Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 150000UTC, low 57 north 31 west 977 expected 54 north 16 west 986 by 160000UTC. Lows 62 north 27 west 979, 71 north 16 west 987 and 66 north 05 east 990 losing their identities by same time. New low expected 62 north 18 west 985 by that time. at 150000UTC, high 74 north 45 west 1008 slow-moving intensifying 1014 by 160000 UTC. High 41 north 43 west 1031 dissipating

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

Sole

Wind
Cyclonic, becoming westerly, 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
Sea state
Very rough or high, occasionally rough at first.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Good.

Shannon

Wind
Southwesterly, becoming cyclonic later, 4 to 6, increasing 7 in south.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Rockall

Wind
Southwesterly, becoming cyclonic later, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Bailey

Wind
Southwest, becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Very rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Faeroes

Wind
South 4 or 5, decreasing 3 or less.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, decreasing 2 to 4 in east.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or sleet.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

In east

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in far north.
Sea state
High at first in south, otherwise very rough, becoming rough later in north.
Weather
Showers, occasional rain at first in north.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor at first in north.

In west

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5 at first in south, otherwise northerly 5 to 7, occasionally 4 at first.
Sea state
Very rough or high, becoming rough in north.
Weather
Showers, becoming wintry in north.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate in north.

West Northern Section

In east

Wind
Cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in far south, becoming northerly or northwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in south.
Sea state
High at first in south, otherwise very rough, becoming rough later in north.
Weather
Showers, becoming wintry, fair later.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

In west

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first in far south, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Very rough or high, becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Wintry showers at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first.

East Central Section

High seas storm warning
Issued:

At 150000UTC, low 57 north 31 west 977 expected 54 north 16 west 986 by 160000UTC. Winds will reach storm force 10 between 250 and 400 miles from the centre in the southwestern quadrant until 152100UTC.

In far northeast

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly, veering northwesterly later, 5 to 7, but becoming cyclonic 4 to 6 for a time.
Sea state
Very rough or high, occasionally very high later.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In rest of area

Wind
Westerly, veering northwesterly, 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 at first in west.
Sea state
High or very high, occasionally very rough later in far north.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Moderate occasionally poor.

West Central Section

High seas storm warning
Issued:

At 150000UTC, low 57 north 31 west 977 expected 54 north 16 west 986 by 160000UTC. Winds will reach storm force 10 between 250 and 400 miles from the centre in the southwestern quadrant until 152100UTC.

Wind
Northwesterly gale 8 or severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 at first in far northeast, backing westerly or southwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally 4 later.
Sea state
High occasionally very high at first in far northeast, becoming very rough occasionally rough later in west.
Weather
Squally wintry showers, then rain and drizzle in southwest.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate, becoming moderate or poor in southwest.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5 in west, otherwise northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in far north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in south.
Weather
Snow showers in far south and east.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor in far south and east. Light or moderate icing in east with temperatures ms03 to ms06.

North Iceland

In area enclosed west of 14 west and north of 69 north

Wind
Cyclonic, becoming northerly, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough at first.
Weather
Sleet or snow at times.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor. Light or moderate icing with temperatures ms03 to ms06.

In rest of area

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in south.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in far south.
Weather
Occasional rain or snow, fog patches in southeast.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor. Light or moderate icing in far northwest with temperatures ms02 to ms05.

Norwegian Basin

In area west of 00 east

Wind
Southeasterly, becoming cyclonic, 5 or 6, decreasing 2 to 4.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather
Occasional rain then showers.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, becoming good.

In area east of 00 east

Wind
Southerly or southeasterly 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 or 5 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate in far east.
Weather
Occasional rain then showers, squally for a time.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.

Outlook for following 24 hours

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

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.