LOCAL WEATHER.�For extended remarks on the marineclimate along foreign coasts, see the appropriate SailingDirections and Planning Guides prepared and published bythe National Imagery and Mapping Agency ; for the coastsof the United States and its possessions, see the appropri-ate Coast Pilot prepared and published by the NationalOcean Service. The trimester publication �MarinersWeather Log� prepared and published by the National Oce-anic and Atmospheric Administration, National WeatherService, carries informative articles on marine climateconditions and tropical cyclone information.

TROPICALCYCLONES

The mean tracks oftropical storms and hurri-canes are shown in red.These tracks represent av-erages, and movements ofindividual systems mayvary widely.

AIRTEMPERATURE

The mean air tempera-ture (°C) in red lines isshown for every 2 de-grees. All weather narra-tives refer to air tempera-

GALES The red numerals inthe center of each 5-de-gree square on this insetchart show the averagepercentage of ship re-ports in which winds of atleast force 8 have beenrecorded for the month.In cases where the obser-vation count is low thegale frequency may benonrepresentative andtherefore different fromthe values used in the text.Where �0� is given, galesmay have been recorded,but too infrequently togive a percentage value.

SEA SURFACETEMPERATURE

The mean sea surfacetemperature (C°), in bluelines, is shown for everydegrees .

VISIBILITY Blue l ines show per-centages of observationsreporting visibil i t ies lessthan 2 miles.

SURFACEPRESSURE

This chart shows theaverage barometric pres-sure reduced to sea level.Isobars are solid bluelines for every 2.5 mil l i-bars difference in pres-s u r e .

PRESSURE.�Centered near 36°S, 98°W, the average cen-tral pressure of the South Pacific subtropical high runsjust over 1023 millibars in February. The subtropical highextends from 8°S to 50°S at 100°W and from SouthAmerica to Australia. The equato.0rial trough is centerednorth of the equator between South America and 170°W,then swings southwest between Australia and New Guinea.A strong zonal pressure gradient remains south of 50°S.

VISIBILITY.�In general, poor visibilities (less than 2 miles)occur 10% or more of the time south of 45°S. Frequen-cies increase to a maximum of over 30% south of 55°S.

TEMPERATURE.�At the equator, mean air temperaturesrange from 25°C off the coast of South America to over28°C west of 15- 5°W. Along the equator 98% of the ob-servations fall between 22°C and 32°C. At 60°S, meansrange from 4°C to 5°C, with approximately 98% of the ob-servations occurring between 0°C and 8°C.

GALES.�Although gale force winds (force 8 or greater)are infrequently observed north of 40°S, the probablilityof occurrence is slightly greater at these latitudes overthe western Pacific due to tropical storm activity. Galeforce winds are reported 10% or more of the time southof 50°S; frequencies reach 20% off the southwest coastof Chile and over the central South Pacific between 55°Sand 60°S.

FEBRUARY

WAVE HEIGHTS.�Wave height frequencies of 12 feet orgreater are at a minimum between the equator and 20°S.Most areas south of 20°S report frequencies of 10% ormore except for the coastal areas of New Zealand andAustralia. Between 50°S and 60°S, frequencies of 40%or higher are reported, except south of New Zealand (30%)and South America (20%).

WINDS.�Southeast trade winds range north of 40°S fromthe coast of South America to as far west at 130°W. East-erly winds extend from here to 170°W, northerly windsprevail north of Australia, and southeasterly winds pre-vail between Australia and New Zealand. Westerly windscontinue to prevail south of 40°S where scalar winds av-erage force 4 to 5. North of 40°S winds average force 3to 5.

TROPICAL CYCLONES.�February brings the highest fre-quency of tropical storms to the South Pacific, observedsolely within the northwest quadrant. During an average10-year period, 41 tropical storms (_> 34 knots) can beexpected to occur and of these, 11 should attain hurri-cane strength (_> 64 knots).

CHART #1

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CHART #3

EXPLANATION OF WIND ROSESPREVAILING WINDS AND CALMS.�The wind rose inblue color is located in the center of each 5° squarewhere there was sufficient data. The rose shows thedistribution of the winds that have prevailed in thearea over a considerable period. The wind percentagesare summarized for the eight points and calm. The ar-rows fly with the wind indicating the direction fromwhich the wind blew. The length of the shaft, measuredfrom the outside of the circle using the scale below,gives the percent of the total number of observationsin which the wind has blown from that direction. Thenumber of feathers shows the average force of thewind on the Beaufort scale. The figure in the centerof the circle gives the percentage of calms. When thearrow is too long to fit conveniently in the 5° square,anything over 29 percent, the shaft is broken and thepercentage is indicated by numerals.

FOR EXAMPLE.�The sample wind roseshould read thus: In the reported observationsthe wind has averaged as follows:From N. 3 percent, force 3; N.E. 16 percent,force 4; E. 61 percent, force 4; S.E. 17 percent,force 5; S. 1 percent, force 4; S.W. less than 1percent, force 3; W. 1 percent force 2; N.W. 1percent, force 4; calms 0 percent.