WEATHER BULLETIN FOR THE HIGH SEAS FOR METAREA VII.
ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN WEATHER SERVICE ON THE
23RD OF AUGUST 2026 AT 16:45 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 232200 TO 242200 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 EAST: Cyclonic 35 in the north-east at first.
2. DURBAN EAST: Cyclonic 35 in the east at first.
3. MARION FORTIES EAST: NW to W 35 to 45 in the south and central parts.
SYNOPTIC CHART 12:00Z
=====================
High 1028 hPa 33s06e.
Low 944 hPa 60s24w, Low 1016 hPa 35s45e.
1. Cold front: 44s01w 46s19e 55s33e 60s27e into 60s24w.
AREA FORECAST:
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ASCENSION (06S/15S, 00E/20W):
WIND : E to SE 10 to 20.
VIS : Good.
ANGOLA (06S/15S, 00E/00N):
WIND : S to SE 05 to 15 but Variable 05 to 10 in the east.
VIS : Good.
ST HELENA (15S/30S, 00E/20W):
WIND : Anticyclonic 05 to 15 in the south, otherwise E to SE 10 to 20
reaching 25 but NW 10 to 20 in the south-west until mid-
period.
VIS : Good but moderate in showers and rain in the extreme south-west.
TRADES (15S/30S, 00E/WEST COAST):
WIND : Anticyclonic 05 to 15 in the south-west otherwise S to SE 15 to
25, but variable 05 to 10 in the north-east.
VIS : Good.
TRISTAN (30S/40S, 00E/20W):
WIND : Anticyclonic 05 to 15 in the north-east, otherwise W to NW 15 to
25 reaching 30 in places.
VIS : Good in the north-east, otherwise moderate in showers and rain.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 4.0m in the south, with W to NW swell.
CAPE WEST (30S/40S, 00E/20E):
WIND : SE 15 to 25 in the north-east, otherwise Anticyclonic 05 to 15 but
SW 15 to 25 in the south-east.
VIS : Good.
SEA STATE: 3.5 to 4.5m in the south, with W to SW swell.
CAPE EAST (32.5S/40S, 20E/50E):
WIND : Variable 05 to 10 in the extreme north-west otherwise W to SW 10
to 20 reaching 25 to 30 in places but Cyclonic 20 to 30 in the
north-east until mid-period reaching 35 at first.
VIS : Good but moderate in showers and thundershowers in the east at
first and in the south towards mid-period.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 4.0m, reaching 4.5 to 5.0m in the south, with W to SW
swell.
DURBAN EAST (32.5S/25S, EAST COAST/55E):
WIND : SW 10 to 20 in the central parts otherwise Anticyclonic 05 to 15
but Cyclonic 20 to 30 in the east reaching 35 at first.
VIS : Good but moderate in showers and thundershowers in the east.
SEA STATE: 3.0 to 4.0m except in the extreme west from mid-period, with S to
SW swell.
MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL:
WIND : S to SW 10 to 20 reaching 25 in the south-east.
VIS : Good.
SEA STATE: 3.0m in the south until mid-period, with S to SW swell.
MADAGASCAR EAST (10S/25S, EAST COAST/55E):
WIND : E to SE 10 to 20, but N to NW 10 to 20 in the south becoming
Anticyclonic 05 to 15 from mid-period.
VIS : Good but moderate in showers and thundershowers in the extreme
south towards mid-period.
MARION FORTIES EAST (40S/50S, 35E/50E):
WIND : NW to W 20 to 30 reaching 35 to 45 in the south and central parts.
VIS : Moderate in showers and rain, with possible snow-showers in the
extreme south.
SEA STATE: 3.5 to 4.5m in the north until mid-period, otherwise 5.5 to 6.5m
reaching 7.5 to 8.5m but 9.0 to 10.0m in the south, with W to SW
swell.
