WEATHER BULLETIN FOR THE HIGH SEAS FOR METAREA VII.
ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN WEATHER SERVICE ON THE
20th OF AUGUST 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:
=======
FORECAST VALID FROM 202200 TO 212200 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. MARION FORTIES EAST: NW 35 to 40 in the extreme east until mid-period,
otherwise W to SW 35 to 40, moderating from the west
from mid-period.
SYNOPTIC CHART 12:00Z
=====================
High 1028 hPa 33s09e.
Low 988 hPa 46s08w, Low 1020 hPa 28s34e, Low 968 hPa 51s55e
1. Cold front: 28s19w 34s10w 39s07w into 46s08w
2. Cold front: 34s44e 40s52e 44s54e into 51s55e
AREA FORECAST:
==============
ASCENSION (06S/15S, 00E/20W):
WIND : E to SE 10 to 20.
VIS : Good, but moderate in showers and rain in the extreme west until
mid-period.
ANGOLA (06S/15S, 00E/00N):
WIND : S to SE 10 to 15 but SW 05 to 10 in the east where it will become
variable 05 to 10 by mid-period.
VIS : Good.
ST HELENA (15S/30S, 00E/20W):
WIND : E to SE 05 to 15 in the north and south-west, otherwise N to NW 10
to 20.
VIS : Good but moderate in showers and rain in the south until the end
of the period.
SEA STATE: 3.0m in the central south until mid-period, with W to SW swell.
TRADES (15S/30S, 00E/WEST COAST):
WIND : S to SE 10 to 20 but N to NW 05 to 15 in the extreme south-west,
while variable 05 to 10 in the extreme north-east until mid-
period.
VIS : Good.
SEA STATE: 3.0m in the south-east at first, with S swell.
TRISTAN (30S/40S, 00E/20W):
WIND : N to NW 20 to 30 in the extreme east at first, otherwise W to SW
15 to 25. It will become NW 15 to 25 in the extreme west from mid-
period.
VIS : Good, but moderate to poor in showers and rain in the extreme east
at first.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 4.0m except in the extreme north-east, with W to NW swell.
CAPE WEST (30S/40S, 00E/20E):
WIND : S to SE 10 to 20 in the north-east, otherwise N to NW 15 to 25,
reaching 30 in the south. It will become W to SW 15 to 25 from the
west from mid-period.
VIS : Good but moderate in showers and rain in the west, spreading to
the south from mid-period, while clearing from the west towards
end of the period.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 4.0m in the south, with SW swell, but W to NW in the south-
west, spreading to the extreme south-east towards end of the
period.
CAPE EAST (32.5S/40S, 20E/50E):
WIND : W to SW 15 to 25, reaching 30 in the south-east, becoming E to NE
10 to 20 in the north-west from mid-period. It will become NW 15
to 25 in the extreme south-west towards end of the period.
VIS : Moderate in showers and rain in the south, while clearing from the
west from mid-period, otherwise good.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 4.0m, reaching 5.0 to 5.5m in the south-east, but 6.0 to
6.5m in the extreme south-east towards end of the period, with W
to SW swell.
DURBAN EAST (32.5S/25S, EAST COAST/55E):
WIND : W 10 to 20 in the south-east at first, otherwise variable 05 to
10, but S to SE 10 to 20 in the north-west until mid-period.
VIS : Good but moderate in showers and thundershowers in the east.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 3.5m in the south, reaching 4.0m in the central south and
extreme south-east towards end of the period, S to SW swell.
MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL:
WIND : S to SE 10 to 20.
VIS : Good but moderate in showers in the north until mid-period.
MADAGASCAR EAST (10S/25S, EAST COAST/55E):
WIND : E to SE 10 to 20, but N to NE 05 to 15 in the south.
VIS : Good but moderate in showers and rain in the north.
MARION FORTIES EAST (40S/50S, 35E/50E):
WIND : NW 30 to 40 in the extreme east until mid-period, otherwise W to
SW 30 to 40, moderating to 15 to 25 from the west from mid-period.
VIS : Moderate to poor in showers and rain with snow showers in the
south, becoming good from the west from mid-period.
SEA STATE: 5.0 to 6.0m, reaching 7.0 to 8.0m in places in the west, spreading
to the central and north-east from mid-period, with W to SW swell.
AREA 2:
=======
MARINE METEOROLOGICAL BULLETIN FROM METEO-FRANCE/LA REUNION ON AREA
ACK (AMSTERDAM-CROZET-KERGUELEN)
26/08/20 AT 1700UTC
AVERAGED WIND SPEED ON BEAUFORT SCALE. (WIND GUSTS MAY BE ABOUT 40%
STRONGER THAN THE AVERAGES GIVEN HERE).
