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.
This week starts off rougher than the previous one, with strong winds and high waves. A low-pressure system is located over the Norwegian Sea, while a secondary low is present over southern Scandinavia. Both systems are slowly moving northeast.
As a result, unsettled weather is expected across the North Sea on Wednesday and Thursday. Wind speeds may locally increase to 30–35 knots, with stronger winds of 40–45 knots in the northernmost areas. From late Wednesday into Thursday, significant wave heights are forecast to build to 6–7 meters, and may even exceed these values in parts of the central North Sea.
Coastal areas will experience relatively calmer conditions, with winds generally staying below 30 knots and wave heights below 3–4 meters. However, local exceptions may still occur (see Figure 1).
Later on Thursday and into Friday, a mobile ridge moves across the North Sea, bringing a brief period of calmer weather to most of the region. At the same time, another low-pressure system located southwest of Iceland slowly tracks east-northeast. This system leads to stronger winds in the northern areas, with speeds reaching up to 30–35 knots.
The low-pressure system mentioned in the previous paragraph is expected to reach the Norwegian Sea by Saturday. It will be followed by another ridge moving across the North Sea, bringing a brief period of calmer conditions before quickly shifting away.
Toward the end of the week, another low-pressure system near Iceland moves east-northeast, bringing unsettled and rather changeable weather to the North Sea region. It is advised to monitor weather reports closely to stay up to date on these developments.
Weather over the North Atlantic remains changeable and often unsettled, due to the repeated passage and development of low-pressure systems.
On Wednesday, a low-pressure system just east of Labrador moves slowly northeast. Strong winds of 35–40 knots are expected offshore of Newfoundland and Labrador. Wave heights in these offshore areas may build to 7–8 meters. Closer to the coast, wave heights will be lower, generally reaching up to 4–5 meters; however, conditions will remain dangerous.
As the low-pressure system moves away, winds decrease. However, wave heights remain relatively high, reaching 4–4.5 meters over the Labrador Sea on Thursday and continuing to affect Newfoundland and Labrador.
On Friday, a new low-pressure system moves northeast across Newfoundland and southern Labrador, bringing unsettled weather once again. This time, the associated band of unsettled conditions extends farther southwest, also affecting the U.S. East Coast. Offshore winds may reach 30–35 knots, with slightly lower speeds in nearshore areas. Wave heights are expected to build to 4–5 meters, with even higher values well offshore.
In the course of the next week, another new low-pressure system is expected to track over this area resulting in unsettled weather again.
Throughout the coming week, both the North Sea and the northern Atlantic are expected to experience mostly unsettled and changeable weather. A series of low-pressure systems will bring periods of strong winds and high waves, particularly offshore, while brief ridges may provide short-lived calmer conditions. Coastal and nearshore areas generally experience lower winds and waves, but dangerous conditions can still occur. Mariners and coastal communities are advised to stay updated with the latest weather reports, as conditions can change rapidly across the region.
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