Coast and sea
General situation
Complex and shallow area of low pressure to the south and east of the United Kingdom will move away further south and lose its identity, while a weak high pressure ridge stretches in from the northwest. Generally light winds and fog patches are expected for most areas with rain and showers for the south.
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
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in north.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east or southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in north.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in north.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east or southeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches until later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor until later.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches until later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor until later.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 becoming northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches until later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor until later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming northerly or northeasterly for a time, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming northerly or northeasterly 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches later in east.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later in east.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming north or northeast for a time, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming north or northeast for a time, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable mainly northerly or northeasterly in west, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming north or northeast for a time later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable mainly northerly or northeasterly in west, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches, showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming east or northeast for a time, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Shower, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches, showers at first, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast becoming variable, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly becoming variable, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in northwest.
- Weather
- Showers at first and later in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first and later in north.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming easterly or northeasterly, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in west.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first in west.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first in west.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest veering east or northeast later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in east.
- Weather
- Fog patches later in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later in north.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches until later in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor until later in north.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 to 5 in North Channel, occasionally 6 at first in North Channel, otherwise variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in North Channel.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first, showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 to 5 at first in North Channel, otherwise variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, fog patches later in North Channel.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later in North Channel.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth in shelter.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly becoming variable, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in west.
- Weather
- Fog patches until later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor until later.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly becoming variable, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first in south.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming north or northeast 2 to 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly becoming variable, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming north or northeast 2 to 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle at first, fog patches until later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor until later.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Saturday 18 May 2024 at 1800 UTC until Sunday 19 May 2024 at 0600 UTC
General situation
Slack pressure over Shetland Waters leads to light winds.
Forecast
- Wind
- West or southwest 2 to 4
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Fog patches, occasional rain or drizzle
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0600 UTC on Sunday 19 May until 1800 UTC on Sunday 19 May
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, but easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5 in far north
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Fog patches at first, then fair
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 2 to 4, becoming variable 1 to 3 by midnight, then northerly 2 to 4 Sunday afternoon.
- Sea state
- Smooth, locally slight a low swell, diminishing overnight.
- Weather
- Patchy rain, mainly in the north, clearing overnight mist and a risk of fog patches until midday Sunday, mainly in the north isolated showers near normandy coast later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, locally poor or perhaps very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth, locally slight.
- Weather
- Isolated showers, mainly near french coast Monday afternoon mist and a risk of fog patches from midnight until midday Sunday, mainly in the north.
- Visibility
- Good, locally moderate or poor, perhaps locally very 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.
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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