Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings


The general synopsis for UK

At 201200UTC, high 53 north 23 west 1038 expected 53 north 22 west 1039 by 211200UTC. Low 68 north 28 west 1009 losing its identity

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map


Sole

Wind
North or northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Shannon

Wind
Northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Rockall

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind
West or northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in far north.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
West or northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, but cyclonic 3 to 5 in far north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, but slight or moderate in far north.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, but variable 2 to 4 in southeast.
Sea state
Slight or moderate in south, moderate occasionally rough until later in north.
Weather
Occasional rain, drizzle and fog patches in northwest, occasional drizzle in southeast.
Visibility
Moderate or good occasionally very poor in northwest, good occasionally poor in southeast.

West Northern Section

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly, becoming cyclonic later in west, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, but moderate or rough at first in north and later in south.
Weather
Occasional rain, drizzle and fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good occasionally very poor.

East Central Section

In northern half of area

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight, but moderate in southeast and later in far northwest.
Weather
Showers, becoming mainly fair.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate at first.

In southern half of area

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate in southeast, slight in northwest.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

West Central Section

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4 in southeast, otherwise southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate in southeast, moderate becoming moderate or rough in northwest.
Weather
Rain, drizzle and fog patches, perhaps thundery later, in west, mainly fair in east.
Visibility
Moderate or good occasionally very poor in west, good in east.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, but variable 2 to 4 becoming southerly 3 to 5 in far north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough becoming moderate, but slight or moderate just north of iceland and near greenland coast.
Weather
Occasional drizzle and fog banks, but mainly fair just north of iceland.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor, occasionally good just north of iceland.

North Iceland

In northern half of area

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly, backing southwesterly later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in north.
Weather
Occasional drizzle, fog patches in west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in west.

In southern half of area

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later, then southwesterly 3 to 5 later in west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, but slight or moderate just north of iceland.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches at first in southeast and later in west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor and very poor at first in southeast and later in west.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 at first in southeast, otherwise westerly or southwesterly, veering northwesterly later, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in northwest and slight in southeast.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches at first in northwest.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in northwest.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Gales expected in West Northern 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.

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