Weather sites for Pacific Mexico and Baja

Although in each major centre where yachties gather there is a local Net of VHF 22 that gives weather for the local region. Whilst this is good, the scary thing is that there are many yachts that rely totally on such forecasts. Sites below will assist with gleaning information for yourselves.


Here are some sites to start with:

Big picture stuff

http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com/
Our favourite for tropical information.

http://www.eebmike.com/
Wonderful sat picture and graphics for tropical information and sea
temperature.

http://www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/
Synoptic situation for Pacific and location of ITCZ

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/ensocycle/enso_cycle.shtml

For information regarding the current El Nino/La Nina state and ENSO situation, which then leads into an indication of the hurricane season in the Pacific and Caribbean and conditions in north and south Pacific if you are heading west.

Small picture weather

Grib files from sailmail (at sea) and  http://www.grib.us/  (internet connection) are what we generally use, then match these with the synoptic situation.

http://www.sailflow.com/
Navigate to Sea of Cortez (Baja California) or wherever you are in the US. Sailflow was accurate in the north and south crossings in the Sea of Cortez. Excellent for swell predition.

http://www.buoyweather.com/
Excellent for 2 day forecast for wind and swell and can also sign up for weather for 7 day forecast and access via sailmail.

http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/
Another site for grib data information

http://www.wetsand.com/
Others use this and like it.

http://www.sonrisanet.org/
Geary does a great forecast for the inside and outside of the Baja and Mexican Pacific Coast. Weather is posted on this website and also given on Ham Net in the mornings. See below for Nets.

http://weather.msfc.nasa.gov/GOES/goeswestpacusir.html
This is a great real time site using GOES imagery giving water vapour. Great to zoom in on Mexcio mainland for chubascos in the summer!!

http://www.clubcruceros.org/
More weather information on this site which is the local site for La Paz.

This site also gives information on times and frequencies for HF nets in the region

General Weather Internet Sites

Here are some of our well used internet sites. Some via HF as well.

www.buoyweather.com

•https://www.fnmoc.navy.mil/wxmap_cgi/index.html

•http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/

•http://www.goes.noaa.gov/ (Geostationary Satelite Server)

•http://www.wunderground.com/ (Excellent for current sea surface temperatures)

•http://www.weather.gov.sg/wip/web/Marine

•http://www.myforecast.com.my/ (Malaysian Gov forecast for fishermen..tend to overforecast)

•http://www.grib.us/ (Great free download for grib files.)

Weather Fax Frequencies Indonesia to Darwin

The following weather fax information for Sailing through Indonesia is from BOM Australia.

In 2003 on our first passage through Indonesia, we noted that the Highs ridging over central Australia fed into the SE winds north of Darwin, icreasing their strength considerably.

Australian w/fax frequencies Charlieville (VMC) Wiluna (VMW)

ALL TIMES UTC

VMC

2626 0900-1900
5100 0000-2400
11030 0000-2400
13920 0000-2400
20469 1900-0900

VMW

5755 1100-2100
7535 0000-2400
10555 0000-2400
15615 0000-2400
18060 2100-1100

Remember to subtract 1.8 (1.9) when entering fax frequencies to HF radio if you don't have the new ICOM radios that already do this for you.