PART 1: WARNING
- FORCE 8 GALE OVER WAM AND AMS.- STRONG GALE FORCE 9 GALE OVER CRO
AND KER
PART 2: GENERAL SYNOPSIS, 26/08/20 AT 1200UTC
CF COLD FRONT OVER NORTH-EASTERN AMS, LEAVING THE AREA AT THE STARTCG
COLD FRONT AXIS 39S/50E, 49S/54E, MOVING RAPIDLY EASTWARDS WITH A
DEEPENING LOW 969 HPA NEAR 51S/55E.CH COLD FRONT ARRIVING FROM THE
WEST OVER CRO AT THE END.HIGH 1024 HPA AROUND 24S/63E WITH A RIDGE
MOVING SOUTH-EASTWARDS.
PART 3: FORECAST FOR 24 HOURS FROM 26/08/20 AT 1800UTC TO 26/08/21
AT 1800UTC
WAM (30S/40S, 50E/65E)
RAIN AND FRONTAL SHOWERS, WITH CG STORMS. GUSTS. WIND: NORTH-WESTERLY
4 TO 7 FROM NORTH TO SOUTH AHEAD OF THE FRONT, REACHING LOCALLY 8 IN
THE SOUTH-EAST, BACKING SOUTH-WESTERLY 6/7 BEHIND, LOCALLY 8 IN THE
SOUTH-EAST, DECREASING DURING THE DAY 4/5 THEN LATER BECOMING
ANTICLOCWIZE 2/4 IN THE NORTH AND SETTLING WESTERLY 6/7 IN THE
SOUTH, LOCALLY REACHING 8 IN THE FAR SOUTH.SEA: ROUGH TO VERY ROUGH
FROM NORTH TO SOUTH, BECOMING HIGH IN THE FAR SOUTH-WEST AT END.
SOUTH-WESTERLY SWELL 3/5 METRES BEHIND THE FRONT. VISI: POOR TO VERY
POOR IN PRECIPITATION.
AMS (30S/40S, 65E/80E)
RAIN AND SHOWERS IN THE NORTH-EAST AT FIRST WITH CF, THEN RAIN,
SHOWERS AND SQUALLS WITH CG. VIOLENT GUSTS IN THE
SOUTHWIND:ANTICLOCKWISE 2/4 WITH SOUTH-WESTERLY 5/6 IN THE
SOUTH-EAST, SETTLING NORTH-WESTERLY 6/7 LOCALLY 8FROM THE SOUTH-WEST
AHEAD THE FRONT CG, BACKING SOUTH-WESTERLY 5/6 BEHIND THE FRONT,
LOCALLY 7/8 IN THE SOUTH, DECREASING 3/4 IN THE WEST AT END.SEA:
ROUGH TO VERY ROUGH, HIGH IN THE SOUTH-EAST AT FIRST. SOUTH-WESTERLY
SWELL 4/6 METERS, ABATING, THEN SOUTH-WESTERLY SWELL 3/5 METERS
BEHIND THE FRONT CG.VISI: POOR TO VERY POOR IN PRECIPITATION.
CRO (40S/50S, 50E/65E)
RAIN AND FRONTAL SHOWERS, WITH SQUALL WITH CG, THEN LATER CH. VIOLENT
GUSTS. SNOW IN THE SOUTH.WIND:NORTH-WESTERLY 7/8, LOCALLY 9 AHEAD OF
CG, AND SOUTH-WESTERLY 7/8, LOCALLY 9 BEHIND, SOON DECREASING
TEMPORARILY WESTERLY 6/7, THEN INCREASING LATER NORTH TO
NORTH-WESTERLY 7/8 LOCALLY 9 AHEAD CH, THEN BACKING AT END WESTERLY
THEN SOUTH-WESTERLY 7/8 LOCALLY 9 IN THE WEST.SEA: VERY ROUGH TO
HIGH. NORTH-WESTERLY SWELL 3/4 METERS AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND
WESTERLY SWELL 4/6 METERS BEHIND.VISI: VERY POOR IN PRECIPITATION.
KER (40S/50S, 65E/80E)
RAIN AND FRONTAL SHOWERS, THUNDERSTORMS CG. VIOLENT GUSTS. SNOW IN
THE SOUTH.WIND:NORTHERLY TO NORTH-WEST 5/6, THEN 7/8 AHEAD OF THE
FRONT, BACKING SOUTH-WEST 6/7, LOCALLY 8/9 IN THE NORTH, DECREASING
LATER WESTERLY 4/6 IN THE WEST, BUT AT FIRST SOUTH-WEST 4/6 IN THE
EAST, REACHING 7 IN THE NORTH-EASTSEA: VERY ROUGH TO HIGH, LOCALLY
ROUGH IN THE SOUTH-EAST. SOUTH-WESTERLY SWELL 3/6 METERS ABATING,
THEN NORTH-WESTERLY SWELL 3/4 METERS AHEAD CG AND WESTERLY SWELL 3/5
METER BEHIND IT.VISI: VERY POOR IN PRECIPITATION.=