Coast and sea
General situation
A ridge of high pressure extending westwards across the British Isles giving a good deal of fine conditions and lighter winds in the north will start to decline into the weekend. Stronger easterly or northeasterly winds will affect southern coastlines at times and showers, perhaps thundery are possible across southern waters later on Friday.
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
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally variable 3 or less in Moray Firth.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in north.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle until later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly east, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Drizzle and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming east or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle and fog patches until later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Drizzle, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Mainly slight.
- Weather
- Drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight increasing moderate for a time.
- Weather
- Risk of fog patches for a time.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally very poor for a time.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first, showers later in south.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth inshore.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Bristol Channel.
- Weather
- Showers later, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly, 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 3 or 4, increasing 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 4 or 5, increasing 5 or 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later in south.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in south.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly, 2 to 4, increasing 5 at times.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in North Channel.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or southeasterly, 3 to 5 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, but easterly, 3 to 5 in south.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 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.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth at first.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly east or southeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in east.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Friday 20 Sep 2024 at 0000 UTC until Friday 20 Sep 2024 at 1200 UTC
General situation
Ridge of high pressure will cover Shetland Waters
Forecast
- Wind
- Variable, mainly east or southeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional mist and drizzle, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor or very poor.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1200 UTC on Friday 20 Sep until 0000 UTC on Saturday 21 Sep
- Wind
- Variable, mainly east or southeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional mist and drizzle, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor or very poor.
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 to to 5, occasionally 6 at first, decreasing 3 south of jersey in the afternoon.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, occasionally rather rough in the north and west at first.
- Weather
- Occasional haze or mist risk of a thundery showers from late evening.
- Visibility
- Moderate to good, perhaps locally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 to 4 occasionally 5 mid channel at first, veering east to southeast 2 to 4, becoming cyclonic variable later Saturday.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, decreasing smooth to slight overnight.
- Weather
- Haze or mist at times a risk of thundery showers, mainly overnight.
- Visibility
- Moderate to good, 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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