Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings


The general synopsis for UK

At 021200UTC, low 49 north 17 west 1005 expected 52 north 14 west 1004 by 031200UTC. Low 66 north 02 east 1001 expected 67 north 06 east 1007 by same time. High 58 north 32 west 1025 expected 54 north 37 west 1027 by that time

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map


Sole

Wind
South or southeast becoming cyclonic mainly southwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Rough at first in west, otherwise slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain or thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind
In south, southeasterly 5 or 6 becoming cyclonic 3 to 5. in north, easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6 backing northeasterly 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
Sea state
In south, rough becoming moderate. in north, moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain, then thundery showers in south.
Visibility
In south, good, occasionally poor. in north, moderate or poor.

Rockall

Wind
In south, easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6 backing northeasterly 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later. in north, variable 3 or less becoming easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4, then increasing 5 or 6 later.
Sea state
In south, moderate or rough. in north, moderate.
Weather
In south, rain. in north, rain or showers.
Visibility
In south, moderate or poor. in north, moderate or good.

Bailey

Wind
In south, variable 3 or less becoming easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4, then increasing 5 or 6 later. in north, variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
In south, rain or showers. in north, showers.
Visibility
In south, moderate or good. in north, good.

Faeroes

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5 becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate or rough becoming slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5 becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate or rough becoming slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

East Northern Section

In northern half of the area

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 at first in east, otherwise northerly or northwesterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers in west.
Visibility
Good.

In southern half of the area

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5, increasing 6 for a time in far southeast.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in northwest and rough in far southeast.
Weather
Showers, mainly in east.
Visibility
Good.

West Northern Section

In northwestern half of the area

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in far west.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Drizzle later in south, fog patches in far northwest.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in far northwest, and also poor later in south.

In southeastern half of the area

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

East Central Section

In eastern half of the area

Wind
Northeasterly 6 to gale 8 at first in far north and northwest, otherwise cyclonic 4 to 6, becoming northerly or northwesterly later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in north.
Weather
Rain or showers, perhaps thundery, fog patches at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first and poor later.

In western half of the area

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

West Central Section

In southeastern half of the area

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

In northwestern half of the area

Wind
Mainly variable 2 to 4, but easterly 4 or 5 in far south.
Sea state
Moderate, becoming slight later in far north.
Weather
Showers in far south, otherwise fair.
Visibility
Good.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, occasionally variable 2 in south, increasing 5 at times later in northeast.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fog banks.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

North Iceland

In northwestern half of the area

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming southerly 4 or 5 later in far northwest.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight later.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

In southeastern half of the area

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 or 5 until later in south, otherwise variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Rough at first in south and slight later in north, otherwise moderate.
Weather
Rain at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Norwegian Basin

In western half of the area

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 4 or 5, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming moderate.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

In eastern half of the area

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, decreasing 2 or 3 later in far south.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Risk of gales in Rockall and Bailey.

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.

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