GMDSS forecasts for Metareas 4-21, the rest of the world

Currently, May 2023, the MailASail text responder is not working. This is because WMO has changed its site.

This page is, like others, on a best endeavours basis. Corrections and additions will be gratefully used.

Related pages

• Metarea 1, NW Europe
• Metarea 2, SW Europe
• Metarea 3, Mediterranean and Black Sea

Metareas

For navigation and weather forecasting purposes, the world is divided into 21 Navareas or Metareas , the terms are interchangeable.

High Seas forecasts for these areas are broadcast on one or more of Inmasat-C, HF/SSB or NAVTEX .

Fast GMDSS links

The WMO WWMIWS site site has fast links to texts of all High Seas and many NAVTEX messages globally.
NOTE Regrettably, NAVTEX texts cannot be bookmarked or obtained using the Sailmail/Saildocs text retrieval service.

Sea surface temperatures

• Global sea surface temperatures. Select region, country or location from menu.
  

The Mariner’s Tropical Cyclone Guide is a useful page produced by the NOAA National Hurricane Center.

Metarea 4 – Atlantic USA, Canada, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico

• High Seas, WWMIWS or Email request
  
• Canadian Waters menu - offshore and coastal forecasts.
  
• A comprehensive listing of NOAA Ocean, Coastal, Inshore waters including the Caribbean and NAVTEX broadcasts.
  

NB. URLs in these two latter pages can be bookmarked and used with text retrieval.

• Meteo France Antilles/Guyane * West Indies 24 hours + 4 day outlook. Local Forecasts -
  
  • St Martin/St Barts/St Martin
    
  • Guadeloupe
    
  • Martinique
    
  • Guyane
    
• Forecasts around Curacao and the Caribbean

Around Curacao - 48 hours and 5-day forecasts covering

• Caribbean from 11N to 15N between 72W and 80W including Colombia Basin-

 * Caribbean S of 15N between 64W and 72W including Venezuela Basin-

Forecast areas

• Area and other details at WMO Vol 9 and
  

All US sea areas – can be used to download forecast texts.

Metarea 5 Brazilian waters

• High Seas, WWMIWS or Email request
  
• Brazil Coastal waters 24 hours
  
• Brazil Coastal waters 48 hours
  

Forecast areas

• Area and other details at WMO Vol 9.
  

Metarea 6 – Brazil/Uruguay border to the Antarctic.

 * High Seas, WWMIWS or Email request 

This has all NAVTEX tesxts for the area.

Forecast areas

• Area and other details at WMO Vol 9
  

Metarea 7 South Africa south to the Antarctic

• High Seas, WWMIWS, or Email request
  
• South Africa Coastal waters *
  

Forecast Areas

• Area and other details at WMO Vol 9
  

Metarea 8N Indian Ocean North of the Equator

• High Seas, WWMIWS or Email request
  
• Arabian Sea offshore forecast*
  
• 24-hours Inshore Waters, Kenya
  
• 7-day forecast for Kenya waters offshore and West Indian Ocean
  
• Bay of Bengal
  
• Indian Coastal Forecasts

Forecast areas

• Area and other details at WMO Vol 9
  

Metarea 8S Indian Ocean south south of the equator

• High Seas, WWMIWS or Email request
  
• East African Coasts 24 hours*
  
• East Africa Coasts 7-day Outlook * Opens with tablet, may need Powerpoint on PC
  
• La Réunion*, 5 to 30 deg S. African coast to 90 degE
  
  • Coastal forecasts La Réunion, menu.

Forecast areas

• Area and other details at WMO Vol 9
  

Metarea 9 - Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf, north of Area 8

• High Seas, WWMIWS or Email request
  

Forecast areas

• Area and other details at WMO Vol 9
  

Metarea 10 South Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean 141 to 170 degE, Australian waters.

• High Seas, WWMIWS or Email request One message covers all.
  
• Western Area High Seas*
  
• Northern Area High Seas*
  
• Northeastern Area High Seas*
  
• Southeastern Area High Seas*
  
• Cocos Islands*
  
• Christmas Isalnd*
  
• Norfolk Island*
  

The following are “menus” for various areas.

• Queensland coastal waters*
  
• New South Wales*
  
• South Australia*
  
• Tasmania*
  

Forecast areas

• Area and other details at WMO Vol 9
  
• Australian Coastal areas
  

Metarea 11 Malaysian Archipelago, Seas of China and Japan. N Pacific to 45 degN, 180DegE/W.-

• High Seas, WWMIWS or Email request
  

High Seas

• South of East China Sea*
  
• Hong Kong High Seas *
  
• JMA forecasts menu Individual areas can be book-marked and retrieved by email.
  
