Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings


The general synopsis for UK

At 040000UTC, low 60 north 14 west 985 expected 60 north 03 east 995 by 050000UTC. Low 40 north 41 west 1004 expected 45 north 35 west 990 by same time. New highs expected 73 north 04 west 1012 and 48 north 08 west 1025 by that time

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map


Sole

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind
West 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming rough later.
Weather
Rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

Rockall

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first.
Weather
Squally thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind
In south, westerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later. in north, cyclonic 4 to 6, becoming westerly 5 to 7.
Sea state
In south, rough or very rough, occasionally high at first. in north, rough.
Weather
In south, squally thundery showers. in north, squally showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in south and 3 in north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in south.
Weather
Rain, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate, occasionally very poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 3.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate, occasionally very poor.

East Northern Section

In north

Wind
Northwesterly backing westerly or southwesterly, 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later in northwest.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first in northeast.

In south

Wind
Westerly 5 to 7, backing southwesterly 4 to 6, decreasing 3 at times later.
Sea state
Very rough at first in southeast, otherwise moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, squally at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

West Northern Section

In north

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 later in northwest, decreasing 3 at times later in east.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in northwest.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

In south

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough at first.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.

East Central Section

In north

Wind
Westerly 5 to 7, backing southwesterly 3 to 5, becoming cyclonic 5 to 7 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers in north, rain later, fog patches later in south.
Visibility
Good, becoming moderate or poor later, occasionally very poor later in south.

In south

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 at first in north and east, otherwise cyclonic, becoming southerly later, 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 later in west, perhaps severe gale 9 later in far southwest.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming very rough or high later in far southwest.
Weather
Fair at first in north, otherwise rain at times, perhaps thundery later in west, fog patches.
Visibility
Good at first in north, otherwise moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.

West Central Section

In north

Wind
Southwesterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4, then northerly or northeasterly 6 to gale 8 later in southeast.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in east.
Weather
Showers, rain later in far southeast.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

In south

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 at first in north, otherwise northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in southwest, becoming cyclonic 6 to gale 8, increasing severe gale 9 at times in south.
Sea state
Moderate or rough becoming rough or very rough, occasionally high later in south.
Weather
Fair at first in north, otherwise occasional rain, becoming thundery at times, fair later in west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Mainly variable 2 to 4 north of 70 north, but elsewhere cyclonic mainly northeasterly, 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first near greenland in north, decreasing 5 at times in far southeast and far west and then later in east.
Sea state
Slight or moderate north of 70 north, otherwise moderate or rough occasionally very rough.
Weather
Rain at times except in far north.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor except in far north.

North Iceland

In north

Wind
Northeasterly 4 or 5 at first in far south, otherwise variable 2 to 4, becoming southwesterly 3 to 5 later in north and west.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate in south.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate in east.

In south

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly, becoming cyclonic in far southeast, 5 to 7, decreasing 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers in far north, otherwise rain at times, fog patches in south.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in south.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in northwest, becoming variable 2 to 4 later, then northwesterly 4 to 6 later in far southwest.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers, fog patches developing in west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in west.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Severe gales expected in East Central Section and West Central Section with gales in Shannon, Rockall, East Northern Section and West Northern Section. Risk of gales in Bailey.

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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