High seas forecast and storm warnings
The general synopsis for UK
At 191200UTC, low 62 north 02 west 1000 expected 68 north 05 west 988 by 201200UTC. Low 62 north 16 west 995 losing its identity by same time. High 50 north 48 west 1018 dissipating by that time. at 191200UTC, low 42 north 35 west 1003 expected 43 north 28 west 1004 by 201200UTC. Low 63 north 50 west 1007 losing its identity by same time.
Issued at: .
For the period to .
High seas forecast and storm warnings map
Sole
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain and fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Shannon
- Wind
- Southwest veering west, 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rockall
- Wind
- Southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Bailey
- Wind
- West or southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate becoming moderate or rough later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Faeroes
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 or 4, becoming southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Southeast Iceland
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in south, becoming variable 3 or less in the north.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough in south and slight at times in far north.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
East Northern Section
In north
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, but northerly or northeasterly 5 to 7 at first in northwest.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in northwest and later in east.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
In south
- Wind
- Cyclonic, mainly westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough later in northeast.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
West Northern Section
In northeast
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly, backing northwesterly in south, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in north.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
In southeast
- Wind
- Northwesterly backing westerly, 3 to 5, occasionally 2 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
In southwest
- Wind
- Northwesterly, becoming cyclonic then variable later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
In northwest
- Wind
- Northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
East Central Section
In north
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly backing southwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less later in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
In south
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming cyclonic mainly easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 for a time in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough later in southwest.
- Weather
- Rain later, perhaps thundery in far south.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.
West Central Section
In north
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, good.
- Visibility
In south
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less at first in north, otherwise easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 for a time in southeast, veering southeasterly later in west.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough later in southeast.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, but occasional rain in southeast.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later in southeast.
Denmark Strait
- Wind
- Northeasterly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 at first in east, decreasing 3 to 5 later, becoming variable 3 or less later in far west.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but slight or moderate in west and north.
- Weather
- Rain at times near Iceland, fog patches in north and west.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in north and west.
North Iceland
In north
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 at first and until later in far northwest, otherwise northeasterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in southeast.
- Weather
- Fog banks and drizzle in northwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in northwest.
In south
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less at first in southeast, otherwise cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally 4 in south, but increasing gale 8 at times later in east.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in northeast.
- Weather
- Rain at times, fog banks at first in south, but mainly fair in far northwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in southeast and poor elsewhere.
Norwegian Basin
- Wind
- Cyclonic becoming southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first and later in west.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but slight at first in far northeast.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle and fog patches, then showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours
Severe gales in the west of West Central Section and gales expected in north Iceland and Norwegian Basin.
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.