Time (UTC) Description of Chart

0015-0030 VMC/VMW Schedule Page 1 of 2

0030-0045 VMC/VMW Schedule Page 2 of 2

0045-0100 VMC/VMW Information Notice

0200-0215 Australian MSLP Prog (H+36) Valid 0000

0245-0300 Australian MSLP Anal Valid 0000

0300-0315 Australian 500 hPa Anal Valid 0000

0315-0330 Voice Broadcast Information for VMC and VMW

0430-0445 Australian MSLP 4-day forecast, Days 1 and 2

0445-0500 Australian MSLP 4-day forecast, Days 3 and 4

0600-0622 Asian (Part A) Gradient Level Wind Anal Valid 0000

0623-0645 Asian (Part B) Gradient Level Wind Anal Valid 0000

0645-0700 Asian MSLP Anal Valid 0000

0845-0900 Australian MSLP Anal Valid 0600

0900-0915 Australian MSLP Prog (H+36) Valid 0000

0915-0930 Australian MSLP 4-day forecast, Days 1 and 2

0930-0945 Australian MSLP 4-day forecast, Days 3 and 4

1145-1200 VMC/VMW Information Notice

1215-1230 VMC/VMW Schedule Page 1 of 2

1230-1245 VMC/VMW Schedule Page 2 of 2

1430-1445 Australian MSLP Anal Valid 1200

1500-1515 Australian 500 hPa Anal Valid 1200

1515-1530 Australian MSLP Prog (H+36) Valid 1200

1800-1822 Asian (Part A) Gradient Level Wind Anal Valid 1200

1823-1845 Asian (Part B) Gradient Level Wind Anal Valid 1200

2030-2045 Australian MSLP Anal Valid 1800

Weather Analysis Sites. Big Picture

Here are some other weather sites for your consideration for planning passages. These are primarily concerned with prediction of Tropical Storm Activity. There are many more which extend into deeper analysis.

http://tsr.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/

http://www.hurricanezone.net/

http://www.stormbanner.com/

www.tropicalstormrisk.com

www.weatherzone.com

www.typhoon2000.com

www.oceanweather.com/data

Interpreting Gradient Level Wind Analysis Charts for tropical areas.

The following information is from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. They also have a section on interpreting MSLP charts. It is the gradient wind shown in streamline charts that offers a more accurate anlysis of the weather situaiton for tropical areas.

http://www.bom.gov.au/weather/nt/rsmc/glw.shtml

The Gradient Level Wind Analysis is a snapshot of the airflow near the surface of the earth. The arrowed lines are called streamlines and represent the direction of the wind. The dashed lines are called isotachs, and connect points of equal wind speed. The standard isotach intervals are 15 and 30 knots (28 km/h and 56 km/h) - knots is the preferred unit for these charts as they complement the Bureau's marine services.Current Gradient Level Wind Analysis
Asian Region Gradient Level Wind [00 12 UTC]

The above Gradient Level Wind chart has been reduced significantly to fit on to the web page.
A more detailed view can be obtained by looking at Region A or Region B below.

Asian Region Gradient Level Wind - Region A (Indian Ocean) [ 00 12 UTC]
Asian Region Gradient Level Wind - Region B (Pacific Ocean) [ 00 12 UTC] Current MSLP
Asian Region MSLP [ 00UTC]

The gradient level lies about 1000 metres above the earth's surface, and is the level most representative of the air flow in the lower atmosphere immediately above the layer affected by surface friction. This level is free of local wind and topographic effects (such as sea breezes, downslope winds etc).

Streamline charts are much more useful than isobaric pressure (MSLP) charts for showing the weather patterns over tropical areas. While & MSLP charts are good for estimating wind direction and strength over mid and high latitudes, in the tropics pressure gradients are weak and often don't give a good indication of the prevailing winds. Meteorologists overcome this difficulty by drawing charts of the actual wind flow. The surface wind may be estimated by decreasing the gradient level wind speed by approximately 20% over the ocean, 40% over land and assuming a direction deviation of about 10-30 degrees. If looking along the direction of the wind, the deviation is to the right if low pressure is on your right (or if high pressure is on your left).

On streamline charts, low pressure systems (including tropical cyclones) appear as inflowing circulations - clockwise in the southern hemisphere and anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere. High pressure systems appear as outflowing circulations, with direction of rotation opposite to that of the lows. Near the equator, when the wind changes direction as it flows from one hemisphere into the other, closed eddies may appear; these are indicated by an "E" and are not associated with high or low pressure (and are often associated with clear weather).
Lows are indicated by an L symbol, highs by H , accompanied with the value of central pressure in hectoPascals. Tropical cyclones are particularly intense low pressure systems, identified by the cyclone symbol, together with information on the name, maximum wind speed (knots) , central pressure (hPa) and current direction of movement (speed in knots). In the northwest Pacific, tropical cyclones are called Tropical Storms , and the more intense systems are called Typhoons . In Australia, these systems are called Tropical Cyclones and Severe Tropical Cyclones .

The broad streams of air flowing toward the equator from the midlatitude highs are called the trade winds: southeast winds in the southern hemisphere and northeast winds in the north; these wind streams tend to be strongest in the winter hemisphere when high pressure systems are more intense.

