Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings


The general synopsis for UK

At 101200UTC, low 67 north 31 west 975 expected to lose its identity by 111200UTC. New low expected 69 north 20 west 978 by same time. Low 44 north 45 west 1007 expected 53 north 26 west 1003 by that time

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map


Sole

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, veering northwest 3 to 5, then backing south or southwest 4 to 6 later in west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming moderate later.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Shannon

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Rockall

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming very rough in far northwest.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Bailey

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Rough, becoming very rough.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
West or southwest 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming very rough in west.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

In far northwest

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, veering northerly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

In rest of area

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally 5 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high later.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first in north and later in far southeast.

West Northern Section

In north

Wind
Cyclonic 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first in far northwest.
Weather
Rain or showers in far northwest, otherwise mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in far northwest.

In south

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

East Central Section

In north

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain and showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

In south

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming cyclonic 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later in north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain in northwest, mainly fair elsewhere.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in west.

West Central Section

In north

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly becoming cyclonic, 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first in south.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, rain later in southeast.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later in southeast.

In south

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later in southeast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain at first in west and until later in east.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first in west and until later in east.

Denmark Strait

Storm warning
Issued:

At 101200UTC, low 67 north 31 west 975 expected to lose its identity by 111200UTC. New low expected 69 north 20 west 978 by same time. Northeasterly winds are expected to reach storm force 10 or violent storm force 11 in Denmark Strait throughout the period, mostly near to Greenland but moving towards the far east of the area after 110300UTC. Winds are also expected to reach storm force 10 from 111500UTC in the far west of north Iceland.

In northwest

Wind
Northeasterly gale 8 to storm 10, occasionally violent storm 11 in far northeast near greenland, decreasing 3 to 5 later in west.
Sea state
Very rough or high, becoming rough or very rough later in west.
Weather
Rain and snow.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.

In southeast

Wind
Cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in far southeast.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high later in far southeast.
Weather
Rain and snow in north, otherwise mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good, but moderate or poor in north, occasionally very poor in north.

North Iceland

Storm warning
Issued:

At 101200UTC, low 67 north 31 west 975 expected to lose its identity by 111200UTC. New low expected 69 north 20 west 978 by same time. Northeasterly winds are expected to reach storm force 10 or violent storm force 11 in Denmark Strait throughout the period, mostly near to Greenland but moving towards the far east of the area after 110300UTC. Winds are also expected to reach storm force 10 from 111500UTC in the far west of north Iceland.

In northwest

Wind
Northeasterly 5 to 7, then increasing gale 8 or severe gale 9 in west, occasionally storm 10 later in far west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough becoming very rough or high.
Weather
Rain or snow.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor later.

In southeast

Wind
Cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in far southeast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough later.
Weather
Rain and drizzle with fog patches until later in northwest.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor until later in northwest, becoming moderate or good later.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Southerly or southeasterly veering southwesterly but later in east, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming very rough later in west.
Weather
Rain and showers, fair for a time later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor until later.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Violent storms expected in Denmark Strait, with storms in north Iceland. Gales expected in all other areas except East Northern Section, East Central Section and Sole.

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.

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