Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 160000UTC, low 66 north 02 east 977 expected 70 north 01 east 970 by 170000UTC. Low 43 north 43 west 1007 expected 49 north 30 west 995 by same time. New low expected 61 north 38 west 1001 by that time. at 160000UTC low 56 north 23 west 984 losing its identity.

Issued at: 08:00 (UTC) on Mon 16 Feb 2026.

For the period 08:00 (UTC) on Mon 16 Feb 2026 to 08:00 (UTC) on Tue 17 Feb 2026.

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

High seas forecast and storm warnings explained

Sole

Wind: West 6 to gale 8, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6 later.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first.
Weather: Squally showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind: Westerly 6 to gale 8, becoming cyclonic 5 to 7 later.
Sea state: Very rough or high.
Weather: Squally showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind: In south, westerly 6 to gale 8, becoming cyclonic 5 to 7 later. in north, cyclonic 5 to 7, becoming northeasterly 5 or 6 later.
Sea state: In south, very rough or high. in north, rough or very rough, occasionally high at first.
Weather: In south, squally showers. in north, wintry showers.
Visibility: In south, good, occasionally poor. in north, good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind: North 6 to gale 8, backing northwest 4 or 5 later.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first.
Weather: Wintry showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind: North or northwest 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 for a time.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally high for a time.
Weather: Sleet.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind: Northerly 7 to severe gale 9, backing northwesterly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state: Very rough or high, becoming rough or very rough later.
Weather: Snow showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

Wind: Variable 2 to 4 until later in north, otherwise cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in northwest.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first in south, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather: Wintry showers, rain and snow later.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Northern Section

High seas storm warning: Issued: 08:00 (UTC) on Mon 16 Feb 2026

At 160000UTC, low 66 north 02 east 977 expected 70 north 01 east 970 by 170000UTC. Northerly winds will reach storm force 10 at times in northwest quadrant between 60 and 160 miles of low centre from 161600UTC. New low expected 61 north 38 west 1001 by that time. Northeasterly winds will reach storm force 10 at times in north quadrant between 125 and 225 miles of low centre from 170200UTC.

Wind: Cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8, increasing gale 8 to storm 10 in far northwest later.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first in south and later in northwest.
Weather: Rain and snow and snow showers.
Visibility: Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor later in northwest. Occasional light or moderate icing in far northwest. Occasional severe icing later in far northwest.

East Central Section

Wind: Westerly becoming cyclonic later, 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first in north.
Sea state: Very rough or high, occasionally rough later in north.
Weather: Squally showers, then rain.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Central Section

In north

Wind: Westerly 6 to gale 8, veering northerly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state: Very rough or high, becoming rough.
Weather: Wintry showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

In south

Wind: Cyclonic 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 in south.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally high later in south.
Weather: Rain or showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Denmark Strait

High seas storm warning: Issued: 08:00 (UTC) on Mon 16 Feb 2026

At 160000UTC, low 66 north 02 east 977 expected 70 north 01 east 970 by 170000UTC. Northerly winds will reach storm force 10 at times in northwest quadrant between 60 and 160 miles of low centre from 161600UTC. New low expected 61 north 38 west 1001 by that time. Northeasterly winds will reach storm force 10 at times in north quadrant between 125 and 225 miles of low centre from 170200UTC.

Wind: Northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6 increasing 6 to gale 8 later, but gale 8 to storm 10 later in far southwest.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in far southwest.
Weather: Snow showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor, occasionally very poor later in southwest. Occasional light to moderate icing within 50 miles of ice edge with temperatures ms03 to ms06. Occasional severe icing in far southwest later with temperatures ms06 to ms09.

North Iceland

High seas storm warning: Issued: 08:00 (UTC) on Mon 16 Feb 2026

At 160000UTC, low 66 north 02 east 977 expected 70 north 01 east 970 by 170000UTC. Northerly winds will reach storm force 10 at times in northwest quadrant between 60 and 160 miles of low centre from 161600UTC. New low expected 61 north 38 west 1001 by that time. Northeasterly winds will reach storm force 10 at times in north quadrant between 125 and 225 miles of low centre from 170200UTC.

Wind: Northerly or northwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 later in east, perhaps storm 10 later in far east.
Sea state: Moderate or rough in west, very rough or high in east, occasionally very high later in far east.
Weather: Snow or snow showers.
Visibility: Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor. Occasional severe or very severe icing within 50 miles of ice edge with temperatures ms09 to ms12. Occasional light to moderate icing elsewhere with temperatures ms03 to ms06.

Norwegian Basin

Wind: Cyclonic 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first in east, becoming westerly or southwesterly 5 to 7 later.
Sea state: Very rough or high, occasionally rough in far east.
Weather: Rain and snow, then snow showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Storm force 10 expected in West Northern Section, East Central Section and north Iceland. Severe gales expected in Rockall, East Northern Section and Denmark Strait. Gales expected in West Central Section.

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.