High seas forecast and storm warnings
The general synopsis for UK
At 040000UTC, low 60 north 14 west 985 expected 60 north 03 east 995 by 050000UTC. Low 40 north 41 west 1004 expected 45 north 35 west 990 by same time. New highs expected 73 north 04 west 1012 and 48 north 08 west 1025 by that time
Issued at: .
For the period to .
High seas forecast and storm warnings map
Sole
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Shannon
- Wind
- West 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, becoming rough later.
- Weather
- Rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Rockall
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first.
- Weather
- Squally thundery showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Bailey
- Wind
- In south, westerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later. in north, cyclonic 4 to 6, becoming westerly 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- In south, rough or very rough, occasionally high at first. in north, rough.
- Weather
- In south, squally thundery showers. in north, squally showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Faeroes
- Wind
- Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in south and 3 in north.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in south.
- Weather
- Rain, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate, occasionally very poor.
Southeast Iceland
- Wind
- Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 3.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate, occasionally very poor.
East Northern Section
In north
- Wind
- Northwesterly backing westerly or southwesterly, 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later in northwest.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first in northeast.
In south
- Wind
- Westerly 5 to 7, backing southwesterly 4 to 6, decreasing 3 at times later.
- Sea state
- Very rough at first in southeast, otherwise moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers, squally at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
West Northern Section
In north
- Wind
- Cyclonic 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 later in northwest, decreasing 3 at times later in east.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in northwest.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
In south
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
East Central Section
In north
- Wind
- Westerly 5 to 7, backing southwesterly 3 to 5, becoming cyclonic 5 to 7 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers in north, rain later, fog patches later in south.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or poor later, occasionally very poor later in south.
In south
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 at first in north and east, otherwise cyclonic, becoming southerly later, 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 later in west, perhaps severe gale 9 later in far southwest.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming very rough or high later in far southwest.
- Weather
- Fair at first in north, otherwise rain at times, perhaps thundery later in west, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Good at first in north, otherwise moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.
West Central Section
In north
- Wind
- Southwesterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4, then northerly or northeasterly 6 to gale 8 later in southeast.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough in east.
- Weather
- Showers, rain later in far southeast.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
In south
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 at first in north, otherwise northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in southwest, becoming cyclonic 6 to gale 8, increasing severe gale 9 at times in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough becoming rough or very rough, occasionally high later in south.
- Weather
- Fair at first in north, otherwise occasional rain, becoming thundery at times, fair later in west.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Denmark Strait
- Wind
- Mainly variable 2 to 4 north of 70 north, but elsewhere cyclonic mainly northeasterly, 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first near greenland in north, decreasing 5 at times in far southeast and far west and then later in east.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate north of 70 north, otherwise moderate or rough occasionally very rough.
- Weather
- Rain at times except in far north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor except in far north.
North Iceland
In north
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 or 5 at first in far south, otherwise variable 2 to 4, becoming southwesterly 3 to 5 later in north and west.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate in south.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate in east.
In south
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly, becoming cyclonic in far southeast, 5 to 7, decreasing 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers in far north, otherwise rain at times, fog patches in south.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in south.
Norwegian Basin
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in northwest, becoming variable 2 to 4 later, then northwesterly 4 to 6 later in far southwest.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers, fog patches developing in west.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in west.
Outlook for the following 24 hours
Severe gales expected in East Central Section and West Central Section with gales in Shannon, Rockall, East Northern Section and West Northern Section. Risk of gales in Bailey.
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.