Coast and sea
General situation
Low pressure over Denmark will bring strong winds and some showers to the east this afternoon, but as the low moves away east and a high moves over the British Isles into tomorrow, the winds will ease off. The high will persist on Sunday.
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)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 5 to 7 veering north 3 to 5, becoming variable 4 or less later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first, rain later in far northwest.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 4 or less, becoming southeast 3 to 5, veering south 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle spreading from northwest.
- Visibility
- Good becoming moderate or poor.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 5 to 7, decreasing 2 to 4, becoming variable later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but rough until later in east and smooth in Firth of Forth.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming southeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth in Firth of Forth.
- Weather
- Fair then rain.
- Visibility
- Good becoming moderate.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 5 to 7 decreasing 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Rough becoming moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5 becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate becoming slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 6 or 7 decreasing 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers until later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 or 5 veering northeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate, but rough at first in north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate in north.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but rough in northeast.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but rough at first in northeast.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 to 6 veering northerly 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in far northeast and smooth later in northwest.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate in far east.
- Weather
- Showers later in east.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5 veering north or northeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in southeast.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast, becoming variable for a time, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5 veering northeast 3 or 4, then becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate at first near Isles of Scilly.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 at first, becoming east or northeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5 veering northeast 2 to 4, becoming variable later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming northeast 3 or 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5 veering north 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming north 2 to 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight in southwest.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6, veering north 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming smooth.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly west or northwest, 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5, soon veering north 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, falling smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming mainly west or northwest later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in south, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northwest later, 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth, but slight in north.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 or 5 decreasing 2 or 3.
- Sea state
- Moderate at first in North Channel, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northwesterly, 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5, decreasing 2 or 3, backing west or southwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 2 or 3, occasionally 4 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate in far northwest.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then southwest 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth south of skye and rough at first in north.
- Weather
- Showers at first, rain later in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later in north.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate until later in north.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then southwest 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, but rough at first in north and slight later in south.
- Weather
- Showers at first, rain later in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later in north.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 6 to gale 8, veering northerly 2 to 4, becoming variable 2 or less in west.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough becoming moderate.
- Weather
- Wintry showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Friday 19 Apr 2024 at 1200 UTC until Saturday 20 Apr 2024 at 0000 UTC
General situation
A complex low east of the UK while high pressure builds to the west giving an increasingly settled northerly flow.
Forecast
- Wind
- Northwest 6 to gale 8 veering north 4 to 6
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Saturday 20 Apr until 1200 UTC on Saturday 20 Apr
- Wind
- Northerly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in east, becoming variable 2 later in west
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West to northwest 4 to 5 veering north by late evening, then northeast by dawn on Saturday.
- Sea state
- Moderate becoming mainly slight on Saturday.
- Weather
- Risk of patchy light rain or drizzle until mid-afternoon.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first increasing 4 to 5 towards dawn Sunday.
- Sea state
- Slight, locally moderate, decreasing smooth to slight for a time.
- Weather
- Fine becoming cloudier overnight.
- Visibility
- Very good.
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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