Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings


The general synopsis for UK

At 01200UTC, low 45 north 55 west 990 expected 53 north 35 west 994 by 021200UTC. Low 57 north 18 west 997 expected 58 north 13 west 999 by same time. High 72 north 07 east 1016 dissipating by that time. at 011200UTC new low expected 58 north 03 west 997 by 021200UTC. New low expected 59 north 10 west 999 by same time.

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map


Sole

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Shannon

Wind
Southwest veering west or northwest for a time, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Rockall

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in south.
Sea state
Moderate, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather
Rain or thundery showers, fog patches at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

Bailey

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Rain or thundery showers, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Faeroes

Wind
East or southeast becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor, becoming moderate or good later.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Rain, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor, occasionally good.

East Northern Section

In north

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, but northwesterly at first in northwest 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 to 4, then becoming easterly or southeasterly 2 or 3 later.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in far north.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches for a time in north.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor, but very poor for a time in north.

In south

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, increasing 5 or 6 for a time in southeast, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers, becoming mainly fair for a time in west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Northern Section

In north

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate, becoming slight or moderate in north.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches at first, becoming fair at times later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

In south

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly, becoming cyclonic later, 3 to 5 increasing 6 or 7 later in northwest.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or drizzle mainly in west, otherwise mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in east.

East Central Section

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly, backing southwesterly, but becoming cyclonic later in north, 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 later in south.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate in north.
Weather
Mainly fair, then rain or drizzle for a time, showers later, perhaps thundery later in north.
Visibility
Moderate or good, becoming moderate or poor for a time.

West Central Section

In north

Wind
westerly, becoming cyclonic, 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first and 7 in west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Mainly fair, then rain or showers, becoming mainly fair later in west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In south

Wind
cyclonic, becoming westerly or southwesterly later, 5 or 6, occasionally 7 in south, increasing 6 to gale 8 later.
Sea state
Rough, becoming rough or very rough, occasionally high later.
Weather
Rain or showers, perhaps thundery at first, becoming mainly fair later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.

Denmark Strait

In area north of 70 north

Wind
Southerly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Extensive fog.
Visibility
Poor or very poor.

In rest of area

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming mainly slight.
Weather
Fog banks developing, occasional rain or drizzle later in west.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor, becoming moderate or good later.

North Iceland

In north

Wind
Southerly backing southeasterly later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate in east, otherwise smooth or slight.
Weather
Extensive fog in north and west, otherwise mainly fair, occasional rain or drizzle later in northwest.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor, but poor or very poor until later in north and west.

In south

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less at times in south.
Sea state
Mainly moderate in east, otherwise slight.
Weather
Mainly fair in northeast, otherwise occasional rain, drizzle and fog patches.
Visibility
Mainly good in northeast, otherwise moderate to very poor.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4 later in east.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Rain or drizzle, fog patches in northwest.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in northwest.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Gales expected in Sole, Shannon, East Northern Section, East Central Section and East Central Section. A risk of gales in Denmark Strait.

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.