Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 040000UTC, high 58 north 01 west 1040 expected 59 north 00 east 1038 by 050000UTC. Low 56 north 32 west 1001 expected 64 north 29 west 1005 by same time. New high expected south Greenland 1017 by that time. at 040000UTC, low 57 north 47 west 998 losing its identity

Issued at: 08:00 (UTC) on Wed 04 Nov 2026.

For the period 08:00 (UTC) on Wed 04 Nov 2026 to 08:00 (UTC) on Thu 05 Nov 2026.

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

High seas forecast and storm warnings explained

Sole

Wind: East or northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind: East or northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate occasionally rough.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Rockall

Wind: East or southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate, but rough at first in northwest.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Bailey

Wind: Southwest backing southeast, 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Faeroes

Wind: Southwesterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Occasional rain.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind: Southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Occasional rain.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

Wind: Variable 2 to 4 at first in northeast, otherwise southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later in far north.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Rain or showers, fog patches later in west.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor, but occasionally very poor later in west.

West Northern Section

Wind: Southerly or southeasterly at first in east, otherwise cyclonic, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Sea state: Rough or very rough.
Weather: Occasional rain or showers, but sleet and snow in northwest, fog patches later in southeast.
Visibility: Moderate or good occasionally very poor in northwest and later also in southeast.

East Central Section

Wind: Easterly or southeasterly 4 or 5, increasing 6 in southwest.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

West Central Section

Wind: Variable 2 to 4 at first in southeast, otherwise cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in west.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in far north.
Weather: Rain or showers, perhaps thundery in south, fog patches in northeast.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor, but occasionally very poor in northeast.

Denmark Strait

In east of area

Wind: Southerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, backing southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough, occasionally slight later just north of Iceland.
Weather: Rain or sleet later, fog banks later.
Visibility: Good, becoming poor or very poor later.

In west of area

Wind: Easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
Sea state: Rough occasionally very rough.
Weather: Rain, sleet and snow, fog banks later in northeast.
Visibility: Moderate or good occasionally very poor.

North Iceland

In far north

Wind: Westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in southeast, backing southwesterly 3 to 5 later.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first in southeast, becoming moderate or rough, occasionally slight later in northwest.
Weather: Mainly fair, fog banks later in southwest.
Visibility: Good, occasionally very poor later in southwest.

In rest of area

Wind: Westerly 4 to 6, but 7 to severe gale 9 at first in north, backing southwesterly later.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, but high at first in north, becoming moderate or rough, occasionally slight later in southwest.
Weather: Occasional rain or drizzle, fog banks later.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.

Norwegian Basin

Wind: Westerly or southwesterly 5 to 7, decreasing 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in far northeast.
Weather: Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches later in west.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor, but occasionally very poor later in west.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Storms are expected in West Central Section, with severe gales expected in Denmark Strait and north Iceland. Gales are expected in East Central Section and West Northern 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.