Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings


The general synopsis for UK

At 261200UTC, low 42 north 35 west 1001 expected 48 north 39 west 996 by 271200UTC. High 57 north 14 west 1032 expected 57 north 00 east with little change by same time. New lows expected 46 north 32 west 998 and 68 north 11 west 1014 by that time

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map


Sole

Wind
Northeast veering south, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Thundery showers, fog banks.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

Shannon

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6, veering southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight later in northeast.
Weather
Showers, fog patches.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

Rockall

Wind
Variable 3 or less at first in north, otherwise northeasterly 4 to 6, veering easterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Bailey

Wind
In south, variable 2 to 4, becoming southeasterly 3 to 5. in north, westerly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
In south, fair. in north, showers.
Visibility
Good.

Faeroes

Wind
Westerly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough at first and slight later.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

East Northern Section

In north

Wind
Southwesterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 4 or less.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in northwest.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

In south

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair in east, otherwise rain, drizzle and fog patches.
Visibility
Good in east, otherwise moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

West Northern Section

In southeast

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, increasing 5 to 7.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough later in southwest.
Weather
Rain or drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

In rest of area

Wind
Cyclonic, mainly southwesterly at first, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough becoming slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor at first in far northwest.

East Central Section

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 at first in southeast, otherwise cyclonic, mainly easterly or southeasterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in southwest.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough later in far southwest.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle with fog banks, but thundery showers later in south.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

West Central Section

Wind
Cyclonic 5 to 7, increasing gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 later, in northwest.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in far west.
Weather
Mainly fair at first in northwest, otherwise rain at times, perhaps thundery in south, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 at first near greenland coast, otherwise southwesterly becoming cyclonic, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in far southeast.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, with snow and freezing rain at times in north, fog patches at first near greenland coast.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in north and at first also near greenland coast.

North Iceland

In north

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northerly or northwesterly 4 or 5.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate in southeast.
Weather
Occasional rain or snow.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

In rest of area

Wind
Cyclonic, mainly westerly or southwesterly at first, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough at first in southeast, otherwise slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional rain or snow, fog patches in east.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in northeast, backing westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, fair later.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Gales are expected 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.