Coast and sea
General situation
Slack pressure gradients will maintain light or moderate winds across the coastal waters with fog in the east coast during the next couple of days. However, the fog is expected to clear during Tuesday.
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 3 or 4, becoming northwesterly 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in northwest.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 or 5, backing westerly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 later in southeast.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in inner Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or 4, becoming northwest 4 or 5 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or 4, becoming west or northwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 near Rattray Head.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in north.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming west or northwest 3 or 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth near shore.
- Weather
- Showers, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming west or northwest 4 or 5, veering southeast 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming northwest 3 or 4, veering north 4 or 5, becoming variable 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or 4, becoming west or southwest 4 or 5 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth near shore.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northwesterly, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in northeast.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 at first, becoming southeasterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly southwesterly, 3 or 4, veering northwesterly for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest, veering north, 3 or 4, backing southwest later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight later in east.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then southwest 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or 4, becoming northwest 4 or 5 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in the Bristol Channel, becoming variable 3 or less for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in northeast.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in the Bristol Channel, becoming variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in northeast.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northwest, 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight in far northeast and far southwest.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, becoming southwest, 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight in southwest.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in north, becoming variable 3 or less for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 or 4, backing west or southwest later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northwest, 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northwest, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in the North Channel.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming smooth later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight at first.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in shelter.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in shelter.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 or 4, increasing 5 or 6 in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming moderate in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 or 4, increasing 5 or 6 in north.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming moderate in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming northwest 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, but smooth near east coast.
- Weather
- Fog patches, occasional rain in southwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Monday 20 May 2019 at 1800 UTC until Tuesday 21 May 2019 at 0600 UTC
General situation
A trough of low pressure extends north over mainland Scotland with a slack, moist airflow across Shetland.
Forecast
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, but northerly 3 or 4 in east for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight, but smooth near east coast.
- Weather
- Fog patches. Occasional rain in southwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0600 UTC on Tuesday 21 May until 1800 UTC on Tuesday 21 May
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight, but smooth near east coast.
- Weather
- Fog patches. Occasional rain in southwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North to northwest 2 to 4, backing west to southwest 2 to 3 for a time tonight and at first tomorrow, then becoming variable for a time in sea breezes tomorrow afternoon.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mist patches later tonight and at first tomorrow, mainly near brittany coast, otherwise fine.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later tonight and at first tomorrow.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North to northwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 2 or less by mid-evening.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, with a low swell developing.
- Weather
- Mist patches later in the night near coasts, otherwise fine.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor from later in the night.
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.
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.