Coast and sea

Inshore waters and strong winds

General situation

A large area of high pressure will remain slow-moving across the southern half of the British Isles, bringing settled conditions to most areas.

Issued at: 12:00 (UTC) on Sun 19 Jan 2020

For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore for the period 12:00 (UTC) on Sun 19 Jan 2020 to 12:00 (UTC) on Mon 20 Jan 2020

Inshore waters forecast and strong winds map

Inshore waters forecast explained

Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney (1)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Southwesterly 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times, occasionally severe gale 9 in far northwest.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough becoming rough or very rough west of Orkney.
Weather: Occasional rain at first in north, otherwise mainly fair.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate in north.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Southwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in far northwest, veering northwesterly 4 or 5, then becoming variable 3 or 4 later in south.
Sea state: Rough or very rough to the west and north of Orkney, but elsewhere slight or moderate.
Weather: Rain or drizzle for a time.
Visibility: Mainly good, becoming moderate or poor for a time.

Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Westerly or southwesterly 5 to 7, decreasing 4 at times in north.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: West or southwest 5 to 7, becoming variable 3 or 4 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
Weather: Occasional drizzle later.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor later.

Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Westerly or southwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later in north.
Sea state: Slight, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in north.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good.

Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: West or northwest, backing west or southwest, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, becoming slight later.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: West or southwest 3 to 5.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Northerly 4 or 5 at first in southeast, otherwise northwesterly backing westerly, 3 or 4.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
Weather: Showers at first in south.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Westerly or southwesterly, becoming variable in south, 2 to 4.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Northerly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in east, decreasing 2 at times later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate at first in east, otherwise smooth or slight.
Weather: Showers at first in east.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Northerly or northeasterly, becoming variable, 2 or 3, increasing 4 at times.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: North or northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 2 later.
Sea state: Slight, occasionally smooth in shelter.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: North or northeast 2 to 4.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: East or northeast 2 or 3, occasionally 4 at first.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in far southwest, becoming smooth or slight in east.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: North or northeast 2 to 4.
Sea state: Smooth or slight, but moderate, occasionally rough later, in far southwest.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good.

Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Variable 3 or less.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight in east.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate in Bristol Channel.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Variable, mainly northerly in west, 3 or less.
Sea state: Smooth or slight at first in east, otherwise slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in far southwest.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate in Bristol Channel.

St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Variable becoming southwesterly, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 near Anglesey.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight east of Anglesey.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Westerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in far north.
Sea state: Mainly slight.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good.

Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Variable 2 to 4, becoming southwest 3 to 5.
Sea state: Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate in north.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: West or southwest 3 to 5.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good.

Isle of Man (12)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 3 at first.
Sea state: Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: West or southwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
Sea state: Slight, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather: Mainly fair.
Visibility: Good.

Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Southwest 4 or 5.
Sea state: Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Southwest 4 or 5, increasing 6 at times, occasionally 3 later.
Sea state: Moderate or rough in far north, but elsewhere slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight in east.
Weather: Mainly fair.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate later.

Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Southwesterly 4 or 5, decreasing 3 at times.
Sea state: Slight, occasionally moderate.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Southwesterly 3 to 5, increasing 6 for a time.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
Weather: Mainly fair.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate later.

Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 near Coll and Tiree.
Sea state: Slight or moderate at first in south, otherwise moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough in north.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Southwesterly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 at first in north, decreasing 4 at times in south.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather: Rain or drizzle later.
Visibility: Good, becoming moderate or poor later.

The Minch (16)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Southwest 6 to gale 8.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, but slight or moderate just north of skye.
Weather: Mainly fair.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Southwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in north, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate later.
Weather: Rain or drizzle for a time.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor for a time.

Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Southwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 in far north.
Sea state: Rough or very rough.
Weather: Occasional drizzle at times in north.
Visibility: Moderate or good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Southwest 6 or 7, veering northwest 4 or 5, then becoming variable 3 or 4 later.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first to the west of the Outer Hebrides.
Weather: Rain or drizzle, mainly fair later.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Shetland Isles (18)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Westerly 4 to 6 at first in east, otherwise southwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 later in west.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate in sheltered east.
Weather: Occasional rain or drizzle.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)

Valid Sunday 19 Jan 2020 at 1200 UTC until Monday 20 Jan 2020 at 0000 UTC

General situation

Low pressure to north and high pressure to south with frontal troughs pushing across Shetland on the strengthening southwesterly flow.

Forecast

Wind: Westerly 4 to 6 at first in east, otherwise southwesterly 6 to gale 8
Sea state: Rough becoming very rough, but moderate in shelter east of shetland
Weather: Occasional rain
Visibility: Good occasionally moderate

Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Monday 20 Jan until 1200 UTC on Monday 20 Jan

Wind: Southwesterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 later in west
Sea state: Very rough, occasionally high in west, but moderate or rough to east of shetland
Weather: Occasional rain or drizzle
Visibility: Good occasionally moderate or poor

Channel Islands (19)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Northeasterly 3 to 4, occasionally 5 on Sunday.
Sea state: Mainly slight with a low swell.
Weather: Fair or fine.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Northeasterly 2 to 4, then easterly overnight.
Sea state: Smooth or slight, with a low swell.
Weather: Risk of mist or fog patches near french coasts early Tuesday morning.
Visibility: Good, perhaps locally poor or very poor.

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.

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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