Coast and sea
General situation
A relatively light and often variable flow will continue through tonight and into Friday, with showers in the north, but rain at times in the south may be heavy.
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
- North or northeast, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but slight or moderate west and north of Orkney.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming southeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in Moray Firth at first.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast, 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east or northeast, 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near ratray head later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first in south.
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast becoming variable at times, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, but moderate at first in south.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5, veering east or northeast, 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, moderate at first in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly becoming variable later, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, rain at times.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly becoming cyclonic later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, rain at times.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time, then easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in east.
- Weather
- Showers, rain at times.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first, becoming variable 3 or less for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, rain at times, mainly fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor until later.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time, then east or northeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers, rain at times.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly east 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers rain at times, mainly fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor until later.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4, then cyclonic later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate, occasionally rough later near Isles of Scilly.
- Weather
- Showers or rain.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 2 to 4, but north or northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 west of Lizard Point.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, increasing rough at times near Isles of Scilly.
- Weather
- Showers, occasional rain until later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor until later.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 2 to 4, becoming variable for a time, then mainly east or northeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers, rain at times.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Bristol Channel.
- Weather
- Showers, rain first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in south.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in south.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, increasing moderate at times near st david's head.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4, occasionally variable 3 or less in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 or 4, veering east or northeast.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable , mainly east or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northerly 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but slight or moderate in northwest until later.
- 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, mainly easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later near Mull of Kintyre.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first near Mull of Kintyre.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first,.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near north and south entrances.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near north and south entrances.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate, but increasing rough at times to the west of Outer Hebrides.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then southerly or southeasterly 2 to 4 later in east.
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate, occasionally slight in south.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Thursday 25 Apr 2024 at 1800 UTC until Friday 26 Apr 2024 at 0600 UTC
General situation
A slack flow covers Shetland waters.
Forecast
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 but northeasterly 3 or 4 at first in west
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming slight south of shetland
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Mainly good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0600 UTC on Friday 26 Apr until 1800 UTC on Friday 26 Apr
- Wind
- Variable becoming south or southeasterly 2 to 4
- Sea state
- Moderate, but south of shetland
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Mainly good
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly 3 to 5, becoming variable cyclonic 1 to 3 locally 4 overnight, then mainly west by Friday evening.
- Sea state
- Smooth locally slight, becoming mainly slight by late afternoon Friday, with a low swell developing.
- Weather
- Isolated showers, becoming more widespread and locally heavy at times, perhaps with thunder.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, perhaps locally poor at times.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 2 to 4, becoming variable cyclonic 1 to 3 for a time overnight, then east by dawn, gradually backing northeast and increasing 4 to 6 through Saturday.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight, with a low swell.
- Weather
- Isolated showers, perhaps clearing for a time, but becoming more widespread and locally heavy towards Saturday evening.
- Visibility
- Good, locally moderate or 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.
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