Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings


The general synopsis for UK

At 080000UTC, low 64 north 15 west 991 expected 64 north 23 west 992 by 090000UTC. Low 48 north 58 west 1003 expected 51 north 52 west 1000 by same time. Low 58 north 23 west 993 losing its identity.

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map


Sole

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Shannon

Wind
West or southwest 5 to 7, veering west or northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Rockall

Wind
Southwesterly 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later in south, occasionally 4 later in north.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind
Southwest veering west later 3 to 5, becoming cyclonic 2 to 4 for a time.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 2 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 2 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

East Northern Section

In north

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later in far southwest.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

In south

Wind
Cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in south, becoming westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later in north.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally very rough in south and moderate in north.
Weather
Rain or showers, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

West Northern Section

In north

Wind
Cyclonic mainly northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in east, becoming variable 2 to 4 later in west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, slight at times in far west.
Weather
Rain or showers in east, fog patches later in west.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor in east, and very poor later in west.

In south

Wind
Northwesterly backing westerly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in southeast, becoming variable 2 to 4 later in west.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in east.
Weather
Showers at first in east, then occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

East Central Section

In north

Wind
Southwesterly at first east, otherwise northwesterly or northwesterly 6 or 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate later in west.
Weather
Showers, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

In south

Wind
Westerly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in north, decreasing 3 or 4 later, becoming variable 3 or less later in far southwest.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally very rough at first in north and moderate later in southwest.
Weather
Showers, then fair for a time, rain later in southwest.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

West Central Section

In northeast

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

In rest of area

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming moderate.
Weather
Rain and drizzle spreading northeastwards, perhaps thundery for a time in south, fog patches later in west and south.
Visibility
Moderate or good, becoming moderate to very poor.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 6 or 7, but variable 2 to 4 in far southwest.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor, but good at times in south.

North Iceland

In north

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4, then cyclonic mainly northerly 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Mainly moderate.
Weather
Extensive fog, becoming fog patches later in west, occasional rain and drizzle.
Visibility
Poor or very poor, occasionally moderate later.

In south

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly becoming cyclonic later, 4 to 6, occasionally variable 2 to 4 for a time in southeast.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough at first in south.
Weather
Fog banks and occasional rain.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor, occasionally good later in south and later in east.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough until later, slight at times in far east.
Weather
Fog banks at first in west, otherwise occasional rain.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally good, but very poor at first in west.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

A risk of gales in West Northern Section and West Central Section. Extensive fog expected in north Iceland.

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.