High seas forecast and storm warnings
The general synopsis for UK
At 140000UTC, low 53 north 53 west 986 expected 57 north 42 west 995 by 150000UTC. Low 62 north 18 east 988 expected 58 north 07 east 987 by same time. High 48 north 27 west 1035 expected 42 north 28 west 1033 by that time
Issued at: .
For the period to .
High seas forecast and storm warnings map
Sole
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Shannon
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Rough, becoming moderate in northeast.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Rockall
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 to 6 becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Rough becoming moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Bailey
- Wind
- Northerly 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less in west.
- Sea state
- Rough at first in south, otherwise moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Faeroes
- Wind
- Northerly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 in east and 4 in west.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming very rough later in far east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Southeast Iceland
- Wind
- Northerly 4 or 5 in east but variable 2 to 4 in west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
East Northern Section
In northern half of the area
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less becoming cyclonic 2 to 4, then southeasterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first in north and east, otherwise rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in southwest.
In southern half of the area
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, backing southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6 in west.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle at times, fog patches at first in west.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, becoming poor at times, but occasionally very poor at first in west.
West Northern Section
In far northwest
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5 becoming northerly or northeasterly 6 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate, then moderate or rough later.
- Weather
- Rain or snow.
- Visibility
- Moderate to very poor.
In area to the south of 57 north
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 5 to 7 later, occasionally gale 8 later in west.
- Sea state
- Moderate at first in east, otherwise rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle at times, with fog patches at first in east, then showers following from the west.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, becoming poor at times, but occasionally very poor at first in east.
In the rest of the area
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less at first in northeast, otherwise cyclonic 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate or rough, but slight or moderate in far northeast.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle, then showers in west and south, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first and poor later.
East Central Section
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 at first in southwest, otherwise northwesterly, backing westerly or southwesterly in west, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate or rough, but slight or moderate in far southwest.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle in east and north, then rain later in west, fog patches at first in far northwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, becoming poor at times, but occasionally very poor at first in far northwest.
West Central Section
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly veering westerly or southwesterly, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in west, then increasing 7 or gale 8 in northwest.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough in southeast, mainly rough or very rough in northwest, but occasionally high later in far northwest.
- Weather
- Rain for a time, then showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, becoming poor for a time.
Denmark Strait
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or northeasterly 5 to 7 in west and south, then increasing 7 to severe gale 9 later in far west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in far west.
- Weather
- Rain or sleet, with snow at times near greenland, spreading across southern areas, fog banks except in southeast.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in southeast and very poor elsewhere.
North Iceland
In far southeast
- Wind
- Northerly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming rough later.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
In the rest of the area
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, increasing 4 at times.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Norwegian Basin
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first in far south but becoming cyclonic 4 to 6 in east.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough except in east.
- Weather
- Rain spreading westwards, fog patches later in east.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, becoming poor for a time, but occasionally very poor later in east.
Outlook for the following 24 hours
Severe gales expected in Denmark Strait. Gales expected in East Northern Section, West Northern Section, West Central Section and Norwegian Basin.
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.