Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings


The general synopsis for UK

At 041200UTC, low 45 north 43 west 1007 expected 50 north 16 west 990 by 051200UTC. New lows expected 63 north 30 west 983 and 64 north 08 east 996 by same time. Lows 45 north 34 west 1009 and 65 north 10 west 984 losing their identities

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map


Sole

Wind
Northwesterly 4 to 6, backing southerly or southwesterly 5 to 7, becoming cyclonic 6 to gale 8 later, perhaps severe gale 9 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Showers then rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind
West backing southwest, 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 6 to gale 8 later, perhaps severe gale 9 later.
Sea state
Very rough becoming rough.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind
West 6 to gale 8, backing south or southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Very rough becoming rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind
Variable 3 at first in northeast, otherwise westerly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in south, backing southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough occasionally very rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in far south.
Weather
Rain, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

In north

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times except in far southwest.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

In south

Wind
Southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

West Northern Section

In north

Wind
Northeasterly 5 to 7 in far northwest, otherwise cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in north and far west and decreasing 2 at times in south.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In south

Wind
Westerly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in south and west, perhaps gale 8 later in west, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later in far north.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally moderate in north and very rough in south.
Weather
Showers, squally in south and west, and perhaps wintry, occasional rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

East Central Section

Storm warning
Issued:

No storms.

In north

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 6 to gale 8 later in far southeast.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

In south

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6 at first in north and east, otherwise cyclonic, becoming westerly or southwesterly later, 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 in south and later in east, perhaps storm 10 later in east.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Mainly fair at first in east, otherwise rain, then squally showers in west and also later in east.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Central Section

In north

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, increasing 7 at times in north.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally very rough at first in east.
Weather
Showers, but occasional rain at first in southeast and also later in far south.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

In south

Wind
Cyclonic 6 to gale 8 at first in southeast, otherwise westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, backing westerly or southwesterly 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later in west.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather
Rain at first in southeast, otherwise mainly fair, then occasional rain in north.
Visibility
Moderate or poor at first in southeast, otherwise good, occasionally moderate in north.

Denmark Strait

In area north of 67 north

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5 at first near greenland coast in far south, otherwise northerly or northeasterly 6 to gale 8, increasing severe gale 9 at times in south.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in south.
Weather
Rain, snow and freezing rain at times.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor.

In area south of 67 north

Wind
Northeasterly 5 to 7, becoming variable 2 to 4 at times near greenland coast, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later in far southeast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or sleet.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

North Iceland

In northwestern half of area

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, increasing 7 at times in far west and occasionally 3 in northeast.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in southwest.
Weather
Rain or drizzle at times, but occasional freezing rain in west, fog banks in northwest and extensive fog elsewhere.
Visibility
Poor or very poor, occasionally moderate.

In southeastern half of area

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in northwest.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in far southeast and in far northwest.
Weather
Rain or drizzle at times with fog banks.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor, occasionally good in southwest.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Cyclonic mainly southeasterly, becoming southwesterly later, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in east.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in east and rough later in west.
Weather
Rain or drizzle at times, showers later, fog patches until later in south and west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasional poor, but very poor until later in south and west.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Risk of severe gales in Sole and Shannon with gales expected in West Northern Section, East Central Section, West Central Section and Denmark Strait.

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.