Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 151200UTC, low 54 north 23 west 982 expected 52 north 11 west 994 by 161200UTC. Low 63 north 16 west 980 expected 62 north 18 west 995 by same time. New low expected 67 north 01 east 998 by that time

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

Sole

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly, veering northwesterly in west, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in west.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Moderate or poor.

Shannon

Wind
Southwesterly becoming cyclonic 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 in south.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Moderate or poor.

Rockall

Wind
South becoming cyclonic, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Very rough, becoming rough later in north.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Bailey

Wind
Southwesterly 3 to 5 becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Faeroes

Wind
Southwesterly 3 to 5 becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
In southeast, southwesterly 3 to 5 becoming variable 2 to 4. in northwest, northeasterly 6 to gale 8 decreasing 4 to 6.
Sea state
In southeast, rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later. in northwest, rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
In southeast, showers. in northwest, wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in northwest.

East Northern Section

In northeast

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in north.
Sea state
Very rough becoming rough, then moderate later.
Weather
Rain or showers, wintry at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In southeast

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 becoming northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in southwest.
Sea state
Very rough becoming rough.
Weather
Showers, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In west

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate later in north.
Weather
Showers, wintry in north.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in north.

West Northern Section

In area to the south of 60 north

Wind
Northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in southeast, becoming variable 2 to 4, then becoming southerly or southeasterly 5 to 7 later, increasing gale 8 at times later in west.
Sea state
Rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers at first in east and rain or sleet later in west and south, otherwise mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good, becoming poor at times, but occasionally very poor later in northwest.

In far northwest

Wind
Southwesterly becoming cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming northeasterly 5 to 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Sleet or snow later.
Visibility
Good, becoming moderate to very poor later. Light or moderate icing developing later.

In the rest of the area

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6 becoming variable 2 to 4, then becoming southeasterly 5 to 7 later in southwest.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Wintry showers in east, then rain or sleet later in west.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor in east, but becoming moderate to very poor later in west.

East Central Section

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6 at first in far northeast, otherwise northwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first, then becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later in far west.
Sea state
Very rough or high, occasionally very high at first in central areas but becoming rough later in northwest.
Weather
Squally showers, thundery at times, then rain later in far west.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally good later.

West Central Section

In east

Wind
Northwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first in northeast, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6, then becoming westerly 6 or 7 later in south.
Sea state
High, becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
Showers then rain, but becoming fair for a time in north.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, but becoming good for a time in north.

In southwest

Wind
Westerly backing southwesterly, 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain or drizzle, fog patches later.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor later.

In northwest

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5 becoming southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Mainly fair at first in northeast, otherwise rain, fog patches later.
Visibility
Moderate or good at first in northeast, otherwise moderate or poor, occasionally very poor later.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Mainly northerly or northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in east, but variable 2 to 4 until later to the south of 69 north within 150 miles of the greenland coast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Sleet or snow at times, and perhaps some freezing rain in east.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor. Light or moderate icing at times except in far southeast, with temperatures ms03 to ms06.

North Iceland

In western half of the area

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in far west, decreasing 4 at times later in south.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Sleet, snow and perhaps also some freezing rain at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor. Light or moderate icing at times in north and west, with temperatures ms03 to ms06.

In eastern half of the area

Wind
Cyclonic, but mainly northeasterly at first, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in northwest.
Sea state
Moderate in north, mainly moderate or rough in south, but very rough at first in far southeast.
Weather
Rain or drizzle at times, fog banks.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor, occasionally good in southeast. Light or moderate icing in far northwest, with temperatures ms03 to ms06.

Norwegian Basin

In area to the west of 03 east

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5 becoming variable 3 or less.
Sea state
Rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain then showers, perhaps thundery, fog patches at first in far west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, becoming poor at times, but occasionally very poor at first in far west.

In area to the east of 03 east

Wind
Southerly or southeasterly mainly 4 to 6, but southerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8 at first in west, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough at first except in far northeast, otherwise moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or showers, perhaps thundery at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Violent storm force winds expected in West Northern Section and Denmark Strait. Severe gales expected in East Northern Section and West Central Section. Gales expected in East Central Section.

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.