Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 171200UTC, low 59 north 21 west 990 expected 61 north 18 west 993 by 181200UTC. New low expected 45 north 23 west 1007 by same time. New high expected 72 north 21 west 1021 by that time

Issued at: 20:00 (UTC) on Wed 17 Jun 2026.

For the period 20:00 (UTC) on Wed 17 Jun 2026 to 20:00 (UTC) on Thu 18 Jun 2026.

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

High seas forecast and storm warnings explained

Sole

Wind: Southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first, becoming variable 2 to 4 later in far west.
Sea state: Moderate occasionally rough.
Weather: Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Shannon

Wind: Southwesterly, becoming cyclonic for a time, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in southeast.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, becoming moderate later.
Weather: Rain, fog patches.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Rockall

Wind: Southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in northwest.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in northwest.
Weather: Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind: Cyclonic mainly southerly, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in south.
Sea state: Rough, occasionally very rough at first in south.
Weather: Rain or showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind: Cyclonic becoming south or southwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate occasionally rough.
Weather: Occasional rain or showers, fog patches.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind: In southeast, southeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first. in northwest, easterly or northeasterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first near Iceland.
Sea state: In southeast, moderate or rough. in northwest, rough, occasionally very rough in west.
Weather: In southeast, occasional rain, fog patches. in northwest, occasional rain.
Visibility: In southeast, moderate or good, occasionally very poor. in northwest, moderate or poor.

East Northern Section

Wind: Near south Iceland coast, northeasterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first, but elsewhere cyclonic 4 to 6, increasing 7 at times in north and also at first in far southeast.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in south and until later in north.
Weather: Mainly fair in far northwest, otherwise occasional rain or showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

West Northern Section

In east

Wind: Cyclonic mainly northerly, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in northeast.
Sea state: Rough, occasionally moderate until later.
Weather: Showers at first.
Visibility: Good.

In southwest

Wind: Northerly or northwesterly, becoming cyclonic in northwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Fog patches mainly in west.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor mainly in west.

In northwest

Wind: Variable 2 to 4 in west and northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5 in east.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Occasional drizzle and fog patches in west, rain and sleet later in northwest.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in west.

East Central Section

Wind: Cyclonic, mainly southwesterly at first, and becoming northwesterly later in west, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in south.
Sea state: Moderate, occasionally rough in north.
Weather: Showers in north, occasional rain or showers in south and fog patches in southeast.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor in south and very poor in southeast.

West Central Section

Wind: Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, veering easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4 in southwest.
Sea state: Moderate, occasionally rough in north.
Weather: Showers, becoming mainly fair in west.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate in east and at first in west.

Denmark Strait

Wind: Variable 2 to 4 in far north, otherwise northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in southeast.
Sea state: Moderate, occasionally slight in north and rough in south.
Weather: Occasional drizzle, sleet or snow with fog patches in far north and near greenland.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in far north and near greenland.

North Iceland

In north

Wind: Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Showers, wintry at times, fog patches in west.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in west.

In south

Wind: Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 near Iceland, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 in far southeast.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally slight at first in north.
Weather: Showers, but occasional rain in south and east, fog patches in south.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in south.

Norwegian Basin

Wind: Cyclonic, becoming southerly or southwesterly later, 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times until later.
Sea state: Moderate, occasionally slight in northeast.
Weather: Rain or drizzle at times, fog patches developing.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

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

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.