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Weather forecast services broadcast under the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).
The GMDSS
This is the prime source of all Marine Safety Information (MSI) including weather forecasts and warnings. Sailors must know what is available, when and how.
The value of the GMDSS and the necessity to use it cannot be overstressed. Forecasts and warnings are necessarily very broad brush but they do have the inestimable value of human, intelligent input. Experienced forecasters can give the best interpretation of the guidance from Numerical Weather Prediction models. They can see the output from models run by other Met services and from their own computer run under slightly varying initial conditions (known as ensembles). The best use of forecasts is to study both the GMDSS text forecasts and other data such as GRIB files and synoptic charts.
These pages are about GMDSS services for Europe, the eastern North Atlantic, the Baltic and Mediterranean. Depending on the area and forecast type these broadcasts may be by VHF, NAVTEX, Inmarsat and HF/SSB radio.
- SOLAS and the GMDSS - how they apply to leisure sailors
- The mechanics of getting forecasts
- Sources of Marine Weather Forecasts
- UK Marine Coastal Weather Services
- European NAVTEX weather broadcasts
- Western European VHF broadcasts
- UK Shipping Forecast Areas
- UK Inshore Waters Areas
- METAREA I, UK High seas areas
- METAREA II – French High seas areas
- METAREA III – Mediterranean High seas areas
- Sea areas used by Météo France on NAVTEX and VHF
- Spanish Atlantic sea areas
- Baltic sea areas
- Faeroes Sea Areas
- Icelandic sea areas
- Norwegian sea areas
- Italian sea areas
- INMARSAT coverage and METARESs worldwide
- UK Shipping Forecast Areas
- Radio Fax Schedules, Northwood, DWD and Worldwide
- Radioteletype
- The future of the GMDSS - How it must change!
