Coast and Sea
() weather
High seas forecast and storm warnings
The general synopsis for UK
At 081200UTC, low 62 north 29 west 971 expected 65 north 24 west 975 by 091200UTC. New low moving rather quickly northeast, expected 47 north 33 west 1013 by same time. New low expected 63 north 34 west 979 by that time. at 081200UTC, high 44 north 39 west 1036 dissipating
Issued at: .
For the period to .
High seas forecast and storm warnings map
Sole
- Wind
- West or northwest, backing southwest, 3 to 5, veering northwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Rain, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Shannon
- Wind
- Southwest 4 to 6, veering west 6 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough becoming very rough or high.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Rockall
- Wind
- Southwest 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, veering west 6 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, becoming very rough or high later.
- Weather
- Rain then thundery showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Bailey
- Wind
- Southwest 6 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- Very rough becoming high.
- Weather
- Thundery showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Faeroes
- Wind
- Southerly 6 to gale 8, veering southwesterly 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Squally showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Southeast Iceland
- Wind
- Southerly 6 to gale 8, veering southwesterly 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Very rough, becoming high in southwest.
- Weather
- Squally showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
East Northern Section
- Wind
- Cyclonic in far northwest, otherwise westerly or southwesterly 7 to severe gale 9.
- Sea state
- Very rough or high.
- Weather
- Squally sleet or snow showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.
West Northern Section
- Storm warning
-
Issued:
Northeasterly winds will reach storm force 10 at times in the north of Denmark Strait, north of 68 north, mainly over ice. Also, westerly or southwesterly winds will reach storm force 10 at times until 090700UTC in the west of West Northern Section between 59 north and 61 north.
- Wind
- Cyclonic in north, otherwise westerly or southwesterly 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 at first in west.
- Sea state
- Very rough or high, occasionally rough in northwest.
- Weather
- Sleet or snow at times in northwest, otherwise squally sleet and snow showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.
East Central Section
In northern half of the area
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first in far north, decreasing 4 to 6, then becoming cyclonic 5 to 7 later in far southwest.
- Sea state
- Rough at first in southeast, otherwise very rough or high.
- Weather
- Squally wintry showers, rain later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
In southern half of the area
- Wind
- Northwesterly veering northeasterly, 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4, then cyclonic 7 to severe gale 9 later in west.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Occasional rain at first in east and later in west.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first in east and later in west.
West Central Section
In northern half of the area
- Wind
- Westerly 7 to severe gale 9, backing southwesterly 4 to 6, veering northwesterly 6 to gale 8 later in west.
- Sea state
- High, becoming rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Squally sleet or snow showers, rain or sleet later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.
In southern half of the area
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4, then becoming cyclonic 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 later in southeast.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Fair then rain.
- Visibility
- Good becoming moderate or poor.
Denmark Strait
- Storm warning
-
Issued:
Northeasterly winds will reach storm force 10 at times in the north of Denmark Strait, north of 68 north, mainly over ice. Also, westerly or southwesterly winds will reach storm force 10 at times until 090700UTC in the west of West Northern Section between 59 north and 61 north.
- Wind
- Cyclonic 4 to 6 in southeast, otherwise northeasterly 6 to gale 8, but severe gale 9 or storm 10 in north.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate at first in east and high later in southeast.
- Weather
- Sleet or snow at times, freezing rain near the ice edge.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor. Light or moderate icing in north, with temperatures ms02 to ms05, but also severe icing at times, with temperatures around ms06.
North Iceland
- Wind
- Cyclonic 6 to gale 8, but 4 to 6 at first in northeast and later in south, becoming northerly or northeasterly 7 to severe gale 9 in northwest.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but very rough in southeast.
- Weather
- Snow and fog banks in northwest, otherwise rain then showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first, but poor or very poor in northwest. Light or moderate icing in northwest, with temperatures ms02 to ms05, but also severe icing at times, with temperatures ms06 to ms08.
Norwegian Basin
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 in southeast, backing southeasterly 4 to 6 in northeast.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally high later in southeast.
- Weather
- Fair in northeast, otherwise rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours
Hurricane force winds are expected in East Northern Section and are also possible in East Central Section. Violent storms are possible in West Central Section, with storms expected in Rockall and Denmark Strait. Severe gales are expected in Sole, Shannon, Bailey, West Northern Section, north Iceland and Norwegian Basin. Gales are expected in all other areas.
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.