Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 071200UTC, 56 north 48 west 977 expected 62 north 30 west 971 by 081200UTC. Low 65 north 28 west 976 losing its identity by same time. New low expected 76 north 03 west 994 by that time

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

Sole

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly, backing southwesterly later in far west, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in west.
Sea state
Very rough at first in west, otherwise rough, occasionally moderate later.
Weather
Occasional rain, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Shannon

Wind
Northwest 4 or 5, backing west or southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Very rough becoming rough.
Weather
Rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Rockall

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, backing south or southwest 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, backing south or southwest 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
South or southwest, 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Southwesterly 4 to 6, backing southerly 6 to gale 8 later.
Sea state
High becoming very rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly, backing southeasterly in far northwest, 6 to gale 8, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6 in far northwest, increasing severe gale 9 at times in south.
Sea state
Very rough or high, but rough or very rough in far northwest.
Weather
Rain or squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Northern Section

In area to the north of 60 north

Wind
Cyclonic 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 in far northwest and later in far southwest, decreasing 4 to 6 at times in northeast.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first in far north.
Weather
Rain or squally showers, occasional snow in far northwest.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor, or very poor in far northwest.

In area to the south of 60 north

Wind
Cyclonic becoming westerly, 4 to 6 at first in far northwest, otherwise 6 to gale 8, increasing severe gale 9 at times.
Sea state
Very rough becoming high.
Weather
Rain then squally snow showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

East Central Section

Wind
Northerly 6 or 7 at first in far southeast, otherwise southwesterly veering westerly later, 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times in north.
Sea state
Very rough, becoming high later in northwest and rough later in southeast.
Weather
Fair then occasional rain, wintry showers later in northwest.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in northwest.

West Central Section

Wind
Southwesterly veering westerly later, 5 to 7 in south, 7 to severe gale 9 in north.
Sea state
In north, very rough becoming high, in south, very rough, occasionally high in north and rough later in far south.
Weather
Rain then squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Denmark Strait

High seas storm warning
Issued:

At 071200UTC, 56 north 48 west 977 expected 62 north 30 west 971 by 081200UTC. Low 65 north 28 west 976 losing its identity by same time. Northerly or northeasterly winds are expected to reach storm force 10 at times in Denmark Strait within 100 miles of the ice edge throughout.

In an area within 100 miles of the greenland coast

Wind
Northeasterly 7 to severe gale 9, increasing storm 10 at times near ice edge.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first.
Weather
Snow.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor. Occasional light or moderate icing near ice edge with temperatures ms02 to ms04.

In the rest of the area

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 7 to severe gale 9, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6, increasing 7 for a time.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first in west.
Weather
Rain or showers, but snow at times in north and west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor, or very poor in north and west.

North Iceland

In an area within 50 miles of ice edge

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times near ice edge.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather
Occasional snow.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor. Occasional light or moderate icing near ice edge with temperatures ms02 to ms04.

In rest of area

Wind
Southerly or southeasterly, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in northeast and decreasing 4 or 5 for a time.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first in south.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Southeasterly, veering southerly or southwesterly, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in south and east.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, but moderate at first in far east.
Weather
Fair at first in east, otherwise rain at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in west.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Risk of storms in West Northern Section and Denmark Strait. Severe gales expected in East Northern Section, East Central Section, West Central Section and Norwegian Basin. Gales expected in north Iceland. Risk of gales in Rockall, Bailey and Faeroes.

Unscheduled storm warnings are broadcast via Safetynet and in bulletin WONT54 EGRR available via some internet and ftpmail outlets

The high seas forecast information

High seas forecasts are issued twice daily at 0930 and 2130 GMT and cover the next 24 hours and outlooks for the following 24 hours.

The part of the North Atlantic known as Metarea I is divided into twelve sea areas, six of which are also in the Shipping forecast.

The high seas forecast contains a general synopsis and sea-area forecasts containing forecast wind direction and force, weather and visibility for the next 24 hours with an outlook for the following 24 hours.

Marine forecasts disclaimer

In the UK, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) is responsible for the provision of Maritime Safety Information (MSI) to ships at sea, which includes the broadcast of warnings and forecasts. The Met Office initiates warnings and prepares routine forecasts for dissemination on behalf of the MCA.

Caution: The internet is not part of the Maritime Safety Information system and should never be relied upon as the only means to obtain the latest forecast and warning information. Access to the service may be interrupted or delayed from time to time, updates may also be delayed.

Please refer to GMDSS services, INMARSAT SafetyNET or international NAVTEX for the latest information. When using these web pages, always check that the page on your screen is not from your cache. Use the Refresh or Reload button if in any doubt.