Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings


The general synopsis for UK

At 080000UTC, low 60 north 08 west 998 expected 65 north 03 west 1002 by 090000UTC. Low 40 north 19 west 1001 expected 38 north 16 west 998 by same time. New low expected 49 north 54 west 998 by that time. at 080000UTC, high 57 north 34 west 1029 expected 55 north 30 west 1036 by 090000UTC

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map


Sole

Wind
East 4 to 6, backing northeast 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
Sea state
Slight at first in far east, otherwise moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in far west.
Weather
Fair then rain.
Visibility
Good, becoming moderate or poor.

Shannon

Wind
Northeast 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
Sea state
Moderate at first in southeast, otherwise rough, occasionally very rough later in far southwest.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind
North or northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally very rough at first.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Bailey

Wind
Northwest 6 to gale 8, decreasing 3 to 5.
Sea state
Rough occasionally very rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Faeroes

Wind
Cyclonic at first, otherwise northerly, backing northwesterly, 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high.
Weather
Rain or sleet then squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Northerly, backing northwesterly, 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high.
Weather
Rain or sleet then squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

In north

Wind
Northerly, backing westerly or northwesterly, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, wintry for a time, occasional rain later in far west.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

In south

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 in west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, wintry at first, fair later in west.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first.

West Northern Section

In northeast

Wind
westerly 3 to 5, backing southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough later.
Weather
Wintry showers then rain and drizzle.
Visibility
Good becoming moderate occasionally poor.

In southeast

Wind
Variable, becoming southerly or southwesterly, 2 to 4 occasionally 5 later.
Sea state
Moderate occasionally rough at first.
Weather
Wintry showers at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first.

In southwest

Wind
Southerly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional rain then mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

In northwest

Wind
Southwesterly, becoming cyclonic, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair then rain and snow, fog patches developing.
Visibility
Good becoming moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.

East Central Section

In far southeast

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In rest of area

Wind
Northerly, veering northeasterly, 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 or 5 in far north and northwest.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high later in far southwest, but becoming moderate later in far northwest.
Weather
Rain or showers then fair.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

West Central Section

In northeast

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, fair.
Visibility
Good.

In southeast

Wind
Northerly 4 to 6, veering northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later.
Weather
Showers then fair.
Visibility
Good.

In west

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming southeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough later in north.
Weather
Occasional rain, mainly fair.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 2 in east.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Sleet and snow showers in south, rain, freezing rain and snow in far south.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in south, but very poor in far south.

North Iceland

In far southeast

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly, becoming cyclonic for a time, then becoming northwesterly later, 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high.
Weather
Occasional rain and snow.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

In rest of area

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northerly or northeasterly 5 to 7, except in far west, occasionally gale 8 later in far east.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming rough in southeast.
Weather
Snow showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Norwegian Basin

In east

Wind
Southerly or southeasterly, veering southwesterly, 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
Showers, rain for a time.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In west

Wind
Southeasterly, veering westerly or northwesterly, 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers, wintry later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Gales expected in Sole, Shannon, East Central Section, West Central Section, north Iceland and Norwegian Sea.

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.