General situation
A complex area of low pressure affecting the UK will maintain unsettled conditions throughout the forecast period, with showers or longer periods of rain expected.
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
- Easterly backing northeasterly 4 to 6 becoming cyclonic 3 or 4, then southerly later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough in northwest, occasionally slight later in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in south for a time.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough in northwest, occasionally slight in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, becoming cyclonic later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in Firth of Forth.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Cyclonic becoming south, 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in north, becoming cyclonic for a time, then westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight later.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, backing southerly or southeasterly 4 or 5, decreasing 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast 5 or 6, veering southwest 5 to 7, backing south 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough for a time.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, thundery later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South 3 or 4, increasing 5 or 6 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, thundery at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, decreasing 3 to 5 later in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough for a time.
- Weather
- Thundery rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly, 3 to 5 in north, 6 or 7 in south, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in south, occasionally smooth later.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, thundery at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 7 or gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first, decreasing 5 or 6 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later.
- Weather
- Thundery rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 5 or 6, decreasing 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 7 to severe gale 9, decreasing 5 or 6, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first, becoming moderate or rough later.
- Weather
- Thundery rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 5 to 7, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 at first, becoming south or southwest 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first, occasionally moderate in east later.
- Weather
- Thundery rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 5 to 7, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough, occasionally slight in lyme bay.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in south, becoming southerly or southeasterly 3 or 4, veering southwesterly 5 or 6 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first in south, becoming moderate or rough, occasionally slight later in Bristol Channel.
- Weather
- Thundery rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in Bristol Channel.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 or 4, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6, then south or southwest later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough in south, slight or moderate in north.
- Weather
- Thundery rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 5 or 6, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in south.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly becoming cyclonic 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in south, becoming southerly or southeasterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Thundery rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly 3 or 4, backing east or southeast 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast 4 or 5 backing northeast, then backing west, becoming south later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, becoming mainly fair later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor becoming mainly good later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 or 5, decreasing south 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, soon becoming slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 5 or 6, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming south 3 or 4, occasionally 5 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- 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
- East or southeast 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth in Firth of Clyde.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming southeast 3 or 4 veering south or southwest later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in North Channel.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 5 or 6, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or 4, becoming south or southeast 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in west later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 5 or 6, becoming variable 3 or less, then southwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in north.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 to 5, backing southeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in west, decreasing 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later in north.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in north.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming cyclonic 3 or 4, then southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly 4 or 5 backing northeasterly 5 to 7, veering southeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in north.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Thursday 28 Mar 2024 at 1200 UTC until Friday 29 Mar 2024 at 0000 UTC
General situation
An area of low pressure remains over the UK. Associated troughs will affect Shetland Waters this evening and on Friday.
Forecast
- Wind
- Easterly 4 or 5 backing northeasterly 5 to 7, decreasing 4 later in far southeast
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming very rough later in north
- Weather
- Fair then rain
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor later
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Friday 29 Mar until 1200 UTC on Friday 29 Mar
- Wind
- Northeast 5 to 7 veering southeast 3 to 5
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough but moderate just southwest of shetland
- Weather
- Rain then showers
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South to southwest 7 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 with gusts to 60kt, especially in the northwest of the area, decreasing 5 to 7 this evening.
- Sea state
- Rough to very rough, high north of guernsey, decreasing overnight moderate in the south rough in the north but with swell.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers, heavy at times with a risk of hail and thunder, becoming isolated later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South to southwest 5 to 6, perhaps f7 mid channel at first, decreasing 4 to 6 Friday afternoon, then 3 to 5 Saturday morning, backing south to southeast by midday.
- Sea state
- Rather rough to rough in the northwest until midnight, otherwise slight to moderate with a low to moderate swell.
- Weather
- Isolated showers, locally heavy with a risk of hail and thunder.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, perhaps locally poor.
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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