Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 151200UTC, low 55 north 19 west 989 expected 60 north 16 west 997 by 161200UTC. Low 47 north 34 west 997 expected 52 north 23 west 994 by same time. Low 64 north 25 west 987 expected 64 north 28 west 989 by that time. at 151200UTC, high Scandinavia 1028 expected 73 north 12 east 1026 by 161200UTC. Low 56 north 28 west 987 losing its identity

Issued at: 20:00 (UTC) on Wed 15 Apr 2026.

For the period 20:00 (UTC) on Wed 15 Apr 2026 to 20:00 (UTC) on Thu 16 Apr 2026.

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

High seas forecast and storm warnings explained

Sole

Wind: Southerly or southwesterly 5 to 7.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first.
Weather: Rain or showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind: Southwest 6 to gale 8, backing south 5 to 7.
Sea state: Very rough or high becoming rough or very rough.
Weather: Thundery showers then rain.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind: Cyclonic, mainly south, 4 to 6.
Sea state: Rough or very rough.
Weather: Thundery showers, rain later.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind: Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state: Rough.
Weather: Thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind: Cyclonic, mainly southeast, 5 to 7, becoming south or southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first.
Weather: Rain, fog patches, squally showers later.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

Southeast Iceland

Wind: Cyclonic 4 to 6, becoming variable 4 or less.
Sea state: Rough, occasionally very rough at first in north and moderate later in west.
Weather: Rain, fog patches.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

East Northern Section

Wind: Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in far northwest and far southeast, becoming northwesterly 4 to 6 later in southwest.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in far southeast and far northwest.
Weather: Occasional rain or showers perhaps thundery.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

West Northern Section

Wind: Cyclonic at first in east and then in north, otherwise northerly, backing westerly or northwesterly, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in north.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in northeast.
Weather: Occasional sleet in north, elsewhere showers, some wintry.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

East Central Section

Wind: Cyclonic, mainly westerly or southwesterly, 5 to 7, but gale 8 or severe gale 9 just south of the low centre, becoming northwesterly later in west.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally high in east and moderate later in north.
Weather: Rain at times, thundery showers later.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Central Section

Wind: Cyclonic 5 to 7 at first in southeast, otherwise northwesterly 4 to 6, backing westerly 3 to 5 later in west.
Sea state: Rough or very rough.
Weather: Rain at first in southeast, otherwise wintry showers, perhaps thundery at first, becoming fair later in south.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Denmark Strait

Wind: Northerly or northwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first near ice edge, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in south and slight near the ice edge.
Weather: Rain, sleet or snow, fog patches in southeast.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

North Iceland

In north

Wind: Southerly or southeasterly 3 to 5, backing easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in south.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in south.
Weather: Extensive fog at first in north and west, then rain spreading from south, with snow in west.
Visibility: Very poor at first in north and west, otherwise good becoming moderate or poor, occasionally very poor in west. Occasional light or moderate icing near the ice edge in northwest, with temperatures ms02 to ms04.

In south

Wind: Easterly or southeasterly 5 to 7, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in east.
Weather: Rain at times, but snow at first in west, fog banks developing.
Visibility: Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.

Norwegian Basin

Wind: Easterly or southeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, but 3 to 5 in northeast.
Sea state: Slight or moderate in northeast, rough or very rough in southwest.
Weather: Fair in northeast, otherwise rain with fog patches.
Visibility: Good in northeast, otherwise moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Severe gales are expected in West Northern Section, East Central Section and possibly in Denmark Strait as well. Gales are expected in Sole, Shannon, Rockall and East Northern Section.

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.