Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings


The general synopsis for UK

At 150000UTC, developing low near 63 north 37 west expected 62 north 38 west 993 by 160000UTC. Low 58 north 06 east 988 expected 57 north 07 east 995 by same time. Low 57 north 42 west 995 moving steadily eastwards and losing its identity

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map


Sole

Wind
North or northwest 4 to 6, backing west or northwest 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough becoming slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers or occasional rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Shannon

Wind
North or northwest backing west, 3 to 5, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Rough at first in southwest, otherwise moderate.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate, becoming rough later in far west.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming southeast 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate, becoming rough later in west.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later in southwest.

Faeroes

Wind
In east, northerly or northwesterly 6 to gale 8 decreasing 4 to 6. in west, northerly 4 or 5 becoming variable 3 or less.
Sea state
In east, rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later. in west, moderate.
Weather
In east, occasional rain or showers. in west, showers.
Visibility
In east, moderate or good. in west, good.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming southeasterly 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather
Showers, then rain in west.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor in northwest.

East Northern Section

In area to the north of 60 north

Wind
Southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later near iceland but becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later in southwest.
Sea state
Slight or moderate at first in far northeast, otherwise moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or drizzle at times, then showers in southwest.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In area to the south of 60 north

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming westerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8 in west and south.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming very rough in southwest.
Weather
Rain or drizzle, then showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Northern Section

In far northwest

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 6 to gale 8 decreasing 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or snow.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor.

In area to the south of 60 north

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5 at first in north, otherwise westerly or southwesterly, veering northwesterly for a time, 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In the rest of the area

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in south.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming very rough in far south.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or poor at first in northeast, otherwise moderate or good, occasionally poor.

East Central Section

In eastern half of the area

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly, backing southwesterly for a time, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough later in north.
Weather
Rain or drizzle, then showers later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, becoming poor for a time.

In western half of the area

Wind
Cyclonic becoming westerly or northwesterly, 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 in north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming very rough in north.
Weather
Rain then showers, but becoming fair in south.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.

West Central Section

In northern half of the area

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Very rough or high at first in west, otherwise rough or very rough.
Weather
Showers, but becoming mainly fair later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In southern half of the area

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in north, becoming variable 2 to 4 in west, and later also in east, then becoming southerly or southwesterly 4 or 5 later in west.
Sea state
Rough or very rough in north, moderate or rough in south.
Weather
Rain at first in far southeast and also later in far southwest, otherwise mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first in far southeast and also later in far southwest.

Denmark Strait

Storm warning
Issued:

At 150000UTC, developing low near 63 north 37 west expected 62 north 38 west 993 by 160000UTC. Northeasterly winds will continue to reach storm force 10 at times until 160000UTC in that part of Denmark Strait that lies both west of 34 west and within 50 miles of the Greenland coast.

In area to the west of 31 west

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 until later to the west of 34 west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or drizzle, but sleet, snow or freezing rain near greenland.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor near greenland.

In area to the east of 31 west

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6 in south but variable 2 to 4 in north.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough in south.
Weather
Rain or drizzle in west, but sleet, snow or freezing rain near greenland in west, fog patches in east.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

North Iceland

In far southwest

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight becoming moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

In far southeast

Wind
Northerly 4 to 6 becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough at first.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

In the rest of the area

Wind
Variable 3 or less, increasing 4 at times.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Wintry showers, fog patches.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

Norwegian Basin

In western half of the area

Wind
Northerly 6 to gale 8 veering northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather
Rain at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In eastern half of the area

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5 becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate or rough becoming slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Severe gales expected in western Denmark Strait. Gales expected in East Northern 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.