Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

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The general synopsis for UK

At 0712000UTC, low 44 north 52 west 962 expected 52 north 19 west by 081200UTC. 52 north 19 west losing its identity.

Issued at: 20:00 (UTC) on Sat 7 Feb 2026.

For the period 20:00 (UTC) on Sat 7 Feb 2026 to 20:00 (UTC) on Sun 8 Feb 2026.

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

High seas forecast and storm warnings explained

Sole

Wind: West or southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state: Rough or very rough.
Weather: Occasional rain.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind: Cyclonic becoming south or southwest later, 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Rain or showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind: East 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Occasional rain.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind: East or northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Occasional rain.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind: East or southeast 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in southeast.
Weather: Occasional rain.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind: Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Occasional rain.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

Wind: Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later in north.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Rain or showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Northern Section

Wind: Easterly or northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in northwest.
Sea state: Moderate or rough becoming rough or very rough.
Weather: Rain or showers, wintry in north.
Visibility: Occasional light icing in far northwest close to greenland later.

East Central Section

Wind: Cyclonic 5 to 7.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, becoming very rough or high later in southwest.
Weather: Rain or squally showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Central Section

In north

Wind: Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in south, then backing northeasterly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally high later in south.
Weather: Rain or showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In south

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

Denmark Strait

Wind: Northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
Sea state: Moderate or rough becoming rough or very rough later.
Weather: Sleet or snow showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor. Light or moderate icing within 50 miles of ice edge, with temperatures ms03 to ms06.

North Iceland

In area north of 66 north

Wind: Northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state: Slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in west.
Weather: Sleet and snow showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally very poor.

In area south of 66 north

Wind: Cyclonic, mainly easterly or northeasterly, 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Rain or showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Norwegian Basin

Wind: Cyclonic, mainly southerly rockall southeasterly, but becoming westerly or southwesterly later in east, 4 to 6.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in west.
Weather: Occasional rain.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Gales expected in East Northern Section, West Northern Section, East Central Section, West Central Section , Denmark Strait 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.