AREA 2:
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MARINE METEOROLOGICAL BULLETIN FROM METEO-FRANCE/LA REUNION ON AREA ACK (AMSTERDAM-CROZET-KERGUELEN)
2026/08/23 AT 1600UTC
AVERAGED WIND SPEED ON BEAUFORT SCALE. (WIND GUSTS MAY BE ABOUT 40%
STRONGER THAN THE AVERAGES GIVEN HERE).
PART 1: WARNING
- A GALE RUNNING OVER CRO.- A STRONG GALE RUNNING OVER KER, AND A
GALE EXPECTED OVER KER.
PART 2: GENERAL SYNOPSIS, 26/08/23 AT 1200UTC
- LOW SYSTEM 1008 HPA NEAR 34S/44E WITH AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT (CF)
AXIS 28S/41E, 34S/44E AND 36S/45E, AND A WARM FRONT (WF) AXIS
36S/44E, 37S/47E AND 35S/52E.- COLD FRONT CG EXTENDING FROM 39S/48E,
40S/50E, 47S/53E AND 50S/53E, RAPIDLY MOVING TOWARDS CRO WITH THE
LOW-PRESSURE CENTRE DEEPENING TO 1001 HPA AT THE START OF THE PERIOD,
FOLLOWED BY THE ARRIVAL OF A NEW FRONT OVER CRO AT THE END OF THE
FORECAST PERIOD.
PART 3: FORECAST FOR 24 HOURS FROM 26/08/23 AT 1800UTC TO 26/08/24
AT 1800UTC
WAM (30S/40S, 50E/65E)
RAIN OR SHOWERS FROM THE WEST, OCCASIONALLY ACCOMPANIED BY
THUNDERSTORMS.
WIND : NORTH-WESTERLY 5 TO 6, OCCASIONALLY 7, LATER BECOMING LOCALLY
CLOCKWISE 5 TO 6 FOVER FAR NORTH-WESTERN AREA, FRESHENING
NORTH-WESTERLY 5 TO 7 OVER SOUTHERN AREAS TOWARDS AT THE
END OF THE PERIOD. GUSTS.
SEA : ROUGH TO VERY ROUGH, BECOMING MODERATE TO ROUGH. SOUTH-WESTERLY
SWELL 2 TO 4 M, SUBSIDING.
VIS : POOR DURING RAINFALL.
AMS (30S/40S, 65E/80E)
SCATTERED SHOWERS, MORE FREQUENT OVER FAR SOUTHERN.
WIND : WESTERLY 3/4 OVER NORTHERN AREAS AND NORTH-WEST 4 TO 6 OVER
SOUTHERN AREA.
SEA : VERY ROUGH TO HIGH, BECOMING ROUGH TO VERY ROUGH. SOUTH-WESTERLY
SWELL OF 5 TO 6 M, EASING TO 4 TO 5 M.
VIS : POOR DURING RAINFALL.
CRO (40S/50S, 50E/65E)
RAIN AND FRONTAL SHOWERS WITH CG. SNOW IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE
REGION.
WIND : CLOCKWISE FORCE 6 TO 8 OVER NORTH-WESTERN SECTOR INITIALLY,
BUT NORTH-WESTERLY FORCE 6 TO 8 AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT,
BACKING WESTERLY FORCE 6 TO 8 IN ITS WAKE.
SEA : ROUGH TO VERY ROUGH, TEMPORARILY MODERATE TO ROUGH. WESTERLY
SWELL 2 TO 3 M, TEMPORARILY EASING AROUND 2 M.
VIS : POOR TO VERY POOR DURING PRECIPITATION.
KER (40S/50S, 65E/80E)
FRONTAL RAIN OR SHOWERS. SNOW.
WIND : SOUTHWEST 7 OR 8, AT TIMES 9, BUT CLOCKWISE AT FIRST IN FAR
SOUTHEAST, DECREASING 5 OR 6 FROM WEST, INCREASING NORTHWEST
6 OR 7 AT END IN WEST. SEVERE GUSTS.
SEA : HIGH OR VERY ROUGH AND CROSSED. SOUTHW ESTERLY SWELL 6 OR 7 M,
ABATING LATER.
VIS : POOR OR VERY POOR IN PRECIPITATION