Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings


The general synopsis for UK

At 180000UTC, low 59 north 19 west 991 expected 61 north 18 west 993 by 190000UTC. New low expected 47 north 18 west 1005 by same time. High 55 north 47 west 1021 expected 54 north 45 west 1017 by that time

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map


Sole

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later in far west.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Occasional rain and fog patches, thundery showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Shannon

Wind
Southwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 except in far southeast.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Rain, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Rockall

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, but 6 at first in northwest.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough until later.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Bailey

Wind
South or southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough, becoming moderate later.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Faeroes

Wind
South or southwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough until later.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
In southeast, southeasterly 3 to 5. in northwest, easterly or northeasterly 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
In southeast, moderate or rough. in northwest, rough, but very rough until later in west, occasionally moderate later.
Weather
In southeast, showers. in northwest, occasional rain.
Visibility
In southeast, good. in northwest, moderate or poor.

East Northern Section

In north of area

Wind
Cyclonic in southeast, otherwise northerly or northeasterly 5 to 7, but gale 8 at first in far northeast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in far northeast.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In south of area

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly in east, but northwesterly in west, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

West Northern Section

In northeast

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly, 5 or 6, increasing 7 at times in northeast.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

In southeast

Wind
Northerly 5 or 6, backing northwesterly 4 or 5 later.
Sea state
Rough becoming moderate later.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

In southwest

Wind
Northerly backing northwesterly later, 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later in north.
Sea state
Rough at first in east, otherwise moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

In northwest

Wind
Northerly on northeasterly 3 to 5, but variable 2 to 4 in far south, occasionally 6 later in north.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in far east.
Weather
Rain at times, fog patches in north.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in north.

East Central Section

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6 in far southeast, elsewhere southwesterly veering westerly or northwesterly, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, but rough at first in far northwest.
Weather
Rain at times in southeast, elsewhere showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in southeast.

West Central Section

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, veering easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4 in southwest.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in far northeast.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 in far north, otherwise northeasterly 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times later near Iceland.
Sea state
Moderate or rough in south, slight or moderate in north.
Weather
Occasional drizzle and fog patches, occasional sleet or snow in far southwest near greenland coast.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

North Iceland

In north

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly, becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, wintry at times, fog patches in west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in west.

In south

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 near Iceland, veering southerly or southeasterly 3 to 5 in far southeast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Mainly fair in far northwest, elsewhere rain or drizzle with fog patches, becoming fog banks later.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor, but mainly good in far northwest.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Easterly at first in north, elsewhere southerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in east.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in northeast.
Weather
Rain or drizzle at times, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Gales expected in Southeast Iceland, East Northern Section and Denmark Strait. Risk of gales in West Northern 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.

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