High seas forecast and storm warnings
The general synopsis for UK
At 091200UTC, low 45 north 20 west 971 expected 47 north 20 west 979 by 101200UTC. Low 63 north 09 west 1011 expected 61 north 01 east 1007 by same time. New low expected 69 north 13 west 1003 by that time
Issued at: .
For the period to .
High seas forecast and storm warnings map
Sole
- Wind
- East or southeast 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Rain, fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor, but very poor later.
Shannon
- Wind
- East 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, but moderate in far northeast.
- Weather
- Rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Rockall
- Wind
- Easterly backing northeasterly 3 to 5, but 5 or 6 in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate.
Bailey
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming westerly 5 or 6 later in far north.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Faeroes
- Wind
- Cyclonic 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Moderate occasionally rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps wintry.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Southeast Iceland
- Wind
- Cyclonic 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate occasionally rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps wintry.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
East Northern Section
In northern half of area
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers, mainly in east.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate in east.
In southern half of area
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, becoming mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
West Northern Section
In area north of 62 north
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 5 to 7, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in far west and rough in east.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
In rest of area
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 in north.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight at first in northwest and rough in southeast.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle or showers, fog patches at first in southwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good occasionally very poor at first in southwest, otherwise good occasionally moderate.
East Central Section
- Wind
- Cyclonic, mainly northeasterly, 6 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, but very rough or high at first in far southeast.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps thundery in far east.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
West Central Section
- Wind
- Cyclonic, mainly northerly or northeasterly, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Rough, occasionally moderate in far west and very rough in far east.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Denmark Strait
- Wind
- Southwesterly 5 to 7, becoming cyclonic, mainly northerly or northwesterly, 6 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good. Occasional light icing later in north, with temperatures ms02 to ms04.
North Iceland
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly, but northerly or northwesterly in south, 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 6 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, sleet or snow, but mainly fair in far north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor except in far north. Light or moderate icing later in northwest with temperatures ms02 to ms05.
Norwegian Basin
- Wind
- Cyclonic, mainly northerly or northeasterly, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in east.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, wintry in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours
Severe gales are expected in Faeroes, Southeast Iceland, north Iceland and Norwegian Basin. Gales are expected in East Central Section and Denmark Strait, with a risk of gales in Sole and Shannon.
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.