Coast and sea
General situation
A ridge of high pressure extends westwards across the British Isles giving predominantly fine and settled conditions for much of the inshore waters with generally light winds, but strong easterly or northeasterly winds will affect southern coastlines at times. Thundery showers 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
- Variable becoming south or southeast later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate to the west and north of Orkney, smooth or slight elsewhere.
- Weather
- Fog patches until later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor until later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate to the west and north of Orkney, smooth or slight elsewhere.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly southeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming east or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first, occasional drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northeast, 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
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
- East or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers later, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 until later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers later, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Bristol Channel.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 until later in east.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Bristol Channel.
- Weather
- Showers later, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near St Davids Head.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 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
- East or northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 or 4, decreasing 2 or 3 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in far north.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming east or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northeasterly, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in sheltered east.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east or southeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in sheltered east.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near entrances.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first near southern entrance.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor or very poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Thursday 19 Sep 2024 at 0000 UTC until Thursday 19 Sep 2024 at 1200 UTC
General situation
Ridge of high pressure extends west over Shetland Waters
Forecast
- Wind
- South or southwest 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate, but slight in east.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, occasional drizzle and mist patches later in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor later in north.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1200 UTC on Thursday 19 Sep until 0000 UTC on Friday 20 Sep
- Wind
- Variable 2 or 3, occasionally northeasterly 3 or 4 later in the west.
- Sea state
- Moderate, but slight or smooth east of shetland.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, occasional drizzle and mist patches.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor.
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East northeast 4 to 5, occasionally 6 in the north and west of the area.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rather rough in the north and west.
- Weather
- Fair or fine.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 to 5, perhaps occasionally 6 in the north and west at first.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, occasionally rather rough mid-channel at first.
- Weather
- Fair or fine risk of a thundery shower later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate to 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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