Coast and sea
The general synopsis for UK
At 151200UTC, low 46 north 12 west 993 expected 44 north 09 west 1004 by 161200UTC. High 61 north 30 west 1026 expected 58 north 29 west 1030 by same time. Lows 46 north 17 west 994 and south coast of Iceland 1019 both losing their identities
Issued at: .
For the period to .
High seas forecast and storm warnings map
Sole
- Wind
- East backing northeast, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Shannon
- Wind
- East backing northeast, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Rockall
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6 backing north or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Rough becoming moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Bailey
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 becoming north or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Faeroes
- Wind
- Northwesterly veering northerly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers, becoming wintry later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Southeast Iceland
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 at first in west, otherwise northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate near the coast, but elsewhere moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers, becoming wintry.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
East Northern Section
In northern half of the area
- Wind
- Cyclonic 4 to 6 in northeast, but elsewhere westerly or northwesterly 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in far north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
In southern half of the area
- Wind
- Northeasterly 5 or 6 at first in southeast, otherwise variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Rough at first in south, otherwise moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
West Northern Section
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming southeasterly 5 or 6 in southwest and cyclonic 3 to 5 in north.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in far northwest but becoming rough in far southwest.
- Weather
- Showers at first in south, occasional rain later in far southwest and in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
East Central Section
- Wind
- Cyclonic 5 to 7 at first in far southeast, otherwise northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6, veering easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4 later in west.
- Sea state
- Very rough becoming rough, then becoming moderate later except in far south.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers, thundery at times in southeast.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in southeast.
West Central Section
In eastern half of the area
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly veering southeasterly, 3 to 5, increasing 6 in southwest.
- Sea state
- Rough, occasionally moderate in north.
- Weather
- Thundery rain in southwest, but elsewhere mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good, but in southwest, moderate or good occasionally poor.
In western half of the area
- Wind
- Southeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 except in far north.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Thundery rain, but mainly fair in far north and northeast, fog patches in south.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good in far north and northeast, elsewhere mainly moderate or poor, but occasionally very poor in south.
Denmark Strait
In area to the south of 69 north
- Wind
- Cyclonic, becoming easterly or northeasterly for a time, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain at times later in south.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
In area to the north of 69 north
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5 becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches later in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later in north.
North Iceland
In area to the west of 16 west
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6 becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fog patches later in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally very poor later in north. Light or moderate icing at first to the north of 71 north, with temperatures ms03 to ms06.
In area to the east of 16 west
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in east.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Snow showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor. Light or moderate icing to the north of 70 north, with temperatures ms02 to ms05, but severe icing in far north, with temperatures ms06 to ms09.
Norwegian Basin
- Wind
- Northwesterly 5 or 6 increasing 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 later in northeast, but becoming cyclonic 4 to 6 later in far northeast.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, becoming very rough or high later in north.
- Weather
- Squally sleet and snow showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate to very poor, occasionally good in west and south.
Outlook for following 24 hours
Gales expected in the southwest of West Northern Section, West Central Section, northeastern parts of sea area north Iceland and Norwegian Basin, and with a risk of severe gales in the eastern half of Norwegian Basin.
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.