High seas forecast and storm warnings
The general synopsis for UK
At 070000UTC, low 61 north 08 west 976 expected 60 north 08 west 981 by 080000UTC. Low 44 north 33 west 1013 expected 47 north 11 west 1012 by same time. Low 75 north 09 west 994 expected 70 north 12 east 986 by that time. at 070000UTC, high 54 north 45 west 1019 expected 49 north 27 west 1026 by 080000UTC. New low expected 67 north 02 east 987 by same time
Issued at: .
For the period to .
High seas forecast and storm warnings map
Sole
- Wind
- West or northwest, backing southwest for a time, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Thundery showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Shannon
- Wind
- West or southwest veering northwest later, 5 or 6.
- Sea state
- Rough, occasionally very rough in north.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Rockall
- Wind
- Southwest, veering northwest later, 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally high.
- Weather
- Rain or thundery showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Bailey
- Wind
- Cyclonic, becoming northwest later, 7 to severe gale 9.
- Sea state
- Very rough or high, becoming rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Rain or thundery showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Faeroes
- Wind
- Southwest 5 to 7, becoming cyclonic 7 to severe gale 9.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally high.
- Weather
- Rain or thundery showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Southeast Iceland
- Wind
- Cyclonic 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally high in southeast.
- Weather
- Rain or thundery showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
East Northern Section
In north
- Wind
- Cyclonic 5 or 6 at first in east, otherwise northerly or northwesterly, backing westerly later, 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough until later in east, otherwise moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, thundery at times, becoming mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
In south
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate later in west.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, at first in east, otherwise mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first in east.
West Northern Section
In north
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in far east, becoming variable 2 to 4, then becoming southwesterly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
In south
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly, backing southerly or southwesterly later, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, rain, perhaps thundery later in far southwest.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later in far southwest.
East Central Section
In north
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in north.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate in southwest.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
In south
- Wind
- Cyclonic, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in south, becoming variable 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Thundery rain at first, becoming mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
West Central Section
In north
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 to 6 at first in east, otherwise variable 3 or 4, becoming southeasterly 5 or 6 later in west.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, rain or drizzle later in west, perhaps thundery later in northwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later in west.
In south
- Wind
- Easterly 5 or 6, but variable 3 or 4 at first in east, veering southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Mainly fair at first in north, otherwise rain and showers, thundery rain and fog patches later in south.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor or very poor later in south.
Denmark Strait
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, but northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5 at first near Iceland coast, becoming southwesterly 4 or 5, increasing 5 or 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Iceland
- Wind
- Cyclonic 4 to 6, but 6 to gale 8 until later in far south.
- Sea state
- Slight, but occasionally rough in far north and far south, becoming rough or very rough later in south.
- Weather
- Showers in northwest, occasional rain until later in southeast, otherwise mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor until later in southeast.
Norwegian Basin
- Wind
- Southwesterly, veering westerly or northwesterly later, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in southwest.
- Weather
- Occasional rain at first in far north, otherwise showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours
Gales expected in East Northern Section, East Central Section, north Iceland, Norwegian Basin, Rockall, Bailey, Faeroes and Southeast 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.