Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 080000UTC, low 49 north 43 west 957 expected 52 north 43 west 949 by 090000UTC. Low 56 north 16 west 970 expected 56 north 08 west 986 by same time. New low expected 56 north 23 west 977 by that time. at 080000UTC, high 68 north 36 west 1022 expected 73 north 33 west 1016 by 090000UTC

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

Sole

Wind
West or southwest backing south or southwest, 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Squally showers then rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind
West 7 to severe gale 9, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6 for a time.
Sea state
High, becoming very rough later.
Weather
Showers then rain.
Visibility
Moderate or poor.

Rockall

Wind
Cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in south and 4 in north.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or poor.

Bailey

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Very rough or high becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Very rough or high becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Northeasterly 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
High at first in southwest, otherwise rough or very rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

In north

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly mainly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first, but 4 or 5 throughout in far northwest.
Sea state
Mainly very rough or high, but moderate or rough in far northwest.
Weather
Showers, but fair in far northwest.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, but good in far northwest.

In south

Wind
Cyclonic mainly 6 to gale 8, but 3 to 5 at first in south.
Sea state
Very rough or high, becoming rough or very rough in east.
Weather
Showers then rain.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally good.

West Northern Section

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 in south and west, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6 later in south.
Sea state
Very rough or high, becoming rough in far north.
Weather
Rain at times, with occasional sleet or snow at first in far northwest, but mainly fair in far northeast.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor at first in far northwest, then becoming good in far north.

East Central Section

Wind
Westerly 7 to severe gale 9 at first in northeast, otherwise cyclonic becoming westerly or southwesterly, 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Rain or showers, squally and thundery at times.
Visibility
Moderate or poor.

West Central Section

High seas storm warning
Issued:

At 080000UTC, low 49 north 43 west 957 expected 52 north 43 west 949 by 090000UTC. Southwesterly winds will reach storm force 10 between 47 north and 52 north in the far west of West Central Section between 081000UTC and 090800UTC. Also easterly winds will reach storm force 10 at times to the north of 53 north in the western half of West Central Section until 081400UTC.

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 7 to severe gale 9 at first in north, occasionally storm 10 at first in northwest, otherwise southwesterly, becoming cyclonic later in northwest, 7 to severe gale 9, increasing storm 10 at times in west.
Sea state
Very rough or high, becoming high or very high in west.
Weather
Rain or squally showers, occasionally thundery, and also wintry at times.
Visibility
Moderate or poor.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Very rough at first in southwest, otherwise moderate or rough in west and slight or moderate in east.
Weather
Occasional sleet or snow, but becoming fair in west.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

North Iceland

In far south

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly veering easterly or southeasterly, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate in west, rough or very rough in east.
Weather
Sleet or snow showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

In the rest of the area

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate in northwest, moderate or rough in southeast.
Weather
Snow showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in far southwest, decreasing 3 at times elsewhere.
Sea state
Rough or very rough in far southwest, but elsewhere moderate or rough.
Weather
Wintry showers in north, rain or sleet at times in south.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Violent storms expected in East Central Section. Storms expected in West Central Section, mainly in the far southeast. Severe gales expected in Shannon and Rockall. Gales expected in Sole, Bailey, Faeroes, Southeast Iceland, East Northern Section and West Northern Section.

Unscheduled storm warnings are broadcast via Safetynet and in bulletin WONT54 EGRR available via some internet and ftpmail outlets

The 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.