High seas forecast and storm warnings
The general synopsis for UK
At 060000UTC, low 45 north 35 west 993 expected 43 north 34 west with little change by 070000UTC. Low 73 north 20 west 992 expected 77 north 09 east 997 by same time. High 63 north 11 east 1035 expected 56 north 16 east 1031 by that time
Issued at: .
For the period to .
High seas forecast and storm warnings map
Sole
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Shannon
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5, decreasing 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming mainly slight later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rockall
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5, decreasing 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming mainly slight later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Bailey
- Wind
- In southeast, southeasterly becoming variable, 2 or 3, occasionally 4 at first. in northwest, southwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- In southeast, slight or moderate, becoming slight. in northwest, moderate.
- Weather
- In southeast, showers. in northwest, showers.
- Visibility
- In southeast, good. in northwest, good.
Faeroes
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly, becoming variable, 2 to 4, then becoming southwesterly 3 to 5 later in northwest.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Southeast Iceland
- Wind
- Southwesterly 4 or 5, increasing 6 at times in northwest.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first in far north.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
East Northern Section
In northwestern half of area
- Wind
- Southwesterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 at times in central areas.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
In southeastern half of area
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
West Northern Section
In southeastern half of area
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough later in west.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
In northwestern half of area
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 in far northwest, otherwise southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in west.
- Sea state
- Rough, occasionally moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, rain later, but snow later in far northwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later, but very poor later in far northwest.
East Central Section
In north
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times in far southwest.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough in southwest and slight later in northeast.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
In south
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6, but 7 or gale 8 at first in south and west, becoming variable 2 to 4 in southwest.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in west.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
West Central Section
In north
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times in far south, then becoming variable 2 to 4 later in northwest.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers with fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
In south
- Wind
- Cyclonic 6 to gale 8, becoming easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first in far southwest.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, but thundery showers in southeast.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Denmark Strait
In area north of 70 north
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
In area south of 70 north
- Wind
- Southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in east, then becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later within 100 miles of greenland coast.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in northeast.
- Weather
- Showers, then rain, sleet and snow later except in southeast.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, becoming moderate to very poor later except in southeast.
North Iceland
In north
- Wind
- Southwesterly veering westerly or northwesterly 7 to severe gale 9, decreasing 4 to 6, then becoming variable 2 to 4 in west.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later.
- Weather
- Snow showers with occasional snow in far north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor. Occasional light or moderate icing in north with temperatures ms02 to ms05.
In south
- Wind
- Southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in far north.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in far north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers, fog patches later in southeast.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor, but very poor later in southeast.
Norwegian Basin
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in north.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in south and rough in northeast.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours
Risk of severe gales in East Central Section. Risk of gales in West Northern Section, West Central Section and Denmark Strait.
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.