High seas forecast and storm warnings
The general synopsis for UK
At 120000UTC, high 59 north 29 west 1022 expected 55 north 16 west 1020 by 130000UTC. New low expected northern Iceland 999 by same time. Low 59 north 03 east 990 expected south Sweden 980 by that time. at 120000UTC, low 46 north 16 west 986 expected 43 north 09 west 998 by 130000UTC. Low 46 north 39 west 1003 expected 54 north 46 west 1001 by same time
Issued at: .
For the period to .
High seas forecast and storm warnings map
Sole
- Wind
- Northeast 6 to gale 8, veering east 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Shannon
- Wind
- Northeast 6 or 7, veering east 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Rough, occasionally very rough at first in southwest and moderate in northeast.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rockall
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6 backing westerly 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in northeast.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Bailey
- Wind
- North backing west, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Faeroes
- Wind
- North or northwest 6 to gale 8 backing west or northwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Very rough, becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Squally showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Southeast Iceland
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 at first in west, otherwise northwesterly backing southwesterly, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Very rough at first in east, otherwise moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Rain.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
East Northern Section
In northern half of area
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 becoming westerly 4 to 6, veering northerly or northwesterly later in northwest.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally slight at first in northwest and very rough later in far northwest.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or sleet.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor. Occasional light icing later in far northwest.
In southern half of area
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, but becoming southeasterly 4 or 5 in southwest.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first in east and slight later in northwest.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
West Northern Section
In northern half of area
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming rough or very rough later in northeast.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor. Occasional light icing later in far northeast and far northwest.
In southern half of area
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in southwest.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough in far southwest and slight later in northeast.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
East Central Section
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly, veering southeasterly, becoming cyclonic later in west, 4 to 6, but 7 at first in east.
- Sea state
- Rough, occasionally very rough in southeast and moderate in north.
- Weather
- Showers, thundery in south, rain later in southwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
West Central Section
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5 at first in northeast, otherwise cyclonic 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Rough occasionally moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or thundery showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Denmark Strait
- Storm warning
-
Issued:
Northerly or northeasterly winds will reach storm force 10 in the east of Denmark Strait after 122300UTC and in the far southwest of north Iceland after 130200UTC.
In east
- Wind
- Cyclonic, mainly northerly or northeasterly later, 6 to gale 8, increasing gale 8 to storm 10.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming rough or very rough, then very rough or high.
- Weather
- Sleet or snow at times.
- Visibility
- Poor or very poor, occasionally good. Occasional light to moderate icing with temperatures ms02 to ms04.
In west
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming cyclonic, then northeasterly, 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming rough or very rough except in southwest.
- Weather
- Sleet at first in east, otherwise wintry showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor. Occasional light to moderate icing later with temperatures ms02 to ms04.
North Iceland
- Storm warning
-
Issued:
Northerly or northeasterly winds will reach storm force 10 in the east of Denmark Strait after 122300UTC and in the far southwest of north Iceland after 130200UTC.
- Wind
- Cyclonic, mainly northerly or northeasterly, 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 or severe gale 9 in west, occasionally storm 10 later in far southwest.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in southeast, becoming very rough or high later in west.
- Weather
- Sleet or snow at times, rain later in southeast.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor. Occasional light to moderate icing in northwest with temperatures ms02 to ms04.
Norwegian Basin
- Wind
- Cyclonic 6 to gale 8, becoming northerly 5 to 7 later, then backing northwesterly 3 to 5 in west.
- Sea state
- Moderate in northeast, otherwise rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Squally showers, some wintry.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours
Violent storms are expected in Denmark Strait and north Iceland, with storms expected Southeast Iceland. Gales are expected in Faeroes, East Northern Section, West Central Section and Norwegian Basin, with gales also possible in Shannon and 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.