Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

Printable version

The general synopsis for UK

At 170000UTC, high 58 north 23 west 1032 expected 58 north 25 west 1034 by 180000UTC.

Issued at: 08:00 (UTC) on Fri 17 Jul 2026.

For the period 08:00 (UTC) on Fri 17 Jul 2026 to 08:00 (UTC) on Sat 18 Jul 2026.

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

High seas forecast and storm warnings explained

Sole

Wind: Cyclonic becoming north or northeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
Sea state: Slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good.

Shannon

Wind: North or northeast 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times.
Sea state: Mainly moderate.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Rockall

Wind: North or northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state: Mainly moderate.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Bailey

Wind: North or northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate.
Weather: Showers or drizzle later.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Faeroes

Wind: North or northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, becoming mainly moderate later.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Moderate or good.

Southeast Iceland

Wind: Westerly or northwesterly becoming cyclonic, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in west, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state: Moderate, occasionally slight in north.
Weather: Mainly fair.
Visibility: Good.

East Northern Section

In northern half of the area

Wind: Westerly or northwesterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in northeast.
Sea state: Moderate.
Weather: Drizzle at times in north.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor in north.

In southern half of the area

Wind: Variable 2 to 4, becoming mainly northwesterly later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Drizzle at first.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in west.

West Northern Section

Wind: Southerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in southwest, becoming variable 3 or less at times in northwest.
Sea state: Mainly moderate, occasionally slight in southeast and rough later in far southwest.
Weather: Rain or drizzle at times, fog patches in west and north, fair at times in east.
Visibility

East Central Section

Wind: Mainly easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in northeast, but variable 3 or less at times in far northwest.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Mainly fair.
Visibility: Moderate or good.

West Central Section

Wind: Southerly or southeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 2 in northeast.
Sea state: Moderate, occasionally slight in east.
Weather: Drizzle at times and fog patches in north and west.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in west and north.

Denmark Strait

Wind: Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in east.
Sea state: Mainly moderate.
Weather: Drizzle moving north, fog banks developing, except in far north and far east.
Visibility: Good, becoming moderate to very poor in west and south.

North Iceland

Wind: Westerly or northwesterly backing southwesterly later in west 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in south and east, becoming variable 2 to 4 in northwest.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Drizzle at times in south, fog patches at first in southeast and later in southwest.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in southeast and later in southwest.

Norwegian Basin

In southeast

Wind: Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5, increasing 6 to gale 8 for a time.
Sea state: Moderate, occasionally rough for a time.
Weather: Drizzle for a time.
Visibility: Moderate or good.

In the rest of the area

Wind: Variable 2 to 4, becoming northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate, occasionally slight in southwest.
Weather: Fog patches at first in northwest.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in northwest.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

A risk of gales in far southeast of Norwegian Basin.

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.