Coast and sea
The general synopsis for UK
At 010000UTC, low 58 north 44 west 987 expected 62 north 42 west 977 by 020000UTC. Low 70 north 00 east 976 expected 73 north 21 east with little change by same time. New low expected 47 north 49 west 1015 by that time
Issued at: .
For the period to .
High seas forecast and storm warnings map
Sole
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly veering northwesterly, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle at times.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Shannon
- Wind
- Cyclonic 5 to 7 becoming variable 2 to 4, then south or southwest 5 to 7 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Squally rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Rockall
- Wind
- Cyclonic 5 to 7 becoming variable 2 to 4, then south or southwest 5 to 7 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Squally rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Bailey
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6 becoming variable 2 to 4, then southeast 6 to gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Wintry showers, then rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Faeroes
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later, then becoming southeasterly 5 or 6 later in west.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming very rough for a time in northwest.
- Weather
- Wintry showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Southeast Iceland
- Wind
- Northwesterly 6 to gale 8 becoming variable 2 to 4, then southeasterly 6 to gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough in far north, but elsewhere rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Sleet or snow showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
East Northern Section
In eastern half of the area
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 to 6 becoming variable 2 to 4 then southerly or southeasterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 later in north, then veering westerly 5 to 7 later in south.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, becoming very rough or high later in north.
- Weather
- Rain, sleet or wintry showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally good at first.
In western half of the area
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 5 to 7 backing southerly or southeasterly 7 to severe gale 9, then veering westerly or southwesterly 5 to 7 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough becoming very rough or high.
- Weather
- Rain or sleet, then snow showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally good at first and very poor later.
West Northern Section
- High seas storm warning
-
Issued:
At 010000UTC, low 58 north 44 west 987 expected 62 north 42 west 977 by 020000UTC. Southeasterly winds will reach storm force 10 at times until 011400UTC in that part of West Northern Section that lies both between 29 west and 33 west and between 57 north and 61 north. Also, westerly or southwesterly winds will reach storm force 10 at times between 012200UTC and 020400UTC in that part of West Northern Section that lies both west of 36 west and between 58 north and 60 north. In addition, northeasterly winds will reach storm force 10 to the west of 34 west in Denmark Strait between 011000UTC and 020000UTC, and also in the far northwest of West Northern Section between 011200UTC and 012100UTC, finally, northeasterly winds will also reach violent storm force 11 at times to the west of 34 west in Denmark Strait between 011400UTC and 012200UTC.
- Wind
- Cyclonic 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 until later, then decreasing 5 to 7 later in north.
- Sea state
- Mainly very rough or high, but rough in far northwest.
- Weather
- Rain, sleet or squally snow showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor. Light or moderate icing at times in west.
East Central Section
In far southeast
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
In the rest of the area
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 at first except in far northwest, otherwise southerly or southwesterly becoming cyclonic, 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Showers then rain, then wintry showers later in far northwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
West Central Section
In southern half of the area
- Wind
- Mainly westerly or southwesterly 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times, but becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 in north.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate at first in southeast.
- Weather
- Rain, with snow at times in north.
- Visibility
- Good at first in southeast, otherwise moderate or poor, occasionally very poor in north.
In northern half of the area
- Wind
- Southerly 7 to severe gale 9 at first in east, otherwise westerly 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Very rough or high, becoming rough or very rough later.
- Weather
- Rain at first in east, otherwise sleet or snow showers, squally at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor, but becoming good at times later. Light icing at times in far northwest.
Denmark Strait
- High seas storm warning
-
Issued:
At 010000UTC, low 58 north 44 west 987 expected 62 north 42 west 977 by 020000UTC. Southeasterly winds will reach storm force 10 at times until 011400UTC in that part of West Northern Section that lies both between 29 west and 33 west and between 57 north and 61 north. Also, westerly or southwesterly winds will reach storm force 10 at times between 012200UTC and 020400UTC in that part of West Northern Section that lies both west of 36 west and between 58 north and 60 north. In addition, northeasterly winds will reach storm force 10 to the west of 34 west in Denmark Strait between 011000UTC and 020000UTC, and also in the far northwest of West Northern Section between 011200UTC and 012100UTC, finally, northeasterly winds will also reach violent storm force 11 at times to the west of 34 west in Denmark Strait between 011400UTC and 012200UTC.
In area to the west of 34 west
- Wind
- Cyclonic 6 to gale 8, increasing severe gale 9 to violent storm 11 for a time, then decreasing 3 to 5 later in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough becoming very rough or high.
- Weather
- Sleet or snow at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate to very poor, occasionally good. Light or moderate icing, with temperatures ms02 to ms04, but becoming severe for a time near the ice, with temperatures ms05 to ms07.
In area to the east of 34 west
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, increasing 6 to gale 8 to the south of 69 north.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate in north and high in south.
- Weather
- Sleet or snow at times, mainly in south.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor. Light or moderate icing at times near the ice, with temperatures ms02 to ms04.
North Iceland
- Wind
- Cyclonic becoming northwesterly 6 to gale 8, becoming variable 2 to 4 later, then becoming southeasterly 5 or 6 later in far southwest.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough until later in east, otherwise moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Snow showers, but becoming mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first. Light or moderate icing until later to the north of 67 north, with temperatures ms03 to ms06, but severe or very severe icing at first near the ice, with temperatures ms07 to ms10.
Norwegian Basin
- Wind
- Cyclonic at first in far south, othwerwise westerly or northwesterly, backing southwesterly for a time, 4 to 6, increasing 7 or gale 8 for a time in north.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough in north, rough throughout in south.
- Weather
- Rain or sleet at first in south and east, otherwise squally sleet or snow showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for following 24 hours
Violent storm force winds expected in Denmark Strait. Storm force winds expected in West Northern Section. Severe gales expected in Bailey, Southeast Iceland, East Northern Section and north Iceland. Gales expected in Rockall, Faeroes, East Central Section, West Central Section and Norwegian Basin.
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.