Coast and Sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 251200UTC, low 50 north 51 west 995 expected 56 north 32 west 994 by 261200UTC. Low 47 north 07 west 1009 expected 51 north 12 west 1009 by same time. High 55 north 05 east 1025 expected 56 north 19 east 1022 by that time. at 251200UTC, low 71 north 09 west 999 expected 73 north 11 west 993 by 261200UTC. New high expected 60 north 07 west 1017 by same time. New high expected 47 north 05 west 1019 by by that time

Issued at: 20:00 (UTC) on Thu 25 Jun 2026.

For the period 20:00 (UTC) on Thu 25 Jun 2026 to 20:00 (UTC) on Fri 26 Jun 2026.

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

High seas forecast and storm warnings explained

Sole

Wind: Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in west.
Sea state: Moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather: Thundery showers, fog patches at first.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

Shannon

Wind: Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in northwest.
Sea state: Moderate occasionally rough.
Weather: Thundery showers, fog patches.
Visibility: Moderate, occasionally very poor.

Rockall

Wind: In northwest, variable 2 to 4. in southeast, northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state: In northwest, moderate. in southeast, moderate.
Weather: In northwest, rain. in southeast, thundery rain.
Visibility: In northwest, good, occasionally poor. in southeast, good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind: Westerly or southwesterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state: Moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather: Occasional rain, fog patches.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Faeroes

Wind: Westerly or southwesterly, 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather: Occasional rain, fog patches.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind: Southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in north.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

Wind: Westerly or southwesterly, backing southerly or southeasterly later, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later in south.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Showers, then heavy rain later.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Northern Section

Wind: Southwesterly, becoming cyclonic in south, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later in south.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in south.
Weather: Showers, then heavy rain in southeast, moderate or good, occasionally poor in southeast.
Visibility

East Central Section

In southeast

Wind: Northerly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4, then southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6 later in northwest.
Sea state: Moderate occasionally rough.
Weather: Occasional rain.
Visibility: Good occasionally moderate.

In northwest

Wind: Variable 2 to 4, becoming southerly or southwesterly 5 to 7 in west at first, then elsewhere later.
Sea state: Moderate occasionally rough.
Weather: Occasional heavy rain.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Central Section

Wind: Southerly 4 to 6 at first in east, otherwise cyclonic, becoming northwesterly later, 6 to gale 8.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough.
Weather: Occasional rain, heavy at times in north.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate and in north poor.

Denmark Strait

In area to north of 71 north

Wind: Southerly 2 to 4, veering northerly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state: Slight occasionally moderate later.
Weather: Occasional rain or drizzle, fog banks.
Visibility: Moderate to very poor.

In rest of area

Wind: Southerly or southwesterly becoming cyclonic later, 3 to 5, slight occasionally moderate.
Sea state: Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches.
Weather: Moderate to very poor.
Visibility

North Iceland

Wind: Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in south and later in north.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in southeast and later in northwest.
Weather: Occasional rain or showers, fog patches in south, fog banks in north.
Visibility: Moderate to very poor.

Norwegian Basin

Wind: Southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in southeast.
Sea state: Moderate.
Weather: Heavy rain or showers for a time.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours

Gales expected in east and West Northern Sections and east and West Central Sections 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.