Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 191200UTC, low 43 north 36 west 991 expected 48 north 27 west 985 by 201200UTC. Low 57 north 13 west 987 expected 58 north 10 west 997 by same time. Low 54 north 38 west 993 losing its identity. New low 72 north 09 west 1011 by that time

Issued at: 20:00 (UTC) on Tue 19 May 2026.

For the period 20:00 (UTC) on Tue 19 May 2026 to 20:00 (UTC) on Wed 20 May 2026.

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

High seas forecast and storm warnings explained

Sole

Wind: Southwesterly backing southerly 4 to 6.
Sea state: Rough or very rough.
Weather: Showers then rain.
Visibility: Good occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind: Southwest backing south 4 to 6.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, becoming rough later.
Weather: Rain or showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind: Cyclonic 5 to 7.
Sea state: Moderate or rough becoming rough or very rough.
Weather: Rain or showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind: Cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Rain or showers, fog patches.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Faeroes

Wind: Southeast 5 to 7, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Rain or showers, fog patches.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind: Northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Rain, fog patches.
Visibility: Moderate, occasionally very poor.

East Northern Section

Wind: Cyclonic 4 to 6, becoming northerly 3 to 5 later in northwest.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Rain or showers in east and later in far southwest, otherwise mainly fair.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate in east and later in far southwest.

West Northern Section

In north of area

Wind: Variable 2 to 4 becoming northeasterly 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate, but slight in far northwest.
Weather: Fog patches and occasional rain, sleet or snow in far northwest, otherwise mainly fair.
Visibility: Good, but moderate occasionally very poor in far northwest.

In south of area

Wind: Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Rain, drizzle and fog patches in far south.
Visibility: Good, but moderate occasionally very poor in far south.

East Central Section

Wind: Cyclonic 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 in south.
Sea state: Rough or very rough.
Weather: Occasional rain, drizzle and showers, thundery in southwest.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Central Section

Wind: Cyclonic 4 to 6, but 6 to gale 8 in far south.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough in south.
Weather: Rain, drizzle and fog patches, showers in south, thundery in southeast.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Denmark Strait

Wind: Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Occasional rain and drizzle, but freezing rain and snow in far north, fog patches in north and west.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor and very poor in north and west.

North Iceland

Wind: Cyclonic 3 to 5, but easterly 5 or 6 at first in far south.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Occasional rain, drizzle and fog banks, but sleet and snow in far north.
Visibility: Moderate to very poor, occasionally good later in southwest.

Norwegian Basin

Wind: Easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, but slight in far east.
Weather: Rain or showers, fog patches later in west.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later in west.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Gales are expected in East Northern Section, West Northern Section and East Central Section.

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.