General situation
Low pressure southwest of Ireland will reach the Irish Sea early on Wednesday , then tracking into the North Sea later in the day. Ridge of high pressure then stretches in from the west behind the low. The ridge will be displaced eastwards as a deep low moves to Iceland and extends the associated weather fronts across the United Kingdom on Thursday.
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
- West or northwest 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but slight or moderate in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming south or southwest 4 or 5, increasing 6 or 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but slight or moderate in Moray Firth, occasionally very rough in northwest later.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 to 4 occasionally 5 later in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate, decreasing to slight later occasionally smooth in southeast.
- Weather
- Occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 occasionally 5 at first in south, becoming southerly or southwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in north.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, but rough for a time later in north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 to 4, then north or northeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight but moderate at first in north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5, backing southwest later.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight, increasing slight to moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 becoming north 3 to 5, veering southwest later.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight, but moderate for a time in north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, veering northerly or northwesterly later.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight.
- Weather
- Rain, mostly fair later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor first.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 3 to 5, backing southeasterly 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeasterly 2 to 4, veering westerly or northwest 3 or 4, then northerly or northeasterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight, increasing slight to moderate later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 to 5, backing south 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 or less, veering west or northwest 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate in east, moderate to rough in west.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 to 5, veering north or northwest, backing west later.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, but moderate to rough later in west.
- Weather
- Showers, mainly fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming south 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate to rough in west, slight to moderate in east.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly 3 to 5, veering northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5 occasionally 6 in west, backing west later.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, but moderate to rough later in west.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, mainly fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, backing northerly 3 to 5 later occasionally 6 in west.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly 4 to 6, becoming variable 3 or less later, then south or southwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, but fair for a time.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 or 3, then northerly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in west.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight but moderate at first in west.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less, then southwesterly 4 to 6 occasionally 7 later in northwest.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight but moderate at first in west, becoming slight to moderate later.
- Weather
- Rain or showers but fair for a time.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 or 4 becoming variable 3 or less, then north 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first and again later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 4 to 6 soon becoming variable 3 or less, then southwest 5 or 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor later.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming north 3 to 5 occasionally 6 later in south.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5, backing south 4 to 6 occasionally 7 in north later.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, but rough in north later.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, but fair for a time.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less, then north or northeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in northeast.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5, backing south 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in northeast.
- Weather
- Rain or shower, but fair for a time.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4, then north or northwest 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate to rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 or 4, backing southerly or southwesterly 6 or 7, occasionally gale 8 later in north.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but very rough later in west.
- Weather
- Fair, rain or showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 5 to 7, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but rough in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming southerly or southwesterly 6 or 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming rough.
- Weather
- Fair, rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or poor later.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 5 to 7, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming southerly or southwesterly 6 or 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough, occasionally high later in west.
- Weather
- Fair, rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or poor later.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly 5 or 6 at first in east, otherwise westerly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in north.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Tuesday 19 Mar 2024 at 1200 UTC until Wednesday 20 Mar 2024 at 0000 UTC
General situation
An area of low pressure north of the Faeroes will move away north during Tuesday. A ridge will then build to the southwest of Shetland on Wednesday.
Forecast
- Wind
- Southerly 5 or 6 at first in east, otherwise westerly 5 to 7, decreasing 4 later in south
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, becoming moderate just east of shetland
- Weather
- Rain then showers
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Wednesday 20 Mar until 1200 UTC on Wednesday 20 Mar
- Wind
- Westerly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in north
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in north, becoming slight just east of shetland
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly 2 to 4, becoming variable 1 to 3 overnight.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, with a low to moderate swell.
- Weather
- Patchy drizzle in the north at first risk of mist and fog patches, mainly coastal France Wednesday morning.
- Visibility
- Good, perhaps locally poor to very poor on Wednesday.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, becoming north to northwest 3 to 4 by Wednesday evening.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight with a low swell.
- Weather
- Risk of mist or fog patches clearing.
- Visibility
- Good, perhaps poor or very poor at first.
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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