Coast and sea
General situation
A complex area of low pressure centred over the south of the United Kingdom on Thursday will move northwards over the country during Friday. This will bring showers, thundery at times, but northern areas will stay mostly dry.
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
- East or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in Firth of Forth.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5 becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, fog banks developing.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast becoming variable, 2 to 4, then south 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, fog banks.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5 becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, thundery showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 becoming south or southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Thundery showers, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Cyclonic becoming southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Thundery showers, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6 backing southerly 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Thundery showers and fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in Dover Straits.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming rough for a time offshore.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in Dover Straits, backing southeasterly 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West 4 to 6, backing southwest 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest backing east or southeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 4 to 6 backing southwest 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly backing easterly or southeasterly, 2 to 4, occasionally 7 later in west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6 backing west or southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, thundery at times in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in north.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest becoming variable, 2 to 4, backing east later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, but westerly 4 to 6 in far south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or thundery showers, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Cyclonic becoming west or southwest, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers then fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in north, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming mainly smooth later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair in north, thundery showers and fog patches in south.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally very poor in south.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 becoming cyclonic 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 to 6 becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less becoming south or southwest 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6 becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers in south.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in southwest, becoming variable 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate until later in North Channel.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in south, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in west.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers later in south.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 until later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5 becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 until later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5 becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4, becoming variable later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Thursday 02 May 2024 at 1200 UTC until Friday 03 May 2024 at 0000 UTC
General situation
A mainly easterly flow will persist over Shetland waters.
Forecast
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 or 4
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Friday 03 May until 1200 UTC on Friday 03 May
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West to northwest 4 to 5, perhaps locally 6 mid-channel at first, backing southwest 3 to 4 overnight, becoming variable 1 to 2 in the south of the area later.
- Sea state
- Rather rough mid-channel at first, otherwise slight to moderate, decreasing smooth to slight overnight with a low swell.
- Weather
- Isolated showers.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, perhaps locally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 2 to 4, but variable 1 to 2 in the south of the area, becoming southeast 2 to 4 overnight, backing easterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, locally slight, with a low swell.
- Weather
- Isolated showers or thunderstorms near the French coast until evening.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, occasionally moderate near the French coast.
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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