Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 050000UTC, low 48 north 19 west 964 expected 49 north 14 west 970 by 060000UTC. New lows expected 54 north 43 west 985, 44 north 42 west 998 and 44 north 47 west 998 by same time. High 70 north 07 west 1020 dissipating

Issued at: 08:00 (UTC) on Thu 5 Feb 2026.

For the period 08:00 (UTC) on Thu 5 Feb 2026 to 08:00 (UTC) on Fri 6 Feb 2026.

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

High seas forecast and storm warnings explained

Sole

Wind: Cyclonic 2 to 4, increasing 5 to 7 later.
Sea state: Very rough, occasionally rough in east.
Weather: Thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind: Easterly 6 to gale 8 becoming cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state: Rough or very rough.
Weather: Rain or thundery showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind: East 6 to gale 8.
Sea state: Rough or very rough.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good.

Bailey

Wind: East 4 to 6 increasing 6 to gale 8.
Sea state: Rough or very rough.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good.

Faeroes

Wind: Easterly or southeasterly 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times.
Sea state: Rough or very rough.
Weather: Rain or wintry showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind: Northeasterly until later in west, otherwise easterly or southeasterly, 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times.
Sea state: Rough or very rough.
Weather: Rain or wintry showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

Wind: Easterly or northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in northeast and later in far southeast, decreasing 4 at times in west.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough in far northwest.
Weather: Rain or showers, wintry at times in north.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Northern Section

Wind: Easterly or northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally 4 in far north and gale 8 later in west, then decreasing 4 later in far south.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later in far north.
Weather: Rain at times in south, wintry showers in north.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

East Central Section

In northern half of the area

Wind: Easterly 6 to gale 8 at first in east, otherwise northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state: Rough or very rough.
Weather: Rain or thundery showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In southern half of the area

Wind: Mainly westerly or northwesterly 7 to severe gale 9, but cyclonic 4 to 6 in northeast.
Sea state: Very rough or high.
Weather: Squally showers, thundery at times in east.
Visibility: Moderate or poor.

West Central Section

Wind: Cyclonic 3 to 5 in northeast, elsewhere northwesterly 6 to gale 8, but becoming cyclonic mainly westerly 4 to 6 later in west.
Sea state: Very rough or high becoming rough or very rough.
Weather: Rain or squally showers, wintry in west and south.
Visibility: Moderate or poor, occasionally good.

Denmark Strait

Wind: Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Sleet, snow or freezing rain at times.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor. Light or moderate icing at times within 50 miles of the greenland coast, to the south of 70 north, with temperatures ms03 to ms06.

North Iceland

In area to the north of 70 north

Wind: Southwesterly 3 to 5 becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Fog patches, occasional snow later.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

In area to the south of 70 north

Wind: Easterly 4 to 6, veering southeasterly 5 to 7 later in southwest.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in far south.
Weather: Rain or sleet at times, and also occasional snow in west.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor in east and very poor in west.

Norwegian Basin

Wind: Southeasterly 4 to 6 at first in west, otherwise easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, increasing 6 or 7 later in north.
Sea state: Slight until later in northeast, otherwise moderate or rough.
Weather: Occasional rain at first in far west, otherwise mainly fair.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate at first in far west.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Severe gales expected in East Central Section and Denmark Strait. Gales expected in Rockall, East Northern Section, West Northern Section and West Central Section.

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.