Coast and sea

Inshore waters and strong winds

General situation

A strong northwesterly showery flow will affect the coastal waters, as a ridge builds east over southern UK today, easing the winds and showers there. An Atlantic low will then move east across northern Scotland tomorrow, bringing further strong winds and showers to the northern waters.

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, backing west for a time, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally slight later in inner Moray Firth.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northwest 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 2 to 4, increasing 5 or 6 for a time.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, but smooth or slight in inner Moray Firth.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwest backing southwest, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in Firth of Forth.
Weather
Showers, fair later.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Firth of Forth.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North backing west, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally very rough at first in southeast, becoming moderate later.
Weather
Showers, fair later.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
West backing southwest, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North 5 or 6, backing west 4 or 5.
Sea state
Rough or very rough becoming slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, fair later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
West 4 or 5, backing southwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6 near Whitby.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwesterly 5 or 6, decreasing 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth in Thames estuary, otherwise slight or moderate, but rough at first in east.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 4 or less.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, but moderate at first in northeast.
Weather
Showers at first.
Visibility
Good.

North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in east, decreasing 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in northeast, becoming smooth or slight.
Weather
Showers, perhaps thundery, fair later.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North or northeast 3 or 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, fair later.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North or northeast 3 or 4, veering east, becoming variable later, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally smooth later.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

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

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwest veering northeast, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, but rough at first in west.
Weather
Showers, fair later.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northeast 3 or 4, veering east 3 to 5 for a time.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in lyme bay.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

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

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North or northwest 4 to 6, veering northeast 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, but rough at first in west, and smooth in Bristol Channel.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 4 or less.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, but moderate at first in west.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

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

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North or northeast 3 to 5, backing northwest 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in southwest.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northwest 2 to 4, backing southwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in southwest and later in north.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North 4 or 5, backing northwest 3 or 4, then west 4 or 5 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in southwest.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
West 4 or 5, backing southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate later.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Isle of Man (12)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North 4 or 5, imminently decreasing 3 or 4, backing west 4 or 5 later.
Sea state
Slight.
Weather
Mainly fair, isolated showers later.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
West 4 or 5.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate later.
Weather
Isolated showers at first.
Visibility
Mainly good.

Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North 4 or 5, backing northwest 3 to 5, then west 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate in north and smooth in south.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
West backing southwest, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first in south and rough later in far northwest.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

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

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northerly 3 to 5, backing northwesterly 3 or 4, then westerly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in North Channel.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Westerly 4 to 6, backing southwesterly 5 or 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North 4 or 5, backing northwest 3 or 4, then west 5 or 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in northwest and smooth at first in sheltered southeast.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
West 5 or 6, occasionally 4 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in sheltered east.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

The Minch (16)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North 4 or 5, backing west or northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in north.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
West or northwest becoming cyclonic, 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough near northern and southern entrances.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North 4 or 5, backing west or northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
West or northwest becoming cyclonic, 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Shetland Isles (18)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwest 6 or 7 decreasing 3 to 5, increasing 5 or 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in east.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

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

Valid Thursday 10 Oct 2024 at 0600 UTC until Thursday 10 Oct 2024 at 1800 UTC

General situation

The strong northerly airstream across Shetland waters backs more northwesterly through Thursday and eases.

Forecast

Wind
North 6 or 7 backing northwest 4 to 6
Sea state
Rough, occasionally very rough at first in northeast, and becoming moderate in well sheltered southern and eastern waters
Weather
Showers
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate

Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Thursday 10 Oct until 0600 UTC on Friday 11 Oct

Wind
Northwest 4 to 6 decreasing 2 to 4 for a time.
Sea state
Rough, but moderate in sheltered waters south and east of shetland.
Weather
Showers
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate

Channel Islands (19)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwest 4 to 5, decreasing 2 to 4 by midday, veering northeasterly later.
Sea state
Slight to moderate, decreasing smooth or slight by midday a low swell throughout.
Weather
Scattered showers, locally heavy with a risk of thunderstorms, becoming isolated overnight.
Visibility
Good or very good, locally moderate or poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northeasterly 2 to 4, gradually veering easterly, locally 5 overnight.
Sea state
Smooth to slight, with a low and diminishing swell.
Weather
Isolated showers, gradually dying out.
Visibility
Good or very good, locally moderate at times.

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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