Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 300000UTC, low 53 north 16 west 999 expected 54 north 04 west 1001 by 310000UTC. Low 67 north 09 east 997 expected 77 north 04 east 995 by same time. Low 73 north 11 west 1001 expected 74 north 09 west 995 by that time. at 300000UTC, low 65 north 32 west 1007 expected 61 north 29 west 1000 by 310000UTC. Low 46 north 51 west 1010 expected 46 north 36 west 1005 by same time

Issued at: 08:00 (UTC) on Sun 30 Aug 2026.

For the period 08:00 (UTC) on Sun 30 Aug 2026 to 08:00 (UTC) on Mon 31 Aug 2026.

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

High seas forecast and storm warnings explained

Sole

Wind: Westerly 5 to 7, veering northwesterly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather: Thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind: Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in south, becoming northwesterly 5 to 7, backing westerly 4 or 5 later.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in far south.
Weather: Thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind: Cyclonic becoming northwest later, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state: Moderate occasionally rough.
Weather: Occasional rain.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Bailey

Wind: Cyclonic becoming northwest later, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state: Moderate occasionally rough.
Weather: Occasional rain.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Faeroes

Wind: Northeast veering east or southeast, then becoming cyclonic later, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Occasional rain.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind: Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state: Slight occasionally moderate in southeast.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Mainly good.

East Northern Section

Wind: Northerly 4 to 6 until later in southeast, otherwise cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in north.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Occasional rain or showers, perhaps thundery in north.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Northern Section

Wind: Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in north and later in south.
Sea state: Moderate occasionally slight in north.
Weather: Occasional rain or showers, perhaps thundery at first in north.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

East Central Section

Wind: Northerly or northwesterly, backing southerly or southwesterly later, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in east.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in southeast.
Weather: Occasional rain or showers at first in east, perhaps thundery, also occasional rain later.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Central Section

Wind: Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6 in south, occasionally 7 in far south.
Sea state: Moderate occasionally rough in south.
Weather: Occasional rain.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Denmark Strait

In area north of 70 north

Wind: Variable 2 to 4, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5, then northeasterly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in north.
Weather: Occasional rain.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In area south of 67 north

Wind: Cyclonic 4 to 6 until later in far south, otherwise variable 2 to 4.
Sea state: Slight, occasionally moderate in south.
Weather: Rain or showers in south.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate in south.

In rest of area

Wind: Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state: Slight.
Weather: Fog patches later.
Visibility: Good occasionally very poor later.

North Iceland

In north

Wind: Cyclonic, mainly northwesterly, 4 to 6, increasing 7 or gale 8 in northwest.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in northwest.
Weather: Occasional rain, fog patches in north.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor and in north very poor.

In south

Wind: Northwesterly 4 or 5 until later in northeast, otherwise variable 2 to 4.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Occasional rain, mainly in south.
Visibility: Moderate or good.

Norwegian Basin

Wind: Northerly becoming variable later, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first in south.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Mainly fair.
Visibility: Mainly good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Gales expected in north Iceland with risk of gales in East Central Section,.

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.