Coast and sea
General situation
Complex and discrete areas of low pressure to the south of the United Kingdom will bring showers and light winds to northern areas, with stronger winds and longer, perhaps heavier spells of rain to the south and east.
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
- Southeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in Moray Firth and east, but slight or moderate in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, backing northeasterly 5 or 6, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth in Moray Firth at first, becoming moderate, occasionally rough later in north.
- Weather
- Showers, then rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east or southeast 2 to 4, veering northeast later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4, backing north 5 to 7, then west or southwest, 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in north.
- Weather
- Showers, rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later in south.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate later in south.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 3 to 5, backing northerly or northwesterly 5 or 6, backing southwest 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate, occasionally rough for time.
- Weather
- Showers or rain.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4, increasing 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming mainly moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast becoming cyclonic 4 or 5, then west or southwest 5 or 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain at times, then showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming cyclonic at times.
- Sea state
- Slight, smooth at times in Thames estuary, becoming mainly moderate later in north.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Cyclonic, 4 to 6, becoming westerly or southwesterly 5 to 7 later, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough for a time, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then northeast 3 to 5 later, becoming cyclonic 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming west or southwest 5 to 7, perhaps increasing gale 8 in west, decreasing 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming mainly moderate, increasing rough for a time in east, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4, backing northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later offshore.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5, backing west or northwest 3 to 5, then southwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first offshore.
- Weather
- Rain, then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 2 to 4, becoming easterly or northeasterly veering northerly later, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate west of Lands End and later near Lizard Point.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly, 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in east, backing westerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later in west.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight but occasionally moderate west of Lands End.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth in east Bristol Channel.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North backing northwest, then backing southwest later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth in east Bristol Channel.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4, increasing 5 at times.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near st david's head.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast backing northwest, then backing southwest later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast, backing west, then southwest later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in south.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 or 4, backing north or northeast later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 or 4, increasing 4 or 5, backing west or northwest, then south or southwest later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, 2 to 4, becoming mainly west or southwest later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming westerly or northwesterly 3 or 4, backing southwest later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming northwest 2 to 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near north and south entrances.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- In south, variable 2 to 4, in north, southeasterly backing northeasterly 3 to 5 later, then northwesterly later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near north and south entrances.
- Weather
- Showers, rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, moderate later.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming slight later near Ardnamurchan Point.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- In south, variable 2 to 4, in north, southeasterly backing northeasterly 3 to 5 later, then northwesterly later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, moderate later.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, backing easterly later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in south and east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Saturday 27 Apr 2024 at 0000 UTC until Saturday 27 Apr 2024 at 1200 UTC
General situation
Freshening southeasterly flow will develop on Saturday.
Forecast
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in far northwest later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, but slight just east of shetland
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1200 UTC on Saturday 27 Apr until 0000 UTC on Sunday 28 Apr
- Wind
- Southeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in far northwest at first, backing easterly 3 or 4 in east later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, but slight just east of shetland
- Weather
- Mainly fair, occasional showers
- Visibility
- Mainly good
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or variable 1 to 3 becoming east to northeast 3 to 5 by midday, backing north to northeast 4 to 6 by afternoon northwest 5 to 7 by midnight but the south and east becomes variable cyclonic 3 to 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, with a low swell, perhaps locally moderate becoming rather rough across the west and north by evening.
- Weather
- Mainly fair overnight rain or showers spreading north by late morning, locally heavy with a risk of thunder.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, locally poor at times.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 5 to 7, perhaps occasionally gale 8 overnight, decreasing 4 to 6 by dawn decreasing westerly 3 to 4 by midday, backing southwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate to rather rough decreasing smooth to slight with a low swell by midday.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, locally heavy with a risk of thunder, clearing by late morning Sunday, then mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good to moderate locally poor at times.
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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