Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

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The general synopsis for UK

At 230000UTC, low 63 north 41 west 982 expected 71 north 22 west 994 by 240000UTC. Low 45 north 48 west 1002 expected 54 north 39 west 990 by same time. New low expected 79 north 21 west 990 by that time. at 230000UTC, low 49 north 08 west 1001 moving slowly southwest losing its identity by 240000UTC. High 64 north 22 east 1035 expected 59 north 06 east 1040 by same time. High 63 north 48 west slow-moving intensifying 1014 by that time. at 230000UTC, high 45 north 27 west 1024 moving slowly northeast dissipating

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

High seas forecast and storm warnings explained

Sole

Wind
Cyclonic, becoming northeast, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Shannon

Wind
North, veering northeast, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally moderate at first in far northeast.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Rockall

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Bailey

Wind
In southeast, variable 2 to 4. in northwest, westerly, backing southwesterly, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
In southeast, rough, occasionally moderate at first except in southeast. in northwest, rough or very rough.
Weather
In southeast, showers. in northwest, showers.
Visibility
In southeast, good occasionally moderate. in northwest, good occasionally moderate.

Faeroes

Wind
Southerly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain then fair.
Visibility
Poor becoming good.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Southwesterly 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

East Northern Section

In east

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, backing southerly or southwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in north.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high in north.
Weather
Showers then fair.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

In west

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first in north.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Fair then occasional rain and drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in north.

West Northern Section

In northwest

Wind
Cyclonic 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first.
Weather
Occasional rain or snow.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

In southeast

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 7 to severe gale 9.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Occasional rain and drizzle, sleet for a time in north.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

East Central Section

In east

Wind
Northerly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in far south, veering easterly or southeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in far south.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate later in north.
Weather
Showers then fair.
Visibility
Good.

In west

Wind
Southerly 3 to 5, backing southeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later in far north.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate later in south.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate later.

West Central Section

Wind
Southerly, becoming cyclonic later in far west, 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Fair then rain and drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally good at first.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Cyclonic, becoming southerly or southwesterly, 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 in southeast.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high in south, but moderate near ice edge.
Weather
Occasional rain and snow.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor. Light icing for a time near ice edge in north, with temperatures ms02 to ms04.

North Iceland

Wind
Cyclonic 5 to 7, becoming southwesterly 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers, sleet for a time in north, fog banks in northwest.
Visibility
Moderate or poor occasionally very poor in northwest. Occasional light icing near ice edge with temperatures ms02 to ms04.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Southerly, veering southwesterly, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in southeast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in southeast.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fair later in northwest.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Gales expected Southeast Iceland, East Northern Section, West Northern Section, East Central Section, West Central Section, Denmark Strait and north Iceland.

Unscheduled storm warnings are broadcast via Safetynet and in bulletin WONT54 EGRR available via some internet and ftpmail outlets

The 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.