Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings


The general synopsis for UK

At 030000UTC, low 60 north 29 west 983 expected 61 north 13 west 986 by 040000UTC. High 73 north 08 west 1017 expected 73 north 02 west 1015 by same time

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map


Sole

Wind
Southwest, veering west or northwest later, 4 to 6, occasionally 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind
Southwest, veering west later, 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind
Southwest, veering west later, 5 or 6, increasing 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high later.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind
Cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally 4 in north and gale 8 later in south.
Sea state
Rough, becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain or squally showers, thundery later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in south.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Easterly becoming cyclonic, 4 to 6, but 6 to gale 8 until later in west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

In north

Wind
Cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally 4 in south and east and gale 8 at first in north, becoming northwesterly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally very rough at first and moderate later.
Weather
Occasional rain at first in north, otherwise squally showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

In south

Wind
Cyclonic, becoming northwesterly later, 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first in south, decreasing 5 at times later in west.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high in southeast.
Weather
Squally showers, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

West Northern Section

In north

Wind
Cyclonic, mainly northerly or northwesterly, 4 to 6, but 6 to gale 8 at first in east.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in east.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers, squally at first in east.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

In south

Wind
Northwesterly 6 to gale 8, backing westerly 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later in west.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough in west and later in east.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers, squally at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first in east.

East Central Section

In north

Wind
Southwesterly veering westerly or northwesterly, 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first in north, decreasing 4 or 5 later in south and west.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high in far north.
Weather
Squally showers in north, rain at first in southeast.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor in far north and at first in southeast.

In south

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in south and east, becoming variable 2 to 4 later in east and far north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional rain, fog patches in south, becoming mainly fair in north.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in south and poor at first in north.

West Central Section

In north

Wind
Northwesterly backing westerly, 4 to 6, but 7 or gale 8 at first in northeast.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough in west and later in east.
Weather
Showers, squally at first in northeast.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first in northeast.

In south

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 in far north, and increasing 6 to gale 8 later in south.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in south.
Weather
Rain in southeast, otherwise mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor in southeast.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 in far northeast, otherwise northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 except in far west, occasionally severe gale 9 later in northeast.
Sea state
Slight or moderate in far northeast, otherwise moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later.
Weather
Rain at times, becoming mainly fair in far northeast, fog patches developing in far southeast.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor but very poor in far southeast.

North Iceland

In area north of 71 north

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor at first.

In area south of 71 north

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, increasing 7 at times.
Sea state
Moderate, becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain at times, but mainly fair in far northeast, fog patches in south.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in south.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 at first in east, otherwise easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough later in west.
Weather
Showers, then occasional rain in south and west.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor in south and west.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Severe gales expected in West Central Section and Denmark Strait with gales in Rockall, Bailey, East Northern Section and East Central Section. Risk of gales in Shannon and Faeroes.

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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