Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings


The general synopsis for UK

At 231200UTC, low 56 north 39 west 988 expected 57 north 32 west 995 by 241200UTC. New low expected 67 north 10 west 1001 by same time. High 73 north 09 west 1015 dissipating

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map


Sole

Wind
Southerly 4 or 5 until later in far west, otherwise variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough later in far northwest.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Shannon

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later in southeast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Rockall

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Bailey

Wind
Southwest, backing south later, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Faeroes

Wind
Southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain then showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Cyclonic becoming southwesterly, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 until later.
Sea state
Moderate becoming rough.
Weather
Rain then showers, fog patches at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

East Northern Section

In north

Wind
Cyclonic, becoming southerly or southwesterly for a time, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally moderate in north and very rough in south.
Weather
Rain at first in northwest, otherwise showers, occasional rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

In south

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly, becoming cyclonic for a time in west, 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later in southwest.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

West Northern Section

In north

Wind
Northeasterly 5 to 7 until later in north and west, otherwise cyclonic 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later in east.
Sea state
Moderate in far northwest near greenland, otherwise rough, occasionally very rough at first in south.
Weather
Rain at times, then showers in southeast.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In south

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8 at first in south and east, otherwise cyclonic 4 to 6, decreasing 3 at times, but occasionally 7 in southeast.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

East Central Section

In southeastern half of area

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle with fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

In northwestern half of area

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in northwest, perhaps gale 8 later in northwest.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Showers, rain for a time in west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in west.

West Central Section

In far northwest

Wind
Cyclonic becoming northwesterly, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Very rough occasionally rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

In rest of area

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 until later, veering westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6 in west and decreasing 3 to 5 later in southeast.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 in far northeast, otherwise northeasterly becoming cyclonic, 5 to 7, decreasing 3 to 5 in east, perhaps gale 8 later in west.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in south.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle with fog patches, then occasional snow or freezing rain later in northwest mainly near greenland coast, showers later in southeast.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

North Iceland

In north

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northeasterly 3 to 5 later in southeast.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate in south.
Weather
Occasional drizzle or snow, fog patches at first in northwest and then later in southeast.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in northwest and then later in southeast.

In south

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, increasing 5 to 7 in southeast.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming rough in southeast.
Weather
Rain at times with fog patches, then mainly fair in southeast.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor, becoming mainly good in southeast and occasionally good later elsewhere.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, becoming rough at times.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle with fog patches, then becoming mainly fair in west and then showers later in east.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor until later in east and also at first in west.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Gales expected in Bailey, East Northern Section and Denmark Strait with a risk of gales in Faeroes and Southeast Iceland.

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.