Coast and sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings

The general synopsis at 1800

High southern Scandinavia 1036 expected southern Baltic 1033 by 1800 Thursday. Low Trafalgar 1008 slow-moving unchanged

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map

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Viking

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

North Utsire

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

South Utsire

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Forties

Wind
Variable becoming east later, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Cromarty

Wind
South or southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Forth

Wind
South or southeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fog patches later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.

Tyne

Wind
East or northeast 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Mainly good.

Dogger

Wind
East or northeast 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Mainly good.

Fisher

Wind
East or northeast 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Mainly good.

German Bight

Wind
East or northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in south.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Humber

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Thames

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Dover

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Wight

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Portland

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Plymouth

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Biscay

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in far north.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Trafalgar

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fog patches in north.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in north.

FitzRoy

Wind
In south, easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first. In north, easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
In south, moderate or rough. in north, moderate or rough.
Weather
In south, fog patches later. In north, fair.
Visibility
In south, moderate or good, occasionally very poor later. In north, mainly good.

Sole

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Mainly good.

Lundy

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Mainly good.

Fastnet

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Mainly good.

Irish Sea

Wind
East or northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Shannon

Wind
East or northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight later.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Rockall

Wind
Variable becoming easterly or northeasterly later, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first.
Weather
Occasional drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Malin

Wind
Variable becoming easterly or northeasterly later, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Hebrides

Wind
In southeast, variable becoming easterly or northeasterly later, 2 to 4. In northwest, southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, becoming variable then easterly later, 2 to 4.
Sea state
In southeast, slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first. in northwest, moderate or rough.
Weather
In southeast, occasional drizzle, fog patches. In northwest, occasional drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
In southeast, moderate or good, occasionally very poor. In northwest, moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Bailey

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, becoming variable then easterly later, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Fair Isle

Wind
South becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in far west.
Weather
Occasional drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Southwest 5 or 6, decreasing 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly becoming cyclonic 4 to 6, then variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather
Occasional drizzle at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate or poor at first.

Shipping forecast information

The shipping forecast is issued four times a day at 2300, 0500, 1100, 1700 UTC and covers a period of 24 hours from 0000, 0600, 1200 and 1800 UTC respectively.

The waters around the British Isles are divided into 31 sea areas shown on the map.

The forecast contains details of gale warnings in force, a general synopsis and sea-area forecasts containing wind direction and force, sea state, weather and visibility.

Gale warnings are issued as required throughout the day (for winds of Gale Force 8 or more).

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.

Caution: The internet is not part of the Maritime Safety Information system and should never be relied upon as the only means to obtain the latest forecast and warning information. Access to the service may be interrupted or delayed from time to time, updates may also be delayed.

Please refer to GMDSS services, INMARSAT SafetyNET or international NAVTEX for the latest information. When using these web pages, always check that the page on your screen is not from your cache. Use the Refresh or Reload button if in any doubt.