Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

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The general synopsis for UK

At 301200UTC, low 46 north 44 west 979 expected 53 north 38 west 963 by 311200UTC. Low 52 north 18 west 973 expected 55 north 05 west 991 by same time

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

High seas forecast and storm warnings explained

Sole

Wind
West or northwest 7 to severe gale 9, becoming cyclonic 6 to gale 8 later.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Moderate or poor.

Shannon

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in southwest.
Sea state
Very rough or high, becoming rough or very rough later.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind
In southwest, cyclonic 4 to 6. in northeast, easterly or southeasterly 5 to 7 decreasing 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
In southwest, very rough or high. in northeast, rough or very rough, occasionally high at first.
Weather
In southwest, occasional rain. in northeast, showers.
Visibility
In southwest, good, occasionally poor. in northeast, good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 5 to 7 decreasing 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Southeast 5 to 7.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, backing northeasterly 5 or 6 later in northwest.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

In north

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, increasing 5 to 7 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

In south

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6, veering easterly 3 to 5, becoming cyclonic 5 to 7 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Rain or showers. Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Northern Section

In north

Wind
Northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Rough.
Weather
Showers, becoming wintry.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

In south

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8, becoming cyclonic later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming very rough or high later.
Weather
Rain or squally showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

East Central Section

In north

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly becoming cyclonic, then westerly or southwesterly later 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Very rough or high, occasionally very high later in west.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or poor.

In south

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 7 to severe gale 9, backing westerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, becoming cyclonic later.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Moderate or poor.

West Central Section

High seas storm warning
Issued:

At 301200UTC, low 46 north 44 west 979 expected 53 north 38 west 963 by 311200UTC. Westerly or southwesterly winds will reach storm force 10 or violent storm force 11 in southern semi circle, between 50 and 250 miles from the centre of the low throughout.

In east

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6, increasing gale 7 to severe gale 9.
Sea state
Very rough or high, becoming high or very high.
Weather
Rain or squally showers, becoming wintry later.
Visibility
Moderate or poor.

In west

Wind
Cyclonic gale 8 to storm 10, occasionally violent storm 11 at first in far west.
Sea state
Very rough or high, becoming high or very high.
Weather
Rain or squally showers, becoming wintry later.
Visibility
Moderate or poor.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

North Iceland

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional sleet or snow.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor. Light or moderate icing near ice edge with temperatures ms02 to ms04, and occasional severe icing for a time with temperatures ms07 to ms10.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in west.
Weather
Occasional rain in west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in west. Occasional light icing in far northeast.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Storms expected in West Central Section. Severe gales expected in East Central Section. Gales expected in East Northern Section, West Northern Section and Denmark Strait.

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.