In the summer hemisphere, persistent winds tend to flow into the near-equatorial area from the opposite hemisphere, and are frequently associated with widespread cloudiness and heavy rain. These winds are referred to as the northwest monsoon in the southern hemisphere (December-March) and the southwest monsoon in the northern hemisphere (June-September). The monsoon flow is on the equatorward side of an area of low pressure called the monsoon trough, and tropical cyclones often develop from lows located in this trough.
Other Weather Maps available are:

Australian Region MSLP
[ 00 06 12 18 UTC ]
Pacific Region MSLP
[ 00 12 UTC ]
Indian Ocean Region MSLP
[ 00 12 UTC ]

Archives:
Browse Archive of Weather Maps

Other Explanatory Information:
Interpreting the MSLP Weather Map
About the Weather Charts

Philippines Fax Frequencies Dec 2007

Fax Frequencies for Philippines 2007

ALL times (UTC)

VMC (Charleville) (BOM Australia)

Frequency... Time

2626............ 0900-1900

5100............ 0000-2400

11030 ..........0000-2400

13920.......... 0000-2400

20469......... 1900-0900

VMW (Wiluna) (BOM Australia)

Frequency... Time

5755 .............1100-2100

7535............. 0000-2400

10555........... 0000-2400

15615............ 0000-2400

18060............ 2100-1100

Tokyo Frequencies

JMH 3622.5
JMH2 7795
JMH4 13988.5

NB Program HF radio 1.8/1.9 kHz below advertised frequency

0020............ Japan 96HR surface pressure, precip progs

0040............ Japan 120HR surface pressure, precip progs

0110/1310.. Japan Sat picture (MSAT)

0150/1350..Japan Tropical cyclone forecast (1)

0240/1440 ..Japan Surface Analysis (shows wind barbs)

0623-0645.. AUS Asian (Part B) Gradient Level Wind Anal

0710/1910... Japan Sat picture (MSAT)

0750/1950... Japan Tropical cyclone forecast (1)

0820.............. Japan 48HR surface pressure

1000/2200... Japan 48HR/72HR surface pressure, precipitation prog

1823-1845..... AUS Asian (Part B) Gradient Level Wind Analysis


NB http://www.typhoon2000.com/ provides information on the current weather prognosis for the Philippines and west Pacific. Click on the link to Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and you can obtain the same synoptic chart as you receive via fax.

For more information about weather fax scheds from BOM Australia:

http://www.bom.gov.au/nmoc/rad_sch/

Marine weather Malaysia/Phuket, including Borneo

Sail MailGrib files. Can get swell info as well if you open in maxsea.
Met Area Forecasts-met area X1: Bunguran covers approx Singapore to Bintulu; Reef South covers approx Bintulu to Kudat. Met 11 sg also covers Singapore to Sarawak.

Any Malaysian forecasts tend to over forecast as fishermen access this weather.

Internet
http://www.buoyweather.com/ - free weather information as well as subscription.

Can also access buoyweather info via sailmail. Costs $30 for 100 emails. Good weather for spot forecasts for wind/swell on passage.

http://www.fnmoc.navy.mil/ – navigate to wxmap. Excellent 7 day forecast for wind/swell

http://www.bom.bov.au/ – navigate to Asia and MSL Gradient Wind Analysis and also Indian Ocean. Good for big picture stuff ie location of lows, especially when heading off towards Sri Lanka. (Australian Bureau of Meteorology).

http://www.myforecast.com/ – can find any city. Gives good rain prediction and has user friendly terminology like ‘tons of rain’!

http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/ – good for anywhere and gives 7 day forecast.

http://www.weather.gov.sg/ Navigate to Marine weather. Excellent for this region. Gives synoptic situation, satellite picture as well as wind and waves and radar for Singapore/Johore Baru. In our experience, this site tends to be more accurate than Malaysia forecasts as the latter tend to over forecast swell/wave heights and wind strength.

NB http://www.typhoon2000.com/ is an excellent website for information regarding the NE monsoon, especially the strength of the Mongolian High. Click on the JMA site (Japanese Meteorological Agency)See also notes here on Philippine weather information.

http://www.grib.us/ is another excellent site that shows wind, waves and rain. Files downloaded from the internet can be used with MaxSea.

http://www.goes.noaa.gov/ This is a website which shows Geostationary images.

http://www.stormbanner.com EXCELLENT WORLD SITE. This has it all - wind, rain, sea temperature etc and satelite immagery.