Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 020000UTC, low 54 north 55 west 992 expected 58 north 43 west 977 by 030000UTC. Developing low moving steadily northeast, expected 57 north 35 west 972 by same time. Low 58 north 02 west 982 expected 66 north 05 east 981 by that time. at 020000UTC, low 58 north 08 west 970 expected 59 north 10 west 986 by 030000UTC.

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

Sole

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in west.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind
West 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind
Westerly, but cyclonic in north, 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally very rough.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Northeasterly 7 to severe gale 9 in northwest, otherwise cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first in northwest.
Weather
Rain or showers, wintry later in north.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

In north

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly, veering easterly later, 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

In south

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 6 to gale 8, becoming cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in southwest.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high in south.
Weather
Thundery showers at first, then rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later in southwest.

West Northern Section

High seas storm warning
Issued:

At 020000UTC, low 54 north 55 west 992 expected 58 north 43 west 977 by 030000UTC. Developing low moving steadily northeast, expected 57 north 35 west 972 by same time. To the south of the lows, westerly winds will reach storm force 10 in the far southwest of West Northern Section and the far northwest of West Central Section from 022000UTC onwards. At 020000UTC, low 58 north 02 west 982 expected 66 north 05 east 981 by 030000UTC. Winds are expected to reach storm force 10 in the southeast quadrant within 150 miles of the centre from 021100UTC until 030100UTC.

In north

Wind
Northerly 5 to 7, veering easterly or northeasterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 later in northwest.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high later in far west.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

In south

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 6 to gale 8, becoming cyclonic 7 to severe gale 9, then westerly gale 8 to storm 10 later in south.
Sea state
Very rough or high, becoming very high later in southwest.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

East Central Section

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 7 to severe gale 9, backing southwesterly 5 to 7 for a time.
Sea state
Very rough or high, occasionally very high at first in north.
Weather
Showers, thundery at first in northeast, rain later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Central Section

High seas storm warning
Issued:

At 020000UTC, low 54 north 55 west 992 expected 58 north 43 west 977 by 030000UTC. Developing low moving steadily northeast, expected 57 north 35 west 972 by same time. To the south of the lows, westerly winds will reach storm force 10 in the far southwest of West Northern Section and the far northwest of West Central Section from 022000UTC onwards. At 020000UTC, low 58 north 02 west 982 expected 66 north 05 east 981 by 030000UTC. Winds are expected to reach storm force 10 in the southeast quadrant within 150 miles of the centre from 021100UTC until 030100UTC.

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 later in far northwest.
Sea state
Very rough or high, becoming very high later in far northwest.
Weather
Fair at first, then rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Northeasterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 in west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough in east, rough or very rough in west.
Weather
Occasional snow.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor. Light or moderate icing near greenland and ice edge, with temperatures ms02 to ms04.

North Iceland

In north

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional snow in southeast.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor in southeast.

In south

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Norwegian Basin

High seas storm warning
Issued:

At 020000UTC, low 54 north 55 west 992 expected 58 north 43 west 977 by 030000UTC. Developing low moving steadily northeast, expected 57 north 35 west 972 by same time. To the south of the lows, westerly winds will reach storm force 10 in the far southwest of West Northern Section and the far northwest of West Central Section from 022000UTC onwards. At 020000UTC, low 58 north 02 west 982 expected 66 north 05 east 981 by 030000UTC. Winds are expected to reach storm force 10 in the southeast quadrant within 150 miles of the centre from 021100UTC until 030100UTC.

Wind
Cyclonic 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 in east.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high in east.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Gales or severe gales expected in all areas, with storms likely in West Northern Section and West 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.