Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 110000UTC, low 55 north 16 west 960 expected 57 north 12 west 968 by 120000UTC. Low 43 north 51 west 1001 expected 54 north 49 west 1001 by same time. High 37 north 26 west 1033 expected 38 north 26 west 1034 by that time

Issued at: 08:00 (UTC) on Sat 11 Apr 2026.

For the period 08:00 (UTC) on Sat 11 Apr 2026 to 08:00 (UTC) on Sun 12 Apr 2026.

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

High seas forecast and storm warnings explained

Sole

Wind: Southwest 6 to gale 8.
Sea state: Very rough or high, occasionally very high.
Weather: Thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

High seas storm warning: Issued: 08:00 (UTC) on Sat 11 Apr 2026

At 110800UTC, low 55 north 16 west 960 expected 57 north 12 west 968 by 120800UTC. Winds will continue to reach storm force 10 at times in the southern semicircle between 100 and 400 miles from the centre until 110900UTC. Then in the southwestern quadrant between 250 and 400 miles from the centre until 111700UTC.

Wind: Cyclonic gale 8 to storm 10, becoming west 7 to severe gale 9.
Sea state: High or very high.
Weather: Thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

High seas storm warning: Issued: 08:00 (UTC) on Sat 11 Apr 2026

At 110800UTC, low 55 north 16 west 960 expected 57 north 12 west 968 by 120800UTC. Winds will continue to reach storm force 10 at times in the southern semicircle between 100 and 400 miles from the centre until 110900UTC. Then in the southwestern quadrant between 250 and 400 miles from the centre until 111700UTC.

Wind: Cyclonic gale 8 to storm 10, becoming west 7 to severe gale 9.
Sea state: High or very high, becoming very rough or high.
Weather: Thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind: Cyclonic 7 to severe gale 9.
Sea state: Very rough or high.
Weather: Thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind: Southeast 7 to severe gale 9, decreasing 5 to 7.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally high.
Weather: Rain.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind: Cyclonic, mainly easterly, 7 to severe gale 9, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
Sea state: Very rough or high, but moderate or rough at first in northwest.
Weather: Squally showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

Wind: Cyclonic 7 to severe gale 9, becoming northwesterly 4 to 6 in southwest.
Sea state: Very rough or high, but moderate or rough at first in northwest.
Weather: Occasional rain and wintry thundery showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Northern Section

Wind: Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in southeast and later in northeast.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, but moderate in northwest and high at first in far southeast.
Weather: Occasional rain or sleet and wintry showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

East Central Section

High seas storm warning: Issued: 08:00 (UTC) on Sat 11 Apr 2026

At 110800UTC, low 55 north 16 west 960 expected 57 north 12 west 968 by 120800UTC. Winds will continue to reach storm force 10 at times in the southern semicircle between 100 and 400 miles from the centre until 110900UTC. Then in the southwestern quadrant between 250 and 400 miles from the centre until 111700UTC.

Wind: Westerly or northwesterly 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 at first in northeast, backing westerly 5 to 7 later.
Sea state: High or very high, becoming very rough or high, occasionally rough later in southwest.
Weather: Occasional rain or thundery showers, perhaps wintry.
Visibility: Moderate or poor.

West Central Section

Wind: Westerly or northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in east, decreasing 3 to 5 later, but becoming cyclonic 6 to gale 8 in southwest.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, but high at first in northeast and moderate later in southwest.
Weather: Showers, squally and perhaps wintry at first, rain later in south.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Denmark Strait

In east

Wind: Northerly or northeasterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 in north.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough.
Weather: Occasional sleet or snow.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor. Light or moderate icing in northwest with temperatures ms02 to ms05.

In west

Wind: Northeasterly 3 to 5, increasing 5 to 7 later, but becoming variable 2 to 4 near ice edge.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally slight near the ice edge.
Weather: Sleet and snow showers at first.
Visibility: Good, occasionally very poor at first.

North Iceland

Wind: Cyclonic, becoming mainly easterly or northeasterly, 6 to gale 8, but 4 to 6 in northeast.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, becoming very rough, occasionally high, in south.
Weather: Occasional sleet, snow or freezing rain in northwest, otherwise fair, then rain and sleet in southeast.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in northwest. Occasional light or moderate icing in northwest with temperatures ms02 to ms05.

Norwegian Basin

Wind: Easterly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 in southeast, but 3 to 5 at first in northeast.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally high in southwest and moderate in northeast.
Weather: Showers at first in west then rain in south and west.
Visibility: Good, becoming moderate or poor in south and west.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Storms are expected in Denmark Strait, with severe gales expected in Rockall, East Northern Section and Norwegian Basin. Gales are expected in all other areas except in Sole and Southeast Iceland.

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.