General situation
An area of low pressure to the west of Ireland will track close to northwest Scotland with the associated weather fronts pushing through the coastal waters. A ridge of high pressure will then build in the north with a shallow area of low pressure moving into the Southwest Approaches early Wednesday.
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
- Southerly 5 to 7, veering westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate later in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming southerly or southwesterly 5 or 6 later, occasionally 7 later in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but moderate occasionally rough in north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 to 6, veering west or northwest 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate occasionally rough at first in north, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming north or northeast 4 or 5, veering south later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming north or northeast 3 to 5, backing southwest later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first in north.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 becoming south or southwest 3 to 5, veering northwest later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good,.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly, veering northerly or northwesterly later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 4 or 5, backing southerly 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly, veering westerly or southwesterly, then northwesterly later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 or 5, backing south 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest, veering west or northwest later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or 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 or moderate in east, moderate or rough in west.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly, veering northerly or northwesterly later, 3 to 5, increasing 6 for a time west of Lands End.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in west.
- Weather
- Showers, mainly fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 3 or 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough in west, slight or moderate in east.
- Weather
- Rain for a time.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly veering northerly or northwesterly, 3 to 5, increasing 6 for a time in west.
- Sea state
- Rough at first in west, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers becoming fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 to 5, veering north or northwest 4 to 6 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 or 5 becoming variable 2 or 3, then north or northeast 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 or 4 backing north or northwest 3 to 5, then backing southwest later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 or 5, becoming variable 3 or less, becoming north or northeast 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in west, backing north or northwest, backing southwest 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain, fair later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 4 to 6, veering westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, then northeasterly 2 to 4, increasing 5 or 6 later in east.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but moderate or rough in north.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in east, then backing northwesterly, backing southwesterly 5 to 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but moderate or rough in north.
- Weather
- Rain, mainly fair later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly, veering northerly or northeasterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in North Channel.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, smooth or slight in shelter.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in North Channel, becoming variable 2 to 4, then southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in North Channel.
- Weather
- Rain at first, mainly fair later.
- 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 southwest 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4, becoming north or northwest 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5, backing south or southwest 6 to gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but slight in shelter, occasionally very rough later near Tiree.
- Weather
- Occasional rain 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 decreasing 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but moderate or rough near entrances.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 becoming south or southwest 3 to 5, increasing 6 to gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but rough near entrances, becoming moderate or rough later, but very rough near entrances.
- Weather
- 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 decreasing 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in west.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 becoming south or southwest 3 to 5, increasing 6 to gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough later.
- Weather
- Rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or poor later.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast veering west or northwest, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough later.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Tuesday 19 Mar 2024 at 0600 UTC until Tuesday 19 Mar 2024 at 1800 UTC
General situation
Complex low to the north of UK bringing fronts and strong to gale winds at first, clearing and easing later.
Forecast
- Wind
- South or southeast veering west, 6 to gale 8
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, moderate in lee shelter of shetland
- Weather
- Rain or showers
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Tuesday 19 Mar until 0600 UTC on Wednesday 20 Mar
- Wind
- West 5 to 7, decreasing 3 to 5
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in north
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly 3 to 5, decreasing 2 to 4 by midday, locally variable 1 to 2 by evening, becoming mainly southeasterly overnight.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate mid-channel until late afternoon a low to moderate swell throughout.
- Weather
- Patchy rain and drizzle, mainly in the far northwest of the area until evening, then mainly fair risk of mist and fog patches, mainly coastal France overnight.
- Visibility
- Good, locally moderate to poor, perhaps locally poor to very poor overnight.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeasterly 1 to 2, becoming variable at times increasing north to northwest 2 to 4 by mid afternoon.
- Sea state
- Smooth locally slight, with a low swell throughout.
- Weather
- Risk of mist or fog patches, mainly coastal France until midday small risk of a shower late afternoon and evening.
- Visibility
- Good, perhaps occasionally moderate to poor, locally 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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