Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings


The general synopsis for UK

At 051200UTC, low 68 north 00 east 998 expected 65 north 03 east 995 by 061200UTC. Low 57 north 40 west 999 expected 57 north 42 west 995 by same time. Developing Atlantic low moving steadily northeastwards, expected 54 north 37 west 995 by that time. at 051200UTC, high 50 north 10 west 1028 expected 49 north 02 west 1022 by 061200UTC

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map


Sole

Wind
Variable 3 or less.
Sea state
Moderate until later in west, otherwise slight.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Shannon

Wind
West or southwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Rockall

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

Bailey

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

Faeroes

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

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 becoming easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair, then rain in south.
Visibility
Good, becoming moderate or poor in south.

East Northern Section

In northern half of the area

Wind
Easterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in north but veering southwesterly 3 or 4 in south.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair until later in far north, otherwise rain.
Visibility
Good until later in far north, otherwise moderate or poor.

In southern half of the area

Wind
Southwesterly, backing southerly later in southwest, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain, thundery at times, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.

West Northern Section

In northern half of the area

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in far southwest, and later also in far northeast, but becoming cyclonic 2 to 4 in southeast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain at times, but mainly fair in far north, fog patches in southeast.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor except in far north, but becoming very poor at times in southeast.

In southern half of the area

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in far northwest, and later also in far southeast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain, thundery at times, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.

East Central Section

In southeastern half of the area

Wind
Mainly variable 2 to 4, but southwesterly 5 in far north.
Sea state
Moderate, becoming slight later in far southeast.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

In northwestern half of the area

Wind
Variable 2 or 3 at first in far south, otherwise southwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or drizzle at times, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

West Central Section

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 in far northwest.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain at times, occasionally thundery, fog banks except in far southeast.
Visibility
Mainly moderate to very poor, but moderate or good in far southeast and becoming mainly good later in far northwest.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5 in far south and southerly 3 to 5 in north, but elsewhere variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fog banks in north and west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in north and west.

North Iceland

In northwest

Wind
Southerly 4 or 5, increasing 6 for a time in far northwest.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fog banks.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor, occasionally good.

In northeast

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

In southwest

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

In southeast

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Rough at first in far east, otherwise moderate.
Weather
Occasional rain until later, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly, becoming cyclonic in north, mainly 4 to 6, but 7 or gale 8 at first in northwest and then occasionally 7 later in far north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or showers, thundery at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Gales expected in East Northern Section. Risk of gales later in West 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.

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