Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings


The general synopsis for UK

At 231200UTC, high 55 north 06 west 1027 expected 57 north 01 east 1025 by 241200UTC. Low 40 north 15 west 1003 expected 43 north 09 west 1005 by same time. New low 42 north 25 west 1015 by that time. at 231200UTC, low 61 north 40 west 998 expected 61 north 34 west 1003 by 241200UTC. New low expected 63 north 20 west 997 by same time. Low 67 north 36 west 998 losing its identity by that time.

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map


Sole

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later in west.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough later in east.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Shannon

Wind
East or southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Rockall

Wind
Southwesterly backing southerly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in northwest.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Bailey

Wind
Southwesterly backing southerly, 4 to 6, increasing 6 or 7 in west, perhaps gale 8 later in west.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally very rough in west.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Southwesterly backing southeasterly, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Cyclonic 3 or 4 at first in north, otherwise southwesterly backing southeasterly, 5 to 7, perhaps occasionally gale 8 later.
Sea state
Rough occasionally moderate in north, becoming rough or very rough later.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

In southeastern half of area

Wind
cyclonic mainly southwesterly backing southerly, 6 to gale 8, decreasing 3 to 5 later, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather
Occasional rain and drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In northwestern half of area

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 for a time in north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or showers at times, good, occasionally moderate.
Visibility

West Northern Section

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6, but becoming mainly northeasterly 6 to gale 8 until later in far northwest, and northwesterly 6 to gale 8 later in southwest.
Sea state
Moderate or rough in east, but rough, occasionally very rough in west.
Weather
Occasional rain or squally showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

East Central Section

Wind
Cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in north, becoming mainly northwesterly 3 to 5 later, but variable 3 or less later in far southeast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in far north.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers, but fair at times in southeast and later in west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Central Section

Wind
Cyclonic, mainly westerly or northwesterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, moderate or good.
Visibility

Denmark Strait

In far southeast

Wind
Cyclonic, becoming northerly or northeasterly, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In rest of area

Wind
Northeasterly 6 or 7, but 7 or gale 8 at first in southwest, decreasing 3 to 5 later in southwest.
Sea state
Rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain, fair at times later.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, becoming moderate or good.

North Iceland

In area north of 72 north

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 in far northwest, otherwise northeasterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

In rest of area

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Occasionally 7 in northwest and later in south near Iceland.
Weather
Moderate or rough.
Visibility
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog banks until later, except in sw. Moderate to poor, occasionally very poor until later, good at times in south.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in northwest and 2 in east.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in west and slight at first in east.
Weather
Rain or drizzle in far west and far east, fog patches later in central areas.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later in central areas.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Gales expected in Denmark Strait and north Iceland.

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

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.

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