Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 280000UTC, high 43 north 24 west expected 45 north 21 west 1032 by 290000UTC. Low 58 north 48 west 985 expected 62 north 40 west 995 by same time. Low 55 north 51 west loses its identity by that time.

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

Sole

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Shannon

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly, becoming cyclonic at times, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers, then rain or drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly, becoming cyclonic at times, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers, then rain or drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind
Variable 2 at first in north, otherwise westerly or northwesterly, becoming cyclonic at times, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers, then rain or drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Northerly 4 or 5 at first in east, otherwise variable 2 or 3, becoming mainly southerly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in north.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

East Northern Section

In north

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 at first in east, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair at first and later in east, otherwise occasional rain and drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In south

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 3 or 4 at first in east, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6, then becoming westerly 3 to 5, backing southwesterly 4 to 6 later in west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain, heavy at first and fog banks at first, fair at times later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

West Northern Section

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in north and until later in south, decreasing 2 to 4 for a time in northwest.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally moderate at first in east and later in north, occasional rain and drizzle.
Weather
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

East Central Section

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 in far south, otherwise westerly or southwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in north.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough at first in north, slight at times in far south.
Weather
Rain or drizzle at times, fog banks in west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first, occasionally very poor in west.

West Central Section

Wind
Mainly southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 until later in north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or drizzle, perhaps thundery in south, fog banks at first and later, except in southeast.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor or very poor, except in southeast.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4, then cyclonic 4 to 6 later in south, occasionally 7 later in far southwest.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming rough later in far southwest.
Weather
Moderate or poor, occasionally good in southeast and very poor at times elsewhere.
Wind
Southwesterly 3 or 4 until later in north, otherwise cyclonic, mainly easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in southwest and for a time in southeast.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in southwest.
Weather
Fog banks except in southeast, rain spreading northwards.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor, moderate or good in southeast.

North Iceland

In area to the north of 71 north

Wind
Cyclonic 2 or 3, becoming variable 3 or less.
Sea state
Slight.
Weather
Rain or drizzle at times, fog banks.
Visibility
Poor or very poor, occasionally moderate or good in east.

In rest of area

Wind
Mainly westerly or northwesterly, becoming cyclonic, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later near iceland in south.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches in west and north.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in west and north.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming mainly northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 2 in northwest.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers, becoming fair later in west.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Risk of gales in far west of Denmark Strait.

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.