Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 311200UTC, low 68 north 01 west 994 expected 68 north 16 east 985 by 011200UTC. New high expected 61 north 13 west 1026 by same time

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

Sole

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind
Southwesterly 3 to 5 at first in north, otherwise variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Rockall

Wind
Southwesterly 4 to 6 becoming cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in north.
Sea state
Very rough at first in north, otherwise moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8 veering northerly 4 to 6, then easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5 later, increasing 6 later in southwest.
Sea state
Rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain, then wintry showers in north.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.

Faeroes

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 6 to gale 8, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather
Rain then wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 6 to gale 8, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather
Rain then wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

East Northern Section

In north

Wind
Northwesterly mainly 4 to 6, but 7 at first in far northeast, becoming variable 2 to 4, then southeasterly 4 to 6 later, occasionally 7 later in south.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Wintry showers, then rain later in south.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

In southeast

Wind
Cyclonic, becoming southerly later in south, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later in north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

In southwest

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 at first in north, otherwise northeasterly veering easterly 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times, then veering southerly 5 or 6 later in south.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair at first in north, otherwise rain.
Visibility
Good at first in north, otherwise moderate or poor.

West Northern Section

In north

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly backing southerly or southeasterly, but becoming cyclonic in far northwest, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in west.
Sea state
Slight at first in far northwest, otherwise moderate or rough.
Weather
Wintry showers, then rain or sleet at times, with snow for a time in far northwest.
Visibility
Good, becoming moderate or good occasionally poor, but becoming very poor for a time in far northwest.

In southeast

Wind
Variable 3 or less at first in north, otherwise easterly or northeasterly becoming cyclonic, 4 to 6, increasing 7 or gale 8 for a time.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair then rain, fog patches later in far south.
Visibility
Good, becoming moderate or poor, occasionally very poor later in far south.

In southwest

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming southerly 4 to 6 in west and north.
Sea state
Moderate, becoming rough later.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

East Central Section

In east

Wind
Southwesterly 4 or 5 at first in north and variable 2 to 4 at first in south, becoming southerly or southeasterly 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Rough at first in far north, otherwise moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

In west

Wind
Cyclonic 5 to 7 at first in far north, otherwise southerly backing southeasterly 4 to 6, increasing 7 or gale 8 later in far southwest.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough later in far southwest.
Weather
Rain or drizzle at times, perhaps thundery rain later in southwest.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

West Central Section

In far northwest

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

In the rest of the area

Wind
Cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in southwest, and then later in far southeast, decreasing 4 at times elsewhere.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain, thundery at times, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor, occasionally good.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6 backing westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, then becoming variable 2 to 4 later in northeast and cyclonic 3 to 5 later in west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough at first in southeast, otherwise slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain or sleet at times in southeast and sleet or snow at times in southwest, but mainly fair in north.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in southeast and very poor in southwest. Occasional light icing at first within 50 miles of greenland, with temperatures ms02 to ms04.

North Iceland

In far southeast

Wind
Cyclonic becoming northwesterly 6 to gale 8, backing westerly 4 or 5 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough for a time.
Weather
Sleet or snow, thundery at times, then snow showers, becoming fair later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor, becoming good later.

In the rest of the area

Wind
Northwesterly 4 to 6, backing southwesterly 3 to 5 later in west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough in south and east, slight or moderate in west and north.
Weather
Snow showers, mainly in south and east, becoming fair later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in south and east. Light or moderate icing, gradually becoming confined to far northeast, with temperatures ms02 to ms05.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5 at first in northeast, otherwise westerly or northwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 in east, decreasing 4 or 5 later in south and west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough at first in northeast, otherwise rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain or sleet, then squally sleet or snow showers, perhaps thundery, becoming fair later in southwest.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor, becoming good later in southwest.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Severe gales expected in Norwegian Basin. Gales expected in Bailey, Faeroes, Southeast Iceland, East Northern Section, East Central Section and West Central 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.