High seas forecast and storm warnings
The general synopsis for UK
At 061200UTC, high 48 north 28 west 1033 expected 46 north 22 west with little change by 071200UTC. Low 66 north 27 west 1004 expected 67 north 20 west 1012 by same time. New low moving steadily southeast, expected 61 north 02 west 1011 by that time
Issued at: .
For the period to .
High seas forecast and storm warnings map
Sole
- Wind
- North 4 to 6, increasing 6 or 7 for a time, backing northwest later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good occasionally poor, becoming good.
Shannon
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rockall
- Wind
- West veering northwest, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough in northwest, otherwise moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Bailey
- Wind
- Southwest veering northwest, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Rough, occasionally very rough in south.
- Weather
- Squally showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Faeroes
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Southeast Iceland
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
East Northern Section
In area north of 62 north
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming southeasterly 4 to 6 later in far southwest.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
In rest of area
- Wind
- Westerly 5 to 7, becoming cyclonic, mainly southerly or southeasterly, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in west.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers, rain and drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate occasionally poor later.
West Northern Section
- Wind
- Cyclonic 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8, becoming southwesterly 5 or 6 later in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but slight or moderate at first in northwest, becoming rough or very rough later in west.
- Weather
- Showers at first in north, then rain and drizzle, perhaps thundery for a time in south, becoming wintry later in far northwest and fog patches later in south.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good occasionally poor. And very poor later in far northwest and south.
East Central Section
In north of area
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, backing southwesterly 5 to 7 later, occasionally gale 8 later in west.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, rain and drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or good occasionally poor later.
In southeast of area
- Wind
- Northerly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough becoming moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate at first.
In southwest of area
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, occasional rain later in northwest.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later in northwest.
West Central Section
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 until later in north, veering southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but rough or very rough in northwest.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, drizzle and fog patches, becoming mainly fair later in far northwest and far southeast.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good occasionally very poor, becoming good later in far northwest and far southeast.
Denmark Strait
- Wind
- Cyclonic becoming northeasterly, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 until later in north.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but slight or moderate at first near Iceland.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers, but sleet or snow in north and later in far west.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good occasionally poor, but very poor in north and later in far west.
North Iceland
In area north of 69 north
- Wind
- Northerly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough becoming moderate later in east, slight or moderate in west.
- Weather
- Wintry showers at first in southeast, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor. Light icing in northeast until later, with temperatures ms02 to ms04.
In rest of area
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, but 5 to 7 in northwest.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough becoming moderate later.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers, but sleet or snow in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in north.
Norwegian Basin
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Rough, but very rough at first in northeast, becoming moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery in east.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate, but poor in east.
Outlook for the following 24 hours
Storms are expected in West Northern Section. Severe gales are expected in Denmark Strait. Gales are expected in Bailey, Faeroes, Southeast Iceland, East Northern Section, West Central Section and north Iceland.
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.