Coast and sea
General situation
High pressure centred to the west of the United Kingdom will gradually decline during today, but will maintain largely settled conditions to western areas. Low pressure situated over Denmark will drift southwards helping to maintain the northerly flow across the British Isles and bring the risk of further showery rain to the 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
- North or northwest, veering northeast later, 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first and again later, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly, veering northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first.
- Weather
- Showers, becoming mainly fair for a time.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 to 6, backing west or southwest 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West veering north or northeast, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 for a time, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, backing westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in northeast, becoming smooth or slight later in Thames estuary.
- Weather
- Showers, becoming mainly fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly veering northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in north and smooth or slight in south.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in east, becoming variable 2 to 4 later, then southwesterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate until later in far east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 4 to 6, veering northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly west or northwest, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first and again later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 4 to 6, veering east or northeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 until later in far east, otherwise northwesterly 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate for a time in far west.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 or 4, but variable 3 or less at first in Bristol Channel.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 to 5, increasing 6 for a time in Bristol Channel, then becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4, then west or northwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or 4 later, then east or southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then northwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 4, occasionally, becoming variable 3 or less, then east or northeast 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 at first in south, otherwise northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in north.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 or 3 later, then southeasterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in east.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in the North Channel.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 or 3 later, then easterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in the North Channel.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in south.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest, veering east or northeast later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast, backing northwest for a time, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in north, but smooth or slight elsewhere.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in north, but smooth or slight elsewhere.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast, backing northwest for a time, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 to 6, veering northeast 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers later, otherwise mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Wednesday 24 Apr 2024 at 0600 UTC until Wednesday 24 Apr 2024 at 1800 UTC
General situation
The mainly northerly airstream over Shetland waters veers more northeasterly overnight with a shallow low moving south close to the Norwegian coast.
Forecast
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate, becoming rough later in north
- Weather
- Mainly fair
- Visibility
- Good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Wednesday 24 Apr until 0600 UTC on Thursday 25 Apr
- Wind
- North 5 or 6 veering northeast 4 or 5
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Mainly good
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, locally 4 at in the southwest until mid-afternoon, becoming west to southwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Mainly smooth.
- Weather
- Isolated showers until midday, then perhaps later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West to southwest 2 to 4, locally 5 mid-channel for a time, veering west to northwest during Wednesday afternoon.
- Sea state
- Slight in the north times, otherwise mainly smooth.
- Weather
- Isolated showers, becoming scattered overnight.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
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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