This is a pre-passage source and decision desk, not a current forecast or clearance to depart. The map is centred approximately on the area, not on your route or a forecast-zone boundary.
Distinguish an island or coastal bulletin from the wider METAREA text and its validity window. Long passages need a reliable method to obtain refreshed warnings offshore; a saved app screen is not one.
1. Primary sources
Open current bulletins and warnings for every sea area on the route. These links are starting points, not a promise that each covers the whole location; if unsure, identify the issuer through WMO–IMO.
2. Route and local effects
Check high-seas warnings and the forecast on both coastal approaches.
The Mozambique Channel is a long open corridor between Mozambique and Madagascar, not one coastal forecast zone.
Use INAM coastal alerts where applicable and the responsible high-seas bulletin across the channel; compare tropical-system track uncertainty and expected update opportunities.
How to use this source set
Start with the warning, then the marine text for the exact named area. If the route crosses a zone boundary, obtain both bulletins. Note issue and valid times, wind units and the meaning of wave height. Where a link opens an agency portal, navigate to its current marine product; a homepage is not itself a forecast.
Compare with an exposed station or buoy if available. Check its position and observation time: a sheltered station does not overturn a warning for an open channel. If a bulletin is missing or stale, identify the issuing service via WMO–IMO and defer the decision until current information is available.
Before-passage check
- Mark departure, exposed legs, arrival and feasible diversions; find the responsible named marine areas for each.
- Check warnings, issue and valid times; assess conditions when you expect to reach each leg, not only at departure.
- Compare wind and gusts, waves and swell, visibility, thunderstorms and local effects; do not infer a strait from a sheltered harbour.
- Compare recent observations where available, noting their time and exposure; a mismatch calls for another check.
- Set the next bulletin check, a reassessment trigger, an alternative and a backup communication channel.
Model map — optional
Windy is a third-party model display, not the issuer of official warnings. Choose a layer and check its valid hour and model run. Nothing loads until you click.
Without JavaScript, open the map separately.
If connectivity fails
Before departure, save the current official text bulletin and warning with issue time. Arrange another way to receive updates, such as an appropriate coastal broadcast, NAVTEX or satellite channel. A saved map cannot replace new warnings.
How to choose weather tools · All sailing areas
Scope: Source list assembled 25 September 2026; check its freshness and coverage before use. This public area guide is not a current personalised forecast, navigational notice service or safety verdict. Personalised forecasts with AI and experts are in closed testing; public booking is not open. The skipper makes the decision.
A channel-wide plan crosses source boundaries
Separate the Mozambican coast, open channel and Madagascar approach before selecting bulletins. INAM's link is an entry point to marine/coastal services, not a verified current coastal bulletin for every port. Obtain the exact product needed for the intended coastal leg. For the offshore leg use the responsible METAREA issuer selected through WMO–IMO. Météo Madagascar's product-level referral to MMS/SAWS is a reason to verify the active bulletin rather than reuse an archived text.
- INAM Mozambique service directory — Marine/coastal service entry; no fresh exact coastal bulletin verified Direct product verification is limited; obtain the current issue from the issuer.
- WMO–IMO marine warnings and issuer directory — METAREA service selection; website can have delayed or interrupted products
- Météo Madagascar marine products — Coastal/high-seas/special tabs; page includes referral to MMS/SAWS for discontinued product Direct product verification is limited; obtain the current issue from the issuer.
Current context is not a deterministic conveyor
For a long crossing, retain the current field's source, run, valid hour and resolution beside wind and swell. A regional ocean field is not an observed stream at the vessel or a harbour entrance. Compare the route's expected speed with and without the forecast current influence and keep the ETA uncertainty visible. Do not claim one fixed current direction for the entire Mozambique Channel.
- South African Weather Service marine portal — METAREA VII marine forecast and observation entry point; live endpoint not obtained in this review Direct product verification is limited; obtain the current issue from the issuer.
Plan multi-day reassessment, not one departure verdict
A departure comparison should include when the next valid warning can be received and what part of the route lies beyond the current forecast horizon. If tropical-system information changes, revise the approach and source set, not just the departure hour. Keep navigation, port entry and coastal restrictions as independent checks. This article identifies a workflow and evidence gaps; it does not supply a verified cyclone escape route.
Editorial review of this material: 27 September 2026. This date concerns the page content; check current forecast issue times and validity at the original sources.