Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 270000UTC, low 62 north 20 west 986 expected 65 north 12 west 987 by 280000UTC. Low 48 north 13 west 1005 moving rather quickly northeast, losing its identity by same time. Low northeast Iceland 987 losing its identity by that time. at 270000UTC, low 56 north 50 west 999 expected 55 north 36 west 993 by 280000UTC. New high expected south Greenland 1014 by same time

Issued at: 08:00 (UTC) on Sun 27 Sep 2026.

For the period 08:00 (UTC) on Sun 27 Sep 2026 to 08:00 (UTC) on Mon 28 Sep 2026.

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

High seas forecast and storm warnings explained

Sole

Wind: Cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, becoming west 4 to 6, then variable 4 or less.
Sea state: Rough.
Weather: Thundery rain.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind: West or southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state: Rough, occasionally very rough at first.
Weather: Thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind: West or southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7.
Sea state: Rough, occasionally very rough at first.
Weather: Thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind: South veering southwest, 5 to 7.
Sea state: Rough or very rough.
Weather: Thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind: South veering southwest, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Sea state: Rough or very rough.
Weather: Thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind: Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state: Rough, occasionally very rough in southeast and moderate in northwest.
Weather: Squally showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

Wind: Cyclonic, but in south westerly backing southwesterly, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in far northwest and 4 later in southwest.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, but moderate near Iceland.
Weather: Squally showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

West Northern Section

In north

Wind: Cyclonic, mainly northeasterly, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in northeast, but variable 2 to 4 in west.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, but moderate in northwest.
Weather: Occasional rain or squally showers, but mainly fair in west.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor in east.

In south

Wind: Westerly or northwesterly becoming cyclonic, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later in southwest.
Sea state: Rough, occasionally very rough at first.
Weather: Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

East Central Section

Wind: Westerly or northwesterly backing southwesterly, 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time in south, becoming cyclonic 6 to gale 8 later.
Sea state: Rough, but very rough at first in north and moderate later in far southeast.
Weather: Fair at first in south, otherwise thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

West Central Section

Wind: Variable 2 to 4 at first in far south, otherwise westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in west.
Sea state: Rough or very rough.
Weather: Fair at first in south, otherwise occasional rain or thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Denmark Strait

Wind: Variable 2 to 4 in northwest, otherwise northerly or northeasterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally high in southeast and moderate near greenland.
Weather: Rain in southeast, sleet or snow at first in northeast.
Visibility: Good, but moderate or poor in southeast and poor or very poor at first in northeast.

North Iceland

Wind: Cyclonic 4 to 6, but northerly or northeasterly 6 to gale 8 in northwest.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate in northeast and far northwest.
Weather: Rain or drizzle at times, fog patches, sleet at first in west.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor. Occasional light icing in northwest, with temperatures ms02 to ms04.

Norwegian Basin

Wind: Southerly becoming cyclonic, then southwesterly, 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 later in southeast.
Sea state: Rough or very rough.
Weather: Rain spreading northeast, mainly fair later.
Visibility: Good, becoming moderate or poor in the rain.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Storms are expected in East Northern Section and East Central Section, with severe gales expected in West Central Section. Severe gales are also possible in Rockall, with gales expected in Sole, Shannon, Bailey, Southeast Iceland, Denmark Strait, north Iceland and 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.