25S, EAST COAST/55E):
WIND : Variable 05 to 10 in the north-west, central south and north-
east, otherwise E to NE 10 to 20, but N to NE 15 to 25 west.
VIS : Good but moderate to poor in showers and thundershowers in the
east.
MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL:
WIND : S to SE 10 to 20 but variable 05 to 10 in the north-east.
VIS : Good.
MADAGASCAR EAST (10S/25S, EAST COAST/55E):
WIND : NE to E 05 to 15, but variable 05 to 10 in the west and south-
west.
VIS : Good, but moderate in showers and rain in the west, but poor
in thundershowers in the south.
MARION FORTIES EAST (40S/50S, 35E/50E):
WIND : N to NW 15 to 25 over the eastern half, reaching 30 to 35 in
the south-east at first, becoming cyclonic 05 to 15 over the
central parts after mid-period.
VIS : Good, but moderate in showers and rain in the north-eastern
and central parts.
SEA STATE: 3.0m reaching 3.5 to 4.0m over the southern parts, with W
to SW swell.
AREA 2:
=======
MARINE METEOROLOGICAL BULLETIN FROM METEO-FRANCE/LA REUNION ON AREA
ACK (AMSTERDAM-CROZET-KERGUELEN)
26/05/26 AT 1700UTC
AVERAGED WIND SPEED ON BEAUFORT SCALE. (WIND GUSTS MAY BE ABOUT 40%
STRONGER THAN THE AVERAGES GIVEN HERE).
PART 1: WARNING
- GALE FORCE 8 RUNNING OVER EAST OF KER AND EAST OF AMS.
- GALE FORCE 8 EXPECTED OVER CRO BY THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD.
PART 2: GENERAL SYNOPSIS, 26/05/26 AT 1200UTC
- COLD FRONT CF AXIS 32S/58E, 35S/65E, 40S/72E, 48S/80E, MOVING
SLOWLY EASTWARDS.
- COLD FRONT CG AXIS 40S/29E, 48S/36E, 54S/30E, MOVING EASTWARD 15/20
KT.
- HIGH-PRESSURE SYSTEM 1030 HPA NEAR 42S/54E, MOVING EASTWARD.
PART 3: FORECAST FOR 24 HOURS FROM 26/05/26 AT 1800UTC TO 26/05/27
AT 1800UTC
WAM (30S/40S, 50E/65E)
SCATTERED SHOWERS BECOMING MORE FREQUENT OVER WESTERN AREA.
WIND : ANTICYCLONIC 34, FRESHENING TO WESTERLY TO SOUTH-WESTERLY 45
IN THE NORTH.
SEA : MODERATE TO ROUGH. SOUTHERN SWELL OF 2 TO 3 METERS.
VISIBILITY : POOR DURING RAINFALL.
AMS (30S/40S, 65E/80E)
RAIN AND FRONTAL SHOWERS UNDER A COLD FRONT CF.
WIND : NORTH-WESTERLY 5/6 AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT, VEERING
SOUTH-WESTERLY 6/7, LOCALLY 8, BEHIND IT, THEN BECOMING SOUTHERLY 5/7
OVER THE EASTERN SECTOR AND EASING TO SOUTHERLY 4/6 OVER THE WESTERN
SECTOR BY THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. GUSTS.
SEA : ROUGH TO HIGH, LOCALLY VERY HIGH TOWARDS THE END OF THE PERIOD.
SOUTH SWELL 2 TO 4 M, ABATING OVER THE NORTH-EASTERN AREA, AND
ARRIVAL OF A SOUTH-WESTERLY SWELL 2 TO 3 M OVER THE SOUTH-WESTERN
AREA.
VISIBILITY: POOR DURING RAINFALL.
CRO (40S/50S, 50E/65E)
SCATTERED SHOWERS, FOLLOWED BY RAIN AND FRONTAL SHOWERS ASSOCIATED
WITH THE COLD FRONT (CG) IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE REGION BY LATE
AFTERNOON.
WIND : ANTICLOCKWISE FORCE 3/4, LOCALLY 5, FRESHENING WESTERLY FORCE
4 TO 6 OVER THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE REGION, THEN FRESHENING NW 5 TO
7, LOCALLY AND TEMPORARILY, AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT (CG) BY LATE
AFTERNOON. RETURNING ANTICLOCKWISE 3/4 BEHIND THE CG AT THE END OF
THE FORECAST PERIOD.
SEA : ROUGH TO VERY ROUGH. SOUTH-WESTERLY SWELL OF 3 TO 5 M, ABATING.
VISIBILITY : POOR DURING RAINFALL.
KER (40S/50S, 65E/80E)
RAIN AND FRONTAL SHOWERS MOVING EASTWARDS, FOLLOWED BY ISOLATED
SHOWERS. RAIN AND FRONTAL SHOWERS WITH HEAVY RAIN AT THE END OF THE
PERIOD OVER FAR SOUTH-WESTERN AREA.
WIND : NORTH-WESTERLY 5/6, OCCASIONALLY 7 AHEAD OF THE FRONT, VEERING
SOUTH-WESTERLY 6/7, LOCALLY 8 WITH GUSTS BEHIND THE FRONT.
TEMPORARILY ANTICLOCKWISE 3/4, THEN FRESHENING NORTH-WESTERLY 5 TO 7
AHEAD OF THE CG AT THE END OF THE PERIOD.
SEA : ROUGH TO VERY ROUGH. SOUTH-WESTERLY SWELL OF 3 TO 5 M.
VISIBILITY : POOR DURING PRECIPITATION.=