WEATHER BULLETIN FOR THE HIGH SEAS FOR METAREA VII.
ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN WEATHER SERVICE ON THE
20TH OF MARCH 2026 AT 16:40 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 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. TRADES : S to SE 35 in the south-east tomorrow at first.
2. CAPE EAST : Cyclonic 35 to 45 in the south at first.
3. DURBAN EAST: S to SW 35 in the south-west at first.
4. MARION FORTIES EAST: Cyclonic 35 to 40 in the north-west at first,
drifting to the central parts by mid-period.
SYNOPTIC CHART 12:00Z
=====================
High 1028 hPa 38s09w, High 1024 hPa 38s68e.
Low 997 hPa 42s28e.
Cold Front: 33s27e 40s29e into 42s28e.
AREA FORECAST:
==============
ASCENSION (06S/15S, 00E/20W):
WIND : E to SE 05 to 15.
VIS : Good.
ANGOLA (06S/15S, 00E/00N):
WIND : SW 05 to 15 in the east, otherwise S to SE 05 to 15, reaching 20 in
the south by the end of the period.
VIS : Good.
ST HELENA (15S/30S, 00E/20W):
WIND : NE 10 to 20 in the south-west, otherwise E to SE 15 to 25.
VIS : Good, but moderate to poor in showers and thundershowers in the
extreme south-west.
TRADES (15S/30S, 00E/WEST COAST):
WIND : S to SE 15 to 25, reaching 30 to 35 in the south-east at first.
VIS : Good.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 3.5m in the eastern parts, with SE swell.
TRISTAN (30S/40S, 00E/20W):
WIND : N to NE 15 to 25 in the north and north-west, drifting to the west
from mid-period, otherwise anti-cyclonic 05 to 15.
VIS : Good, but moderate to poor in showers and thundershowers in the
western parts.
CAPE WEST (30S/40S, 00E/20E):
WIND : SE 15 to 25 in the north, reaching 30 in the north-east from mid-
period, otherwise S to SW 05 to 15, reaching 20 to 25 in the extreme
southern parts at times.
VIS : Good.
SEA STATE: 3.0m in the east at first, with S to SW swell.
CAPE EAST (32.5S/40S, 20E/50E):
WIND : N to NW 15 to 25 in the east, otherwise W to SW 15 to 25, reaching 30
to 40 in the south at first. It will become anti-cyclonic 05 to 15 in
the west, spreading to the central parts from mid-period, as well as
eastern parts by the end of the period.
VIS : Good, but moderate in showers and thundershowers in the central
parts, drifting to the south-east from mid-period.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 4.0m in the west reaching 4.5 to 5.5m in the south until
tomorrow afternoon, moderating in the west from the morning, with W
to SW swell.
DURBAN EAST (32.5S/25S, EAST COAST/55E):
WIND : E to NE 05 to 15, reaching 20 to 25 in the north from mid-period, but
S to SW 15 to 25 in the extreme south-west, spreading to the north-
west by mid-period, reaching 30 to 35 in the south-west at first.
VIS : Good, but moderate in showers and thundershowers in the west.
SEA STATE: 3.0m in the south-west, with S to SW swell.
MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL:
WIND : N to NE 05 to 15 in the south-west at first, otherwise S to SE 05
to 15, reaching 20 to 25 in the south-east at times.
VIS : Good, but moderate in showers and thundershowers in the northern
and central parts at first and by the end of the period.
MADAGASCAR EAST (10S/25S, EAST COAST/55E):
WIND : E to SE 05 to 15 in the north, otherwise NE 05 to 15.
VIS : Moderate in showers and thundershowers in places.
MARION FORTIES EAST (40S/50S, 35E/50E):
WIND : Cyclonic 20 to 30, reaching 35 to 40 in the north-west at first,
drifting to the central parts by mid-period. It will become W to SW
15 to 25 in the west from mid-period, spreading to the east by the
end of the period.
VIS : Moderate to poor in showers and thundershowers, clearing in the west
from mid-period.
SEA STATE: 3.5 to 4.5m in the west and north-west, reaching 4.5 to 5.5m in the
north-west at first, with W to NW swell.
AREA 2:
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MARINE METEOROLOGICAL BULLETIN FROM METEO-FRANCE/LA REUNION ON AREA
ACK (AMSTERDAM-CROZET-KERGUELEN)
26/03/20 AT 1600UTC
AVERAGED WIND SPEED ON BEAUFORT SCALE. (WIND GUSTS MAY BE ABOUT 40%
STRONGER THAN THE AVERAGES GIVEN HERE).
PART 1: WARNING
- NIL.
PART 2: GENERAL SYNOPSIS, 26/03/20 AT 1200UTC
- LOW 1015 HPA NEAR 46S/54E WITH ASSOCIATED FRONT (CF) MOVING
EAST-SOUTHEASTWARD.
- CG FRONT ARRIVING OVER CRO LATER.
- HIGH 1028 HPA NEAR 39S/72E, MOVING SLOWLY EASTWARDS.
PART 3: FORECAST FOR 24 HOURS FROM 26/03/20 AT 1800UTC TO 26/03/21
AT 1800UTC
WAM (30S/40S, 50E/65E)
SHOWERS AND SQUALLS IN THE FAR NORTH; SCATTERED SHOWERS ELSEWHERE.
WIND:
NORTHERN HALF: EASTERLY TO NORTHEASTERLY 3/4, LOCALLY REACHING 5/6 IN
THE NORTH.
SOUTHERN HALF: NORTHERLY 2/4, INCREASING NORTHWESTERLY 4/5 IN THE
SOUTH-WEST LATER ON.
SEA: MODERATE, LOCALLY ROUGH IN THE FAR NORTH AT FIRST.
VISI: VERY POOR IN SQUALLS, BUT GENERALLY GOOD ELSEWHERE.
AMS (30S/40S, 65E/80E)
SHOWERS AND SQUALLS IN THE FAR NORTH; SCATTERED SHOWERS ELSEWHERE.
WIND:
NORTHERN HALF : EASTERLY 3/4, LOCALLY REACHING 5 IN THE NORTH.
SOUTHERN HALF: ANTICLOCKWISE 2/4.
SEA: MODERATE, LOCALLY ROUGH AT FIRST IN THE FAR NORTH.
VISI: VERY POOR IN SQUALLS, BUT GENERALLY GOOD ELSEWHERE.
CRO (40S/50S, 50E/65E)
RAIN AND FRONTAL SHOWERS CF THEN CG LOC STORMS.
WIND
NORTH-WESTERLY 3/4, LOCALLY 5, BUT VARIABLE CLOCKWISE 2/4 IN THE FAR
SOUTH; INCREASING NORTHERLY TO NORTH-WESTERLY 5/6 WITH GUSTS DURING
THE DAY, REACHING LOCALLY 7 IN THE SOUTH.
SEA: MODERATE, LOCALLY ROUGH IN THE FAR SOUTH, BECOMING ROUGH DURING
THE DAY. SOUTH-WESTERLY SWELL 2/3M.
VISI: POOR IN PRECIPITATION
KER (40S/50S, 65E/80E)
FREQUENT SHOWERS IN THE SOUTH.
WIND:
ANTICYCLONIC 2/4, SETTLING NORTH-WESTERLY 4/5 DURING THE DAY,
REACHING LOCALLY 6 IN THE SOUTH.
SEA: MODERATE TO ROUGH FROM NORTH TO SOUTH. SOUTH-WEST SWELL 2/4M
DECREASING.
VISI: POOR IN PRECIPITATION.