• Phillipes Sea shipping forecast*
  
• Thailand Shipping forecast*
  

Coastal waters

• Northern Marianas
  
  • Rota Coastal Waters
    
  • Tinian Coastal Waters
    
  • Saipan Coastal Waters
    
• Marshall Islands
  
  • Majuro Coastal Waters
    
• Micronesia
  
  • Yap Coastal Waters
    
  • Chuuk Coastal Waters
    
  • Pohnpei Coastal Waters
    
  • Kosrae Coastal Waters
    
• Guam
  
  • Guam Coastal Waters
    
• Palau Republic
  
  • Palau
    
• American Samoa
  
  • Coastal Waters of Tututila and Aunuu Island
    
  • Coastal Waters of Manua Islands
    
  • Coastal Waters of Swains Island
    

Forecast areas

• Area and other details at WMO Vol 9
  

Metarea 12 Eastern North Pacific and Sea of Mexico

 *High Seas, WWMIWS or   Email request 

  *Canadian Pacific Forecasts menu 

• USA Marine forecast menu - Ocean, Coastal, Inshore waters including NAVTEX broadcasts.

NB. URLs from these two pages can be bookmarked and used with Saildocs text retrieval facility

• Sea of Mexico
  

Forecast areas

• Area and other details at WMO Vol 9
  
• All US sea areas – can be used to download forecast texts.
  

Metarea 13 NW Pacific, north of 45 degN

No forecasts found on-line

Forecast areas

• Area and other details at WMO Vol 9
  

Metarea 14 Central South Pacific

• High Seas, WWMIWS or Email request
  Or
  
• Pacific High Seas* Area from 25S to 55S and 170W to 120W.
  
• Pacific N Tropic High Seas* Area 25S to 40S, western boundary from 40S 163E to 29S 170E then to 25S 170E, eastern boundary 170W.
  
• Pacific Area Forties* Area 40S to 55S, western boundary from 40S 163E to 45S 160E then to 55S 160E, eastern boundary 170W.
  
• Pacific Southern* Area from 55S to southern ice edge between 160E and 120W.
  

New Zealand coastal waters

• Bay of Islands
  
• Bay of Plenty
  
• Wellington
  
• Cook Strait
  
• Christchurch
  

Hawaii

• High Seas Forecast - Honolulu
  
  • Hawaiian Offshore waters 40 - 240 nm.
    
  • Hawaiian Waters
    

See also

• Hawaiian Marine Products
  

Fiji

• Fiji Islands sea areas
  

French Polynesia

• French Polynesia Home page
  

Forecast areas

• Area and other details at WMO Vol 9
  

Metarea 15 SE Pacific, 18 degS to Antarctica, Drakes Channel, Is Pasqua

• High Seas, WWMIWS or Email request
  Or
  
• Antarctic
  
• Canalea Australes
  
• Islas de Pasqua
  

  Forecast areas

• Area and other details at WMO Vol 9
  

Metarea 16 Peruvian coast to 120 deg W

• High Seas & coastal forecast, WWMIWS or Email request
  Or[[<<]

Forecast areas

• Area and other details at WMO Vol 9
  

Metareas 17 – 21, The Arctic

Metarea 17, Western Arctic/Alaska

• High Seas, Alaskan Coastal Waters and Ice contions.
  
• See the WWMIWS site for more detail.
  
  

Metarea 18, Western Arctic, W Greenland

• West Greenland coasts, High Seas and ice
  
• See the WWMIWS site for more detail.
  
  

Or
CMC Marine menu
and
NOAA Offshore listing

Metarea 19, East Arctic to north of Metarea 1

• High Seas
  
  

Metareaa 20, East Arctic, north of Scandinavia

• High Seas
  
  

Metarea 21, Arctic north of Siberia.

• No forecasts available online.
  
  

Arctic sea areas

Metarea 17 & 18, Canada and USA/Alaska

Metareas 17, 18 & Greenland

Metarea 19
Metareas 20 &21

Synoptic charts and other information

• The US NWS Ocean Prediction Center - a source of much useful oceanic and Arctic information.
  
• My chart page
  

With limited bandwidth use the

• MailASail Chart Responder
  

Sources of GRIB output - mainly from the US GFS (Global Forecast System)

For a laptop computer

• XyGrib. is a versatile service with several global, regional and local models
  
• Saildocs email GRIB service the most flexible and most economic with limited bandwidth. If this is too complex, use the Weather4D app to generate email request messages.
  
• The MailASail GRIB responder
  

For a tablet

• Many apps are available
  

All provide the GFS, some give alternatives.

For all systems

• A variety of services Links to many GRIB type services from national meteorological services and commercial sources.

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