Bob Blog 5 April

WEATHERGRAM

YOTREPS

Compiled Sun 05 April 2020

 

Bob McDavitt’s ideas for sailing around the South Pacific.

Disclaimer: Weather is a mix of pattern and chaos; these ideas are from the patterned world.

 

Voyaging in a COVIDI9 world:

I’ve decided to continue my weekly blog, issuing BASIC weather details to be aware of in the South Pacific. After my weathergram last week, I got a backlash of emails asking for suggesting I may stop, and we now have TC HAROLD anyway. If you are voyaging or plan to then let me know at bob@metbob.com

 

End of DST, Time zone changes:

Australia, New Zealand and (Western) Samoa reverted to STANDARD TIME earlier today.

For Lord Howe this is a change of only 30 minutes from UTC +11 to UTC+10.30.

Fiji is already at UTC+12 (finished Daylight saving on 12 Jan)

Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Tonga, Niue, Cooks and French Polynesia are not observing daylight time this year.

American Samoa doesn’t observe DST.

 

Note that Good Friday and Easter Sunday are wide-spread public holidays this wee.

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The Tropics

The latest cyclone activity report is at tropic.ssec.wisc.edu and Tropical Cyclone Potential is from www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/TCFP/index.html

This MJO has peaked over South Pacific in the last week, helping TC HAROLD to form NW of Vanuatu. HAROLD is now category 4 and may reach top Category 5 as it crosses Vanuatu next few days. It is then expected to travel East-southeast and brush southern Fiji on Wednesday.

 

There is another cyclone over the open sea of the Indian ocean: IRONDRO

 

WATHER ZONES

SPCZ=South Pacific Convergence zone.

The SPCZ is expected to follow TC HAROLD and extends to Niue.

 

Subtropical ridge (STR)

HIGH SE of NZ has been giving golden weather to parts of NZ for last few days and is now expected to move off to the east along 50S next few days.

Next HIGH should cross Tasmania on Wednesday and then travel north and fade away along Aus coast by Good Friday.

 

Tasman Sea /NZ/Aus

Trough crossing South Island on Monday followed by cool SW flow on Tuesday, another trough on Wednesday then strong westerlies on Thursday/Friday (gentler further north) and another trough for all NZ on Saturday.

 

From Panama to Galapagos/Marquesas:

Mirror convergence zone is still there along 5S from 110W to 150W.

ITCZ is spreading into Panama region bringing more showers, and northerly wind s in Panama may turn southerly from 8 to 15 April. This marks the beginning of the end of OK weather patterns for going SW.

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If you would like more detail for your voyage, then check metbob.com to see what I offer.

Or Facebook at /www.facebook.com/metbobnz/

Weathergram with graphics is at metbob.wordpress.com (subscribe/unsubscribe at bottom).

Weathergram archive (with translator) is at weathergram.blogspot.co.nz.

Contact is bob@metbob.com or txt 6427 7762212

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