High seas forecast and storm warnings
The general synopsis for UK
At 031200UTC, low 55 north 12 west 981 expected 59 north 04 west 982 by 041200UTC. Low 62 north 38 west 989 expected 61 north 40 west 990 by same time. Low 38 north 53 west 1012 expected 45 north 34 west 1009 by that time. Low 62 north 02 west 991 losing its identity
Issued at: .
For the period to .
High seas forecast and storm warnings map
Sole
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly veering westerly or northwesterly, 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough becoming very rough or high.
- Weather
- Squally showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Shannon
- Wind
- West or northwest 6 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- Very rough or high.
- Weather
- Rain or squally showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Rockall
- Wind
- Cyclonic 4 to 6 becoming west or northwest 6 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- Moderate at first in north, otherwise rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Rain or squally showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Bailey
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming northwesterly 5 to 7 later in southwest.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough, then becoming very rough later in southwest.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Faeroes
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Southeast Iceland
- Wind
- Northeasterly 3 to 5 becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
East Northern Section
In northern half of the area
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 becoming cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming rough in south.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
In southern half of the area
- Wind
- Northwesterly backing westerly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in south, backing southwesterly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough becoming rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Rain then showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
West Northern Section
In northern half of the area
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in northwest.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate at first in far north, otherwise moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in far north.
In southern half of the area
- Wind
- Southwesterly veering westerly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in south.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, becoming wintry at times in west.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
East Central Section
- Wind
- Northwesterly backing westerly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in north, and also at first in east, backing southwesterly 4 or 5 later in south, then becoming cyclonic 6 to gale 8 later in far southwest.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first in northeast.
- Weather
- Rain at first in northeast, otherwise showers, squally at times, then thundery rain later in southwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
West Central Section
In northern half of the area
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, veering westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, becoming wintry later in far northwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
In southern half of the area
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6 becoming cyclonic 3 to 5, then increasing 6 to gale 8 later in far south.
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate or rough, but very rough at first in far east and also later in far southeast.
- Weather
- Showers then fair, then thundery rain in far south.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or poor in far south.
Denmark Strait
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly mainly 4 to 6, but 6 to gale 8 until later in far west and increasing 6 to gale 8 later in far east.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough except in far northeast.
- Weather
- Rain or sleet at times, and also occasional freezing rain or drizzle in northeast, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
North Iceland
In far northwest
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, drizzle or freezing drizzle, fog banks.
- Visibility
- Moderate to very poor.
In far southeast
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly becoming cyclonic, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle, fog banks.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
In the rest of the area
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5 backing northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later in west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough later in west.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle at times, fog banks.
- Visibility
- Moderate to very poor, occasionally good at first.
Norwegian Basin
- Wind
- Cyclonic mainly southeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 except in far west.
- Sea state
- Moderate in west, slight or moderate in east.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, thundery at times near norway, fog banks in west.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in west and poor in east.
Outlook for the following 24 hours
Severe gales expected in Sole, Shannon, East Central Section, West Central Section and Denmark Strait. Gales expected in Rockall, Bailey, West Northern Section and 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.