Coast and sea
General situation
High pressure extended across the United Kingdom at first, slowly transferring east into the North Sea, while continue to extend a ridge through the southern United Kingdom for the weekend. Atlantic front reaching northwest Scotland for the weekend, freshening winds and bringing rain here.
Issued at:
For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore for the period to
Inshore waters forecast and strong winds map
Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney (1)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West backing south or southeast, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 over Orkney at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in north.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle, fog patches, fair later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor until later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable mainly south or southeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain and drizzle at first, mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly south or southwest, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle until later, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable mainly south or southwest, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable mainly south or southeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle at first in north, mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming southeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Mainly smooth.
- Weather
- Fair, fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally very poor later.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable mainly easterly or southeasterly, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth.
- Weather
- Fair, fog patches later in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later in north.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly easterly, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly east, 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight later in south.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate west of the Isles of Scilly.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, fog patches at first in west.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in west.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East but variable at times, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first west of Isles of Scilly.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 2 to 4, but variable 3 or less in east.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate towards Lands End.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly easterly, 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly southerly or southeasterly, 3 or less, occasionally 4 in northwest.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly southerly or southeasterly, 3 or less, occasionally 4 in northwest.
- Sea state
- Mainly smooth.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest backing southeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming southeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first, mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in North Channel.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming southeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle and fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in North Channel.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then southeasterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in sheltered east.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle and fog patches at first, mainly fair later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast becoming variable, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later in south.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest backing south or southeast for a time, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate, near entrances.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near entrances.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest backing south or southeast for a time, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North veering east or southeast, then south later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Thursday 09 May 2024 at 1200 UTC until Friday 10 May 2024 at 0000 UTC
General situation
Low pressure will remain centred in mid-Atlantic but associated weak front will move northwards across Shetland Waters on Thursday night
Forecast
- Wind
- Northerly 4 or 5 veering easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later in west
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Mostly fair but drizzle and fog patches later in south and west
- Visibility
- Good becoming moderate to very poor later in south and west
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Friday 10 May until 1200 UTC on Friday 10 May
- Wind
- East or southeast veering south, 4 or 5
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Occasional rain and fog patches
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 2 to 4, locally northwest in the far southeast of the area this afternoon, generally veering east overnight, backing northeasterly again by midday tomorrow.
- Sea state
- Smooth, locally slight.
- Weather
- Risk of mist patches near the french coast around dawn.
- Visibility
- Good, perhaps locally poor for a time around dawn.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 2 to 4, locally northwest in the far southeast of the area in the afternoon, generally veering southeast overnight, becoming southerly or variable 1 to 3 on Saturday morning.
- Sea state
- Smooth, locally slight.
- Weather
- Fair or fine.
- Visibility
- Good, perhaps locally moderate at times.
The inshore waters forecast information
Forecasts for UK inshore waters are issued four times a day and cover a period of 24 hours from 0000, 0600, 1200 and 1800 UTC.
The coastal waters around the British Isles are divided into 19 areas which extend up to 12 nautical miles offshore.
The forecast contains details of wind direction and force, sea state, weather and visibility.
Strong coastal winds (force 6 or more) are displayed for the first 24 hours of the inshore waters forecast.
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.
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