afi met bulletins exchange (ambex) handbook - ICAO

AFI Regional SIGMET Guide Page 44/60
3. SIGMET test procedures
3.1 Procedures for WC and WV SIGMET TEST :
3.1.1 Operational Units:
3.1.1.1 Tropical Cyclone Advisory Centre (TCAC: La Réunion
3.1.1.2 Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC): Toulouse
3.1.1.3 Regional OPMET Data Bank (RODB): Dakar, Pretoria
3.1.1.4 Meteorological Watch Office (MWO)
3.1.1.4.1 All MWOs listed in AFI FASID Table MET 3A and MET 3B, under the responsibility of
Toulouse, VAAC and La Réunion, TCAC.
Note: The participation of MWOs of States, which do not belong to AFI region, should be coordinated
through the relevant ICAO Regional Office.
3.1.2 Test date and time
3.1.2.1 ICAO Regional Office will set a date and time after consultation with the VAAC, TCAC
and RODB. The information about the agreed date and time will be sent to all States concernedand
copied to the States SIGMET Tests Focal Points.
3.1.3 Test messages
3.1.3.1 Each VAAC or TCAC prepares a simple TEST message in the form of VA or TC
advisory. The formats of the said TESTsare given in Attachment 1 to this Appendix.
3.1.3.2 The MWOs, upon receipt of the TEST VA/TC advisory, should prepare a TEST
SIGMET for volcanic ash or tropical cyclone, respectively, and send it to the RODBs. The WMO heading
and the first line of the SIGMET should be valid ones, while the body of the message should contain an
explanatory text on the testsas show in Attachment 1 to this Appendix.
3.1.3.3 The MWOs should issue a WV or WC TEST SIGMET within the 10-minute period
following the issuance of VA or TC test message by the corresponding VAAC or TCAC.
3.2 Procedures for WS SIGMET Tests
3.2.1 WS SIGMET advisory Test should be initiated by Pretoria RODB in coordination with
ICAO Regional Offices in Dakar and Nairobi. The information about the date and time will be sent to all
States concerned and copied to the State’s SIGMET Tests Focal Points.
Ninth Edition September 2007 Amend1/2010
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