High seas forecast and storm warnings
The general synopsis for UK
At 110000UTC, low 68 north 10 west 998 expected 60 north 01 east 990 by 120000UTC. High 60 north 32 west 1023 expected 58 north 29 west 1022 by same time. Low 62 north 07 east losing its identity by that time. at 110000UTC, low 44 north 20 west 983 expected 44 north 15 west 987 by 120000UTC. Low 45 north 52 west 993 expected 50 north 62 west 986 by same time.
Issued at: .
For the period to .
High seas forecast and storm warnings map
Sole
- Wind
- Northeast 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Thundery showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Shannon
- Wind
- East or northeast 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough later in south.
- Weather
- Rain in south.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Rockall
- Wind
- North or northeast, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Bailey
- Wind
- Northwest veering north, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Faeroes
- Wind
- Cyclonic becoming northwesterly, 5 to 7, increasing 7 to severe gale 9 for a time.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough, occasionally high for a time.
- Weather
- Sleet and snow showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally very poor.
Southeast Iceland
- Wind
- Cyclonic becoming northwesterly, 5 to 7, increasing 7 to severe gale 9 for a time.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough, occasionally high for a time.
- Weather
- Sleet and snow showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally very poor.
East Northern Section
In northern half of area
- Wind
- Cyclonic becoming mainly westerly or southwesterly later, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in east.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
In southern half of area
- Wind
- Northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
West Northern Section
In northern half of area
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming southwesterly 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Rain at times in west, occasional snow in extreme nw.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in extreme northwest.
In southern half of area
- Wind
- Easterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in far southwest, but variable 2 to 4 at times in north.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough in south.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
East Central Section
- Wind
- Cyclonic, mainly northeasterly, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in east and 4 later in north and west.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate later in north.
- Weather
- Rain or showers mainly in southeast, perhaps thundery, fair in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in southeast.
West Central Section
- Wind
- Northeasterly at times in east, otherwise easterly or southeasterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in west.
- Sea state
- Rough, occasionally moderate later in north and south.
- Weather
- Mainly fair in northeast.
- Visibility
- Otherwise rain at times, becoming heavy and perhaps thundery later in southwest. Good, occasionally poor later in southwest.
Denmark Strait
- Wind
- Northwesterly 6 or 7 at first in far east, otherwise cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less at times.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first in east and slight in north.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, but occasional snow later in east and rain or sleet later in south, perhaps thundery, fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor, becoming moderate to very poor later, occasionally good later in southwest. Occasional light icing later in north, with temperatures ms02 to ms04.
North Iceland
In area north of 70 north
- Wind
- Cyclonic, mainly northerly or northeasterly, 5 to 7, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first in south.
- Weather
- Occasional snow.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good occasionally very poor. Light icing at first in west, with temperatures ms02 to ms04.
In rest of area
- Wind
- Cyclonic 7 to severe gale 9, becoming northerly or northwesterly 5 to 7 later, but cyclonic 3 to 5 later in far east.
- Sea state
- Very rough or high, becoming rough or very rough, occasionally moderate later in west and north.
- Weather
- Occasional snow or wintry showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate to very poor, occasionally good. Light or moderate icing at first in northwest with temperatures ms02 to ms05.
Norwegian Basin
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 at first in east, otherwise cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in west and south.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough except in far east, occasionally high for a time in far southwest.
- Weather
- Occasional snow or wintry showers, thundery at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours
A risk of storms in Denmark Strait and north Iceland. Gales are expected in Sole, Shannon, Faeroes, East Central Section 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.