Coast and sea
General situation
Complex and shallow area of low pressure to the south and east of the United Kingdom will move away further south and lose its identity, while a weak high pressure ridge stretches in from the northwest. Generally light winds and fog patches are expected for most areas with isolated showers for some.
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
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east or southeast 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate to the north and west of Orkney, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in north.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate to the north and west of Orkney, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northerly or northeasterly, 1 to 3, occasionally 4 later in south.
- 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 easterly or northeasterly, 1 to 3.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4, veering north or northeast 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches until later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor until later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 1 to 3.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less at first in south, otherwise northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in east.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in east.
- Weather
- Showers later in east.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, becoming north or northeast later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers for a time.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast becoming variable for a time, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers for a time.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northerly or northeasterly in west, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers for a time, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northerly or northeasterly at first, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northerly or northeasterly in west, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers for a time.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5 for a time.
- 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
- North or northeast 2 to 4.
- 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
- North or northeast becoming variable, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5 later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5 at first in north, otherwise variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in west.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest veering east, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in north.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest becoming variable, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches until later in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor until later in north.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 5 or 6 at first in North Channel, otherwise variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first, showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, fog patches in North Channel.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in North Channel.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in west.
- Weather
- Fog patches developing.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches until later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor until later.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 2 or 3, becoming variable 3 or less, then north or northeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 2 or 3, becoming variable 3 or less, then north or northeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming mainly east or southeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle at first, fog patches until later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor until later.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Sunday 19 May 2024 at 0000 UTC until Sunday 19 May 2024 at 1200 UTC
General situation
Slack pressure over Shetland Waters leads to light winds through Sunday.
Forecast
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4
- Sea state
- Moderate in the west, slight in the east.
- Weather
- Fog patches, occasional rain or drizzle
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1200 UTC on Sunday 19 May until 0000 UTC on Monday 20 May
- Wind
- Mainly east or southeast 3 to 4
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Fog patches at first, then fair
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, becoming northerly 2 to 4 in the afternoon.
- Sea state
- Smooth, locally slight at times.
- Weather
- Patchy rain in the west before dawn mist and a risk of fog patches, clearing for a time in the afternoon and evening isolated showers from late morning.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, locally poor or perhaps very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 3 to 4, locally variable 2 at times.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight.
- Weather
- Isolated showers, mainly near french coast in the afternoon mist and a risk of fog patches, clearing by midday.
- Visibility
- Good, locally moderate or poor, perhaps locally very poor.
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.
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.
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