Coast and sea
General situation
Low pressure moving south across the North Sea will bring strong winds and gales to the east today. In the west, winds will become lighter as an area of high pressure builds from the Atlantic.
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)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally 4 in Moray Firth, decreasing 2 to 4 later in east and becoming variable 3 or less later in west.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first north of Orkney, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming southeasterly 3 to 5 in northeast.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Fair, rain or drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or poor later.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 near ratray head at first, decreasing 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, rough at times in north and south, occasionally slight in Firth of Forth.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, smooth in Firth of Forth.
- Weather
- Fair, rain or drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or poor later.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest veering north 4 to 6, increasing 7 for a time, occasionally 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough becoming moderate, occasionally slight later.
- Weather
- Fair, rain and drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or poor later.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest veering west 4 to 6, increasing 7 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers until later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Fair, rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly veering northerly 4 to 6, increasing 7 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough, occasionally slight in Thames estuary.
- Weather
- Showers until later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor until later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, decreasing 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in north, smooth at times in Thames estuary.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, decreasing 2 to 4, veering northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, increasing rough at times near North Foreland, occasionally smooth later in east.
- Weather
- Showers at first, then fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first in east.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near North Foreland.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 to 5, veering north or northeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth of slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable mainly northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first, veering east or northeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Occasionally moderate in west until later, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East 2 to4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in Bristol Channel, veering north or northeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle until later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate until later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest veering north 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Showers until later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate until later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly veering northerly later 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in southeast, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming mainly west 2 or 3.
- Sea state
- Smooth, but slight at first in south.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5, veering north 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 2 to 4 becoming variable 3 or less, then west later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in east, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first in north, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight in northwest.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
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 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times in North Channel, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Moderate until later in North Channel, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally smooth near Mull of Kintyre.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first near Mull of Kintyre, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough becoming slight or moderate, occasionally smooth later.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly southwest 2 or 3.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in northwest.
- Weather
- Fair, occasional rain later in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 2 to 5, occasionally 5 at first, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, smooth in central areas.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, moderate until later in north.
- Weather
- Fair at first, then occasional rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or poor.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 2 to 5, occasionally 5 at first, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in south.
- Weather
- Fair at first, then occasional rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or poor.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 6 to gale 8, decreasing 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Friday 19 Apr 2024 at 0600 UTC until Friday 19 Apr 2024 at 1800 UTC
General situation
A complex low east of the UK while high pressure builds to the west giving an increasingly settled northerly flow.
Forecast
- Wind
- Northwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally 5 in far west later
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough
- Weather
- Mostly fair, perhaps a few slight showers east
- Visibility
- Good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Friday 19 Apr until 0600 UTC on Saturday 20 Apr
- Wind
- North 5 to 7, decreasing 3 to 5
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West to northwest 4 to 5 veering north by late evening, then northeast later.
- Sea state
- Moderate locally slight, becoming mainly slight by late afternoon.
- Weather
- Risk of patchy light rain or drizzle until mid-afternoon.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, perhaps locally moderate at times.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 to 5, decreasing 2 to 4 by late afternoon, increasing 4 to 5 again towards dawn Sunday.
- Sea state
- Slight locally moderate, decreasing smooth to slight for a time.
- Weather
- Fine becoming cloudy overnight.
- Visibility
- Good or very good.
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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