Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 291200UTC, high 61 north 24 west 1041, slow moving with little change by 301200UTC. New low expected 45 north 38 west 999 by same time. New high expected 57 north 7 west 1040 by that time

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

Sole

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Shannon

Wind
Easterly 4 or 5, increasing 5 or 6 later in south.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough later in south.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Rockall

Wind
In south, easterly 4 or 5. in north, easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Bailey

Wind
Easterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4, then westerly 3 to 5 later, increasing 6 later in far north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Faeroes

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming westerly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming westerly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

East Northern Section

In north

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming westerly 4 to 6 later in north, occasionally 7 later in far northeast.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough later.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

In south

Wind
Easterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

West Northern Section

In north

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 in south, southwesterly 5 to 7 in north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, fog patches in far northwest.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in far northwest.

In south

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

East Central Section

Wind
Easterly 3 to 5, but 6 in far southwest.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in southwest.
Weather
Showers, perhaps thundery in south.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate in north and poor in south.

West Central Section

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6, but 7 or gale 8 at first in southwest.
Sea state
Moderate or rough in northeast, very rough or high in southwest.
Weather
Rain in southwest, mainly fair elsewhere.
Visibility
Moderate occasionally poor in southwest, good elsewhere.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Southwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, fog patches in far north and west.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate, but moderate or good occasionally very poor in far north and west. Occasional light icing in north near ice edge with temperatures ms02 to ms04.

North Iceland

In north

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, veering northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, then becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Moderate, but rough in far southeast.
Weather
Snow showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor and very poor later in far west.

In south

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in west, increasing 7 to severe gale 9 later in west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough later in north.
Weather
Occasional rain, sleet and snow and wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in far east.
Sea state
High at first in northeast, otherwise rough or very rough.
Weather
Squally snow showers at first in east, then occasional rain, sleet and showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor and very poor at first in east.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Storms are expected in north Iceland. Severe gales are expected in Faeroes, Southeast Iceland, Denmark Strait and Norwegian Basin. Gales are expected in Bailey, West Central Section and East Northern 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.