Coast and sea
The general synopsis for UK
At 211200UTC, low 54 north 34 west 965 expected 58 north 24 west 977 by 221200UTC. New lows expected 63 north 06 west 990 and 45 north 48 west 972 by same time.
Issued at: .
For the period to .
High seas forecast and storm warnings map
Sole
- Wind
- Southwesterly 4 to 6, increasing 7 at times.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Rain, then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Shannon
- Wind
- Southwesterly 6 or 7, increasing gale 8 at times.
- Sea state
- Very rough, becoming very rough or high.
- Weather
- Squally showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Rockall
- Wind
- Southwesterly 6 or 7, increasing gale 8 at times.
- Sea state
- Very rough, becoming very rough or high.
- Weather
- Squally showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Bailey
- Wind
- Cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in north, decreasing 4 at times later.
- Sea state
- Very rough, occasionally high later in southwest.
- Weather
- Rain, then squally showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Faeroes
- Wind
- East or southeast 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in west and 4 at first in east, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Rough, occasionally very rough in west.
- Weather
- Rain, then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Southeast Iceland
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly, occasionally northeasterly in north, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in west and 4 in east.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Wintry showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
East Northern Section
- Wind
- Cyclonic, mainly easterly in north, and westerly in south, 7 to severe gale 9, but decreasing 3 to 5 at times in central areas.
- Sea state
- Very rough or high, occasionally very high later in south.
- Weather
- Rain or sleet in north, otherwise squally showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally good. .
West Northern Section
In north of area
- Wind
- Cyclonic, mainly easterly backing northeasterly, 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first, decreasing 3 or 4 later in southeast.
- Sea state
- Very rough or high.
- Weather
- Snow or sleet at times in northwest, otherwise occasional rain or squally showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally good, but very poor at times in far northwest. Moderate or severe icing developing in far northwest.
In south of area
- Wind
- Cyclonic 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 until later in west, decreasing 3 or 4 at times in northeast.
- Sea state
- Very rough or high, becoming mainly very rough later.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or squally showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
East Central Section
- High seas storm warning
-
Issued:
At 211200UTC, low 54 north 34 west 965 expected 58 north 24 west 977 by 221200UTC. Southwest winds will increase storm force 10 at times between 250 to 300 miles of the centre in the southeast quadrant, between 212100UTC until 220600UTC.
In north
- Wind
- Southwesterly 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 for a time at first in west, decreasing 6 at times later.
- Sea state
- Very rough or high, becoming high or very high.
- Weather
- Rain at first in far east, otherwise squally showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally good.
In south
- Wind
- Southwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in northwest and 4 in southeast, backing southerly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in west.
- Sea state
- Very rough, occasionally high in north for a time.
- Weather
- Rain at first in east, otherwise showers, squally at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
West Central Section
- High seas storm warning
-
Issued:
At 211200UTC, low 54 north 34 west 965 expected 58 north 24 west 977 by 221200UTC. Southwest winds will increase storm force 10 at times between 250 to 300 miles of the centre in the southeast quadrant, between 212100UTC until 220600UTC.
In north of area
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly, 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm at first 10 in northeast, becoming cyclonic 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Very rough or high, occasionally very high for a time in east.
- Weather
- Squally showers, becoming mainly fair for a time later, rain later in far south.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally good.
In south of area
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 in north at first, becoming cyclonic, mainly southerly or southeasterly, 6 to gale 8 later, occasionally severe gale 9 later in northwest.
- Sea state
- Very rough or high, occasionally very high at first in northeast.
- Weather
- Rain and squally, thundery showers spreading north.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or poor.
Denmark Strait
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first in far southwest, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in south.
- Weather
- Snow showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor. Moderate or severe icing near the ice with temperatures ms06 to ms09.
North Iceland
In north of area
- Wind
- Cyclonic, mainly northerly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in southeast, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first in east.
- Weather
- Snow showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor. Occasional light icing in southeast around 70 north with temperatures around ms02 or ms03.
In south of area
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, but cyclonic 5 in northeast and easterly 4 to 6 in south and southwest, becoming mainly easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6 later, but variable 3 or less later in northwest.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, snow showers, rain or sleet in far southeast.
- Weather
- Good, occasionally poor.
- Visibility
- Occasional light icing in northeast around 69 north with temperatures around ms02 or ms03.
Norwegian Basin
- Wind
- Northwesterly 5 or 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 at first in northeast, otherwise easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, increasing 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 for a time later in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Sleet and snow showers, occasional rain and sleet later in south.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for following 24 hours
Severe gales expected in East Northern Section, East Central Section and West Central Section. Gales expected in Shannon, Rockall, Southeast Iceland, Denmark Strait and north Iceland, with a risk of gales in Sole.
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.