Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 011200UTC, low 53 north 13 west 1015 expected 53 north 10 west 1012 by 021200UTC. High 52 north 37 west 1034 expected 52 north 36 west 1034 by same time. Low 65 north 05 west 1002 expected 72 north 20 east 985 by that time. New low expected 39 north 23 west 1014 by 021200UTC.

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

Sole

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming cyclonic then mainly northwesterly later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight far east.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind
Cyclonic, becoming northerly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind
In south, cyclonic, becoming northerly, 3 to 5. in north, cyclonic becoming northeasterly later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind
Cyclonic becoming northeasterly later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Cyclonic becoming northerly or northwesterly, 3 to 5, then variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 5 to 7, becoming variable 2 to 4, then southwesterly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

East Northern Section

In north

Wind
Northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4, then westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

In south

Wind
Northerly 4 or 5 at first in southeast, otherwise variable 2 to 4, becoming westerly or northwesterly 4 or 5 later.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Rain at first in east, otherwise mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

West Northern Section

In north

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, but cyclonic 3 to 5 later in west.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough at first and later, and slight at times in northwest.
Weather
Mainly fair, but fog patches later in far northwest.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor later in far northwest.

In south

Wind
Westerly veering northwesterly 4 to 6, but backing westerly or southwesterly 7 or gale 8 later in far northwest.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough, slight at times in far southwest.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

East Central Section

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly, but northeasterly at times in southwest, 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in east.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough at first.
Weather
Rain or showers at first in east, otherwise fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first in east.

West Central Section

In south

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly, backing northwesterly later in far east, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
.
Visibility
Mainly fair. Good.

In north

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 in west, but westerly or northwesterly 4 or 5 in east.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly becoming cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

North Iceland

In north

Wind
Northerly backing northwesterly, 4 to 6, increase 6 to gale 8 later in east.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in northwest, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather
Mainly fair in west, but snow or snow showers in east.
Visibility
Good in west, but in east, moderate or good, occasionally very poor. Occasional light or moderate icing with temperatures ms02 to ms05, and occasional severe icing later in far north with temperatures around ms06 or ms07.

In south

Wind
Cyclonic, becoming northwesterly, 6 to gale 8 in east, occasionally 5 in east, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Snow showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor. Occasional light icing at first in north with temperatures around ms02.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Cyclonic becoming westerly or northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally 4 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain at times, sleet later in north.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for following 24 hours

A risk of severe gales in north Iceland and gales expected in West Central Section and 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.