High seas forecast and storm warnings
The general synopsis for UK
At 070000UTC, low 55 north 58 west 979 expected 58 north 47 west 987 by 080000UTC. High 47 north 24 west 1032 expected 45 north 21 west 1034 by same time. Low 63 north 14 west 1007 losing its identity
Issued at: .
For the period to .
High seas forecast and storm warnings map
Sole
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Shannon
- Wind
- Northwest, backing southwest later, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Rockall
- Wind
- West or northwest 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later, then south or southwest 4 to 6 later, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Rough, occasionally very rough at first in west, becoming moderate or rough later.
- Weather
- Showers, rain later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.
Bailey
- Wind
- West or northwest 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later, then south or southwest 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Rough, occasionally very rough at first in west, becoming moderate or rough later.
- Weather
- Showers, rain later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Faeroes
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Southeast Iceland
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
East Northern Section
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6 at first in north and east, otherwise variable 2 to 4, becoming cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in north.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in southeast and later in northwest.
- Weather
- Showers until later in north and east, otherwise occasional rain, fog patches developing in south.
- Visibility
- Good until later in north and east, otherwise moderate or good, occasionally very poor in south and poor later in north.
West Northern Section
- Storm warning
-
Issued:
At 070000UTC, low 55 north 58 west 979 expected 58 north 47 west 987 by 080000UTC. Northerly or northeasterly winds are expected to reach storm force 10 between 62 and 64 north in the far west of West Northern Section from 080300UTC.
In northeast
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or southeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in north and perhaps severe gale 9 later in far northwest, but veering southwesterly 4 to 6 later in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming very rough later in northwest.
- Weather
- Fair then rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
In south
- Wind
- Cyclonic 6 to gale 8, becoming southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, increasing 7 at times later.
- Sea state
- Rough, occasionally very rough later in west.
- Weather
- Rain and fog patches, then showers in west and also later in east.
- Visibility
- Moderate to very poor, becoming good occasionally poor in west and also later in east.
In northwest
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 6 to gale 8, then northerly or northeasterly gale 8 to storm 10 later in northwest and southwesterly 4 to 6 later in southeast.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough becoming rough or very rough, then high later in north and west.
- Weather
- Wintry showers then rain at times, but sleet and snow in northwest, showers later in southeast.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in southeast and very poor in northwest.
East Central Section
In southeastern half of area
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 or 5 at first in far southeast, otherwise variable 2 to 4, becoming southwesterly 4 to 6 in north and west, occasionally 7 later in north.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, then rain or drizzle later in north.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or poor later in north.
In northwestern half of area
- Wind
- Southerly at first in far west, otherwise westerly or southwesterly, 4 to 6, increasing 6 or 7.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Fair at first in east, otherwise rain and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Good at first in east, otherwise moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
West Central Section
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in north, becoming cyclonic later in south and decreasing 4 at times later in south.
- Sea state
- Rough, occasionally moderate in southeast and very rough in northwest.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle with fog patches, becoming mainly fair in northwest, then showers later in northwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor, becoming mainly good in northwest.
Denmark Strait
In far southeast near iceland
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers, rain later in south.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later in south.
In rest of area
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in east, then increasing 7 to severe gale 9 later in west, becoming variable 3 or 4 later in far northeast.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in far northeast, otherwise moderate or rough occasionally very rough.
- Weather
- Occasional sleet or snow at first in east, otherwise wintry showers, rain later in far south and snow later in far southwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor, but very poor at first in east and later in far southwest.
North Iceland
In north
- Wind
- Northerly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in northeast, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in northwest and rough at first in east.
- Weather
- Snow showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate. Light icing at first in far northeast with temperatures around ms03.
In south
- Wind
- Cyclonic, becoming mainly easterly or southeasterly, 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times in west and also later elsewhere.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first in east.
- Weather
- Showers, wintry at times in west.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor, or very poor at first in far west.
Norwegian Basin
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming northerly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours
Storms expected in West Northern Section with a risk of storms in Denmark Strait. Severe gales expected in East Northern Section with gales in all other areas except Sole and Shannon, but a risk of gales in Shannon.
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.