Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings


The general synopsis for UK

At 070000UTC, high 49 north 08 west 1027 expected 53 north 08 east 1024 by 080000UTC. Low 64 north 27 west expected 61 north 23 west 996 by same time. Low 45 north 20 west 1014 expected 44 north 17 west 1013 by that time. at 070000UTC, low 45 north 49 west 1010 expected 43 north 47 west 1004 by 080000UTC.

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map


Sole

Wind
Southerly or southeasterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough at first in west and slight at times in east.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind
Southwesterly 3 to 5 at first in north, otherwise southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally slight at first in east.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor in west.

Rockall

Wind
Southwest 5 to 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind
Southwest becoming cyclonic later, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Cyclonic often southerly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Cyclonic often southerly 3 to 5, occasionally 2 in north.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Rain or showers, fog patches.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor, but very poor at times.

East Northern Section

In north

Wind
Northeasterly 6 to gale 8 in far northwest, otherwise cyclonic 4 to 6, decreasing 2 to 4 later in northeast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, but rough or very rough in far northwest.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in north.

In south

Wind
Cyclonic mainly westerly or southwesterly veering northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in south.

West Northern Section

In north

Wind
Cyclonic mainly northerly or northeasterly 6 to gale 8 in northeast, occasionally 5 in south, but variable 2 to 4 in far northwest.
Sea state
Moderate or rough in far northwest, but rough or very rough elsewhere.
Weather
Occasional rain in east, mainly fair in west.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate in east.

In south

Wind
Cyclonic mainly northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, becoming northeasterly 3 or 4 in east.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain until later in south, fog patches at first in southwest.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor until later, but very poor at first in southwest.

East Central Section

In north

Wind
Cyclonic mainly westerly or southwesterly, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain in far north, thundery showers for a time in far southeast.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate in far north and occasionally poor for a time far southeast.

In south

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 3 in far east and far west, becoming variable 3 or less later in west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in west.
Weather
Rain or showers in east, thundery at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor until later in east.

West Central Section

In north

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly becoming cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 3 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in far northeast.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers, thundery in east, fog patches developing.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor, but very poor at times later.

In southeast

Wind
Variable becoming mainly southerly or southwesterly later, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

In southwest

Wind
Southeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in far southwest.
Sea state
Fog patches developing, rain or drizzle in north and showers later in south.
Weather
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Visibility

Denmark Strait

Wind
Cyclonic, mainly northeasterly 3 to 5 near greenland, but elsewhere, 6 to gale 8, occasionally 5 in north.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, but mainly moderate in west and north.
Weather
Rain at times near Iceland, otherwise mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first in southeast.

North Iceland

In north

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6, but variable 2 to 4 in far northwest.
Sea state
Moderate, but slight in northwest.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

In southeast

Wind
Cyclonic 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
Sea state
Mainly moderate, becoming moderate or rough in west.
Weather
Rain or drizzle, fog patches until later.
Visibility
Moderate to poor, occasionally very poor until later, good at times later.

In southwest

Wind
Northeasterly 4 to 5, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Cyclonic mainly southwesterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 for a time in southeast.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Gales expected in Southeast Iceland, the northwest of East Northern Section, the northeast of West Northern Section, the south of Denmark Strait and the east of Norwegian Basin. There is a risk of gales in the south of north Iceland and east of Norwegian Basin.

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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