Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 241200UTC, low 64 north 29 west 984 expected 58 north 13 west 1009 by 251200UTC. Low 66 north 01 west 964 expected 66 north 06 east 972 by same time. High 44 north 28 west 1029 expected 47 north 18 west 1035 by that time. New low 66 north 17 west 1015 expected by 251200UTC

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

Sole

Wind
West or southwest veering northwest 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first.
Sea state
Very rough or high becoming rough or very rough later.
Weather
Squally rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind
Northwest 7 to severe gale 9, decreasing 5 or 6 later.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind
Northwest 7 to severe gale 9.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind
Northwest 6 to gale 8, veering north 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
West veering northwest 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 in north.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Northerly 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Occasional snow.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor. light icing in north.

East Northern Section

High seas storm warning
Issued:

At 241200UTC, low 64 north 29 west 984 expected 58 north 13 west 1009 by 251200UTC. Winds are expected to reach storm force 10 in the southwestern quadrant between 50 and 150 miles of the centre until 250200UTC.

In area south of 61 north

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 at first in northwest, decreasing 4 to 6 later, then backing southerly or southeasterly 7 to severe gale 9 later in west.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Wintry showers at first in north, then rain, drizzle and fog patches later in southwest.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor at first in north, becoming moderate occasionally very poor later in southwest.

In rest of area

Wind
Cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in west, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough in north, very rough or high in south.
Weather
Snow showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally very poor.

West Northern Section

High seas storm warning
Issued:

At 241200UTC, low 64 north 29 west 984 expected 58 north 13 west 1009 by 251200UTC. Winds are expected to reach storm force 10 in the southwestern quadrant between 50 and 150 miles of the centre until 250200UTC.

Wind
Cyclonic, mainly westerly, 5 to 7, but 7 to severe gale 9 at first in east, occasionally storm 10 at first in northeast, increasing 7 to severe gale 9 later.
Sea state
Very rough or high, becoming moderate or rough later in north.
Weather
Occasional snow in north, rain or drizzle and fog patches in south.
Visibility
Good occasionally very poor in north, moderate or poor occasionally very poor in south. Occasional light or moderate icing in northwest.

East Central Section

In north of area

Wind
Northwesterly 7 to severe gale 9, backing southerly 5 to 7.
Sea state
Very rough or high becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
Wintry showers at first in east, rain and drizzle later in west.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor at first in east, becoming moderate occasionally poor later in west.

In south of area

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, but northerly 4 to 6 at first in east and later in west.
Sea state
Rough, but very rough at first in north.
Weather
Occasional rain later in west.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate later in west.

West Central Section

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 at first in east, otherwise cyclonic, mainly southerly or southeasterly, 4 to 6, increasing 7 to severe gale 9.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming high later in northwest.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle and fog patches, sleet at first in far north.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 5 to 7, becoming variable 2 to 4, then cyclonic 5 to 7 later in west.
Sea state
Rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Snow showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally very poor. Light or moderate icing at first in east with temperatures ms03 to ms06, then later in west with temperatures ms02 to ms04.

North Iceland

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 7 to severe gale 9.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, but very rough or high in far south.
Weather
Occasional snow.
Visibility
Good occasionally very poor. Light or moderate icing with temperatures ms03 to ms06, severe or very severe icing in northwest, close to the ice, with temperatures ms07 to ms10.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Cyclonic becoming northwesterly, 7 to severe gale 9.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Rain or showers, turning to snow in west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in west.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Hurricane force winds are expected in Denmark Strait. Violent storms are expected in East Northern Section, West Northern Section and West Central Section. Severe gales are expected in Faeroes, Southeast Iceland, north Iceland and Norwegian Basin. Gales are expected in Rockall, Bailey and East Central 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.