Coast and sea

High seas forecast and storm warnings

The general synopsis for UK

At 261200UTC, low 46 north 41 west 1010 expected 52 north 38 west 995 by 271200UTC. Low 64 north 11 west 990 expected 67 north 09 west 995 by same time. Low 63 north 40 west 997 expected 65 north 37 west 989 by that time. at 261200UTC, high 47 north 29 west 1020 expected 45 north 25 west 1022 by 271200UTC

Issued at: 20:00 (UTC) on Fri 26 Jul 2024.

For the period 20:00 (UTC) on Fri 26 Jul 2024 to 20:00 (UTC) on Sat 27 Jul 2024.

High seas forecast and storm warnings map

High seas forecast and storm warnings explained

Sole

Wind: West veering north or northwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Shannon

Wind: Southwest veering northwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Showers, perhaps thundery at first.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor at first.

Rockall

Wind: Southwest veering northwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Showers, perhaps thundery at first.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor at first.

Bailey

Wind: Southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Faeroes

Wind: Southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Southeast Iceland

Wind: Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming southwesterly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Rain or showers, fog patches in north.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in north.

East Northern Section

Wind: Westerly or northwesterly backing southerly or southwesterly, 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in north.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Rain at times in north, showers in south.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate in north.

West Northern Section

Wind: Variable 2 to 4 becoming southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state: Slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough.
Weather: Rain for a time.
Visibility: Good, becoming moderate or poor for a time.

Wind: Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later in far southwest.
Sea state: Slight at first in north and rough later in south, otherwise moderate.
Weather: Rain, gradually becoming confined to far northwest, fog patches in far north.
Visibility: Moderate or good, becoming poor for a time, but occasionally very poor in far north.

Wind: Southwesterly, becoming cyclonic later in far south, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later in far northwest.
Sea state: Moderate, occasionally rough in far north.
Weather: Mainly fair, then rain and fog patches.
Visibility: Good, becoming moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

East Central Section

Wind: Northwesterly 4 to 6 becoming variable 2 to 4, then becoming southerly 5 to 7 later in west, perhaps gale 8 later in far west.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Showers at first in north and occasional rain at first in far south, then rain later in far west.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

West Central Section

Wind: Variable 2 to 4 becoming southeasterly 5 to 7, veering southerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8 later.
Sea state: Moderate, becoming rough later.
Weather: Fair then rain, thundery at times.
Visibility: Good, becoming moderate or good occasionally poor.

Wind: Southeasterly veering southwesterly, then westerly or northwesterly later, 4 to 6, increasing 7 or gale 8 for a time in far northeast.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Rain, thundery at times, then showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Wind: Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5 becoming cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough later in east.
Weather: Fair then rain, thundery at times, then showers later in west, fog patches.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Denmark Strait

Wind: Northerly or northeasterly, becoming cyclonic in south, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 near greenland.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Rain at times, fog banks.
Visibility: Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.

North Iceland

Wind: Easterly or southeasterly until later in north, otherwise cyclonic, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in far southeast.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Occasional rain or drizzle moving northwards, fog banks, perhaps extensive fog at times.
Visibility: Moderate to very poor, occasionally good in south.

Norwegian Basin

Wind: Southerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in west, becoming variable 2 to 4 in northeast.
Sea state: Moderate in west, slight or moderate in east.
Weather: Occasional rain or showers, perhaps thundery near norway.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for following 24 hours

Gales expected in Rockall, Bailey, East Northern Section, West 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.