Urgent – Marine Weather Message
Small Craft Advisory
Antigua and Barbuda Meteorological Services
10:00 pm Wednesday 15 February 2023

…Small Craft Advisory in effect for Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands…
…Small Craft Advisory goes into effect Thursday morning for Montserrat…
…Small Craft Advisory goes into effect Thursday afternoon for St. Kitts and Nevis…

Locations to be affected: Mainly open waters on the Atlantic sides of the islands out to 20 nautical miles.

Timing: Until Monday for Antigua and Barbuda; until Sunday for Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands; Thursday morning until Saturday for Montserrat, and Thursday afternoon until Saturday for St. Kitts and Nevis.

Synopsis: A combination of wind waves and wind swells is expected to cause hazardous seas. The threat level to the life, livelihood, property and infrastructure of mariners is forecast to rise to moderate with the potential for significant impacts.

A Small Craft Advisory means that wind speeds of 21 to 33 knots and or wind waves and or wind swells of 7 feet or greater are occurring or imminent.

Winds over open waters: East-northeast at 26 to 41 km/h (14 to 20 knots; 16 to 23 mph), with strong gusts to as high as 57 km/h (31 knots; 36 mph).

Winds over the period Thursday night to Saturday are likely to be 30 to 45 km/h (16 to 24 knots; 18 to 28 mph) with gusts to over gale-force or near 68 km/h (37 knots; 42 mph), a High Wind Advisory is also likely.

Seas (significant wave heights): 2.1 to 3.4 metres(7 to 11 feet), occasionally or locally reaching over 4.0 metres (14 feet).

Wind waves and or wind swells: 1.5 to 2.4 metres or 5 to 8 feet and occasionally higher. The dominant wind wave period is 6 to 9 seconds.

The highest seas will be on Friday and Saturday, when a small craft warning may be required.

Potential Impacts: Loss of life at sea; injuries to mariners; capsize or damage or loss of vessels and marine equipment; financial losses; disruption of fisheries and scarcity of fish products and disruption to marine transportation.

Caution: Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller vessels should avoid navigating in these conditions.

Please continue to monitor these hazardous, life-threatening marine conditions.

Stay tuned to updates coming out of the Met Office via antiguamet.com, facebook.com/abmetservice and twitter.com/abmetservice. Also, stay tuned to other media platforms for updates.

Forecaster: Dale Destin