Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 21200UTC, low 44 north 57 west 966 expected 51 north 40 west 959 by 221200UTC. New low expected 52 north 36 west 960 by same time. Low 61 north 11 west 960 expected 70 north 13 west with little change by that time. New low expected 61 north 41 west 974 by 221200UTC. Low 62 north 27 west 960 slow-moving losing its identity by same time. High 71 north 39 west 984 slow moving, declining 981 by that time

Issued at: .

For the period to .

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

Sole

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Very rough occasionally high.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind
Southwest, backing south later, 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
High becoming very rough.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Rockall

Wind
Southwest, backing south later, 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
High becoming very rough.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Bailey

Wind
Southwest 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
High occasionally very rough.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Moderate occasionally good.

Faeroes

Wind
Southwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Squally showers, rain at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Southwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Squally showers, rain at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.

East Northern Section

In north

Wind
Cyclonic, becoming westerly or southwesterly in east, 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 or 5 in west.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate later in west.
Weather
Occasional rain or squally showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

In south

Wind
Westerly, backing easterly or southeasterly later, 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 later in east.
Sea state
Very rough or high, occasionally rough later in west.
Weather
Squally showers, rain later.
Visibility
Good becoming moderate or poor later.

West Northern Section

In north

Wind
Northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in east, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Very rough at first in east, otherwise moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or wintry showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

In south

Wind
Westerly, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in east, decreasing 3 or 4 later, then backing easterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 later in east.
Sea state
Rough occasionally very rough.
Weather
Wintry showers, occasional rain or sleet later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

East Central Section

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first in far north, backing southerly or southeasterly 7 to severe gale 9 later.
Sea state
High, occasionally very rough.
Weather
Squally showers, rain and drizzle later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, becoming poor later.

West Central Section

High seas storm warning
Issued:

At 21200UTC, low 44 north 57 west 966 expected 51 north 40 west 959 by 221200UTC. Winds will reach storm force 10 or violent storm force 11 between 250 miles and 450 miles from the centre in the southern semi-circle from 20600UTC.

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly, becoming cyclonic in north, 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 or severe gale 9, then increasing storm 10 or violent storm 11 later in south.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming high or very high in south later.
Weather
Occasional rain or squally showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good becoming poor.

Denmark Strait

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly, 7 to severe gale 9, decreasing 4 to 6 in southwest.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate in far southwest.
Weather
Occasional rain or snow, then wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor. Light or moderate icing within 100 miles of ice edge, with temperatures ms02 to ms05, but severe or very severe icing for a time near ice edge in north, with temperatures ms06 to ms09.

North Iceland

In northwest

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly, 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 later.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally moderate near ice edge.
Weather
Occasional snow and sleet.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor. Light or moderate icing near the ice edge, with temperatures ms02 to ms05, but occasionally severe or very severe icing developing with temperatures ms06 to ms09.

In northeast

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally very rough later.
Weather
Occasional snow and sleet.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.

In south

Wind
Cyclonic 7 to severe gale 9.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high in east.
Weather
Occasional snow or sleet.
Visibility
Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.

Norwegian Basin

Wind
Southerly, veering southwesterly, 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first.
Sea state
Very rough or high, occasionally rough in far east.
Weather
Rain or squally showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Storms or violent storms expected in Rockall, East Central Section and West Central Section. Severe gales expected in remaining areas.

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.