Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 150000UTC, low 59 north 27 west 964 expected 57 north 24 west by 160000UTC. Low 65 north 05 west 993 expected 66 north 02 east 975 by same time

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

Sole

Wind
West or southwest, 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Rough or very rough becoming very rough or high.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming very rough or high.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind
In southwest, westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8. in northeast, southwest 4 to 6, becoming north 6 to gale 8 later.
Sea state
In southwest, rough or very rough, becoming very rough or high. in northeast, rough or very rough.
Weather
In southwest, thundery showers. in northeast, thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind
Cyclonic 7 to severe gale 9 becoming north 6 to gale 8 later.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Cyclonic becoming north later, 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Moderate or rough becoming rough or very rough, occasionally high in far southwest.
Weather
Sleet.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
North or northeast 7 to severe gale 9.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high in south.
Weather
Snow.
Visibility
Poor or very poor. moderate icing.

East Northern Section

High seas storm warning
Issued:

At 150000UTC, low 59 north 27 west 964 expected 57 north 24 west by 160000UTC. Winds will reach storm force 10 in the north quadrant of the low within 350 miles from the centre until 151500UTC. Northeasterly winds will reach storm force 10 or violent storm force 11 in the southwest of Denmark Strait until 151000UTC and in the northwest of West Northern Section until 150900UTC. Southerly winds will reach storm force 10 in most of the east part of Norwegian Basin, within 100 miles from the Norwegian coast from 151800UTC until 160600UTC.

In north

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 at first in south, decreasing 5 to 7, then decreasing 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Very rough or high, occasionally very high at first in south, becoming rough or very rough later.
Weather
Rain or showers, wintry in north, fair later.
Visibility
Moderate, occasionally poor, becoming good. Occasional light icing at first near Icelandic coast.

In south

Wind
Cyclonic 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first in south.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Rain or thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

West Northern Section

High seas storm warning
Issued:

At 150000UTC, low 59 north 27 west 964 expected 57 north 24 west by 160000UTC. Winds will reach storm force 10 in the north quadrant of the low within 350 miles from the centre until 151500UTC. Northeasterly winds will reach storm force 10 or violent storm force 11 in the southwest of Denmark Strait until 151000UTC and in the northwest of West Northern Section until 150900UTC. Southerly winds will reach storm force 10 in most of the east part of Norwegian Basin, within 100 miles from the Norwegian coast from 151800UTC until 160600UTC.

Wind
Cyclonic 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 at first in far northwest and near low centre.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Rain or showers, but sleet or snow in west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor, but poor or very poor in west. Light to moderate icing, occasionally severe at first in far northwest.

East Central Section

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 in north, veering northeasterly 4 to 6 later in far south.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Rain or thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

West Central Section

In northeast

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 until later in far northeast.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Occasional rain in far northeast.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate in far northeast.

In southwest

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly veering easterly or northeasterly later, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Very rough or high, becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Denmark Strait

High seas storm warning
Issued:

At 150000UTC, low 59 north 27 west 964 expected 57 north 24 west by 160000UTC. Winds will reach storm force 10 in the north quadrant of the low within 350 miles from the centre until 151500UTC. Northeasterly winds will reach storm force 10 or violent storm force 11 in the southwest of Denmark Strait until 151000UTC and in the northwest of West Northern Section until 150900UTC. Southerly winds will reach storm force 10 in most of the east part of Norwegian Basin, within 100 miles from the Norwegian coast from 151800UTC until 160600UTC.

In northeast

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in south.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor. Light to moderate icing at first with temperatures of ms05 to ms08, but severe to very severe icing with temperatures of ms10 to ms13 in far northeast throughout.

In southwest

Wind
Northeasterly 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 at first in far southwest, decreasing 5 to 7 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high in far southwest.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor. Light to moderate icing, occasionally severe at first, with temperatures of ms06 to ms09.

North Iceland

In north

Wind
Northerly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in far southeast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in far southeast.
Weather
Occasional sleet or snow.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor. Light to moderate icing with temperatures of ms05 to ms08, but severe to very severe icing in the southwest near the ice edge with temperatures of ms09 to ms12.

In south

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in southeast.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high later in far east.
Weather
Occasional sleet or snow.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor. Light to moderate icing with temperatures of ms03 to ms05, but severe to very severe icing in the northwest near the ice edge with temperatures of ms09 to ms12.

Norwegian Basin

High seas storm warning
Issued:

At 150000UTC, low 59 north 27 west 964 expected 57 north 24 west by 160000UTC. Winds will reach storm force 10 in the north quadrant of the low within 350 miles from the centre until 151500UTC. Northeasterly winds will reach storm force 10 or violent storm force 11 in the southwest of Denmark Strait until 151000UTC and in the northwest of West Northern Section until 150900UTC. Southerly winds will reach storm force 10 in most of the east part of Norwegian Basin, within 100 miles from the Norwegian coast from 151800UTC until 160600UTC.

Wind
Cyclonic, mainly southerly, 6 to gale 8, increasing gale 8 to storm 10 for a time.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming very rough or high.
Weather
Rain or sleet and wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Storms are expected in Denmark Strait and north Iceland, with severe gales expected in Fair Isle, Faeroes, Southeast Iceland, West Northern Section and East Central Section. Gales are expected in all other areas.

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.