Coast and sea
General situation
High pressure centred to the northwest will slowly decline during today, but will maintain largely settled conditions across western areas. Low pressure situated over the eastern North Sea will drift southwards, this will maintain a fresher and showery northerly flow across the eastern areas.
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
- North or northwest, veering northeast later, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly veering northeasterly later, 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Firth of Forth.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest veering northeast later, 4 or 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate, occasionally rough at first in south.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 2 to 4, becoming variable later.
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate, becoming slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5, backing southwest for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North veering northeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first in north, becoming variable later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming mainly slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, backing westerly or southwesterly later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in northeast, becoming smooth or slight later in Thames estuary.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, backing west or southwest for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later, then southwesterly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in east, becoming variable 3 or less, then easterly 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming west or southwest later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest, veering east or northeast later, 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, but mainly westerly or northwesterly in west.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in far west.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 2 to 4, becoming 3 or less later, then mainly easterly 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming moderate later in west.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 or 4, backing west for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4, then east or northeast later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming moderate later in south.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4, becoming variable for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North veering east or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming north or northwest 3 or 4, increasing 5 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North becoming variable 2 to 4, then mainly east later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 or 3, becoming mainly northwest and increasing 4 or 5 for a time, then veering north 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming slight or moderate for a time.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 2 or 3, veering east or northeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 2 to 4, but variable 3 or less in south and east at first and again later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly east or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 2 to 4, increasing 5 for a time in North Channel, but variable 3 or less at first and again later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east or northeast 2 to 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest veering northeast later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast becoming variable later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in west.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4, veering northeast later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in north, but smooth or slight elsewhere.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but slight or moderate in north and in south entrance later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4, veering northeast later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest veering northeast later, 3 to 5, increasing 6 for a time.
- Sea state
- Moderate, rough at times in north and west.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Wednesday 24 Apr 2024 at 1200 UTC until Thursday 25 Apr 2024 at 0000 UTC
General situation
The mainly northerly airstream over Shetland waters veers more northeasterly overnight with a shallow low moving south close to the Norwegian coast.
Forecast
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 to 6
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate, becoming rough later in north
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Mainly good, occasionally moderate or poor
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Thursday 25 Apr until 1200 UTC on Thursday 25 Apr
- Wind
- North 5 or 6 veering northeast 3 to 5
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Mainly good, occasionally moderate or poor
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 3 to 4 in the west of the area at first, otherwise variable 1 to 3, becoming southwest 3 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, locally slight.
- Weather
- Scattered showers developing overnight.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West to southwest 3 to 4, perhaps locally 5 at first, becoming variable 1 to 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, locally slight, with a low swell developing later.
- Weather
- Isolated showers.
- Visibility
- Good, locally moderate.
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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