Welcome to the Weekly Weather Update – your guide to the world’s oceans and seas. Each week, we highlight key marine weather patterns and analyse unusual or significant weather events. From calm spells under high pressure to tropical cyclones forming in equatorial waters, and from jet streams steering oceanic storms to anomalies in sea-surface temperature that shape global climate patterns. Here’s what this week’s weather has in store.
Wintry conditions over the North Sea
Low-pressure systems will track east-southeast across the North Sea and the UK during the coming week, while high pressure builds over Scandinavia. Easterly and southeasterly winds will become dominant over the North Sea later this week. These conditions will lead to wintry weather, with occasional strong winds, high waves, and temperatures just above freezing. At times, passing troughs may bring sleet and snow, especially near coastal areas and over the northern and central North Sea.
The highest wave heights this week are expected in the central and northern North Sea, particularly on Wednesday and Friday. Significant wave heights may reach up to 6 meters in the northern areas, while in the southern North Sea they are expected to range between 2 and 4 meters, locally increasing to around 5 meters in the English Channel.
Cold weather over the Baltic Sea
High pressure over Scandinavia will result in an easterly flow, transporting cold air from northwest Russia toward the Baltic Sea. Temperatures are expected to fall well below freezing across large parts of the region during the course of the week. These low temperatures, combined with strong winds, may lead to icing on vessels as sea spray freezes upon contact.
Ice accumulation poses significant hazards: it adds weight to the vessel, reducing stability; makes decks slippery; and may cause ice to fall from rigging, endangering crew members. In addition, ice can cover or disable critical equipment such as antennas, radar, and navigation lights, thereby hindering safe operations.
To remain informed about the weather at your location, we recommend you to consult the latest weather reports. Stay safe, and we look forward to updating you again next week!
Stay updated on LinkedIn
We plan to post this Weekly Weather Update on our Infoplaza for Marine Weather Operations LinkedIn page as well. This is also the place where we will share other insightful marine weather articles, so be sure to follow us to never miss an update.
