Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 031200UTC, high 51 north 34 west 1030 expected 46 north 31 west 1031 by 041200UTC. Low 73 north 05 west 992 expected 67 north 07 west 1004 by same time. Low 67 north 07 east 999 expected 70 north 18 east 995 by that time. New low expected 61 north 38 west 1019 by 041200UTC.

Issued at: 20:00 (UTC) on Sun 3 May 2026.

For the period 20:00 (UTC) on Sun 3 May 2026 to 20:00 (UTC) on Mon 4 May 2026.

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

High seas forecast and storm warnings explained

Sole

Wind: Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in west.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in east.
Weather: Thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Shannon

Wind: North or northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Rockall

Wind: Northeast 4 to 6, backing northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Bailey

Wind: West becoming cyclonic later, 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Faeroes

Wind: Cyclonic becoming northwest later, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Rain or showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Southeast Iceland

Wind: Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming northwesterly 5 to 7 later.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Rain or wintry showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

East Northern Section

In east

Wind: Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, veering northerly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state: Moderate, occasionally rough later.
Weather: Wintry showers in north.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor in north.

In west

Wind: Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate later.
Weather: Mainly fair.
Visibility: Mainly good.

West Northern Section

In north

Wind: Variable 2 to 4, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Occasional rain and snow later in west.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor later in west.

In south

Wind: Westerly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate later.
Weather: Rain or drizzle and fog patches later in west.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor or very poor later in west.

East Central Section

Wind: Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, decreasing 2 or 3 later in west.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

West Central Section

Wind: Variable 2 to 4, becoming southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6 later in west.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Denmark Strait

Wind: Variable 2 to 4, becoming northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 for a time in east.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough later in east.
Weather: Occasional snow or snow showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

North Iceland

Wind: Cyclonic becoming northerly or northwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 until later in north.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate at first in south.
Weather: Snow or snow showers, occasional freezing rain.
Visibility: Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor. Occasional light to moderate icing north of 68 north with temperatures ms02 to ms05.

Norwegian Basin

Wind: Cyclonic 5 to 7, becoming westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Rain then wintry showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Gales expected in East Northern Section, West Northern Section, Denmark Strait and north Iceland.

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.