Coast and sea
General situation
Low pressure off eastern Scotland will move away southeast. A slack mainly northwesterly showery flow will affect the coastal waters before a ridge builds over the United Kingdom later on 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)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 5 or 6, backing northwest 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5, backing west 3 or 4, increasing 5 or 6 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in northwest.
- Weather
- Showers, occasional rain later in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later in north.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 5 to 7, becoming northwest 5 or 6, veering northeast 3 or 4, becoming variable later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or 4, becoming north 4 or 5 for a time, then southwest 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate in north and smooth near shore.
- Weather
- Showers becoming fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 5 or 6, veering west 5 to 7, veering north 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming slight later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming north 4 or 5, then variable 3 or 4, becoming south 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate later offshore.
- Weather
- Showers becoming fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 5 or 6, veering northeast 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or 4, becoming east, veering southeast later.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Showers becoming fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in north , becoming variable , mainly westerly, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly westerly, 3 to 5, veering northeasterly 4 or 5, then easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Thundery showers becoming fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 or 4, backing southwesterly 5 or 6, veering westerly 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly 4 or 5, veering northeasterly 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming slight later.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West 4, backing southwest 5 or 6 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 4 or 5, veering northwest 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate offshore.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in lyme bay and rough later in far west.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, backing west 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in lyme bay and rough at first in far west.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5, backing west, veering northwest, 5 or 6, occasionally 7 later offshore.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in the Bristol Channel and rough later in southwest.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 5 or 6, becoming variable 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in the Bristol Channel and rough at first in southwest, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest 5 or 6, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, some thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West, veering northwest, 4 or 5, becoming variable 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 at first in north, veering northwesterly 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 near Mull of Galloway, backing west 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first near great orme head and Mull of Galloway.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West 5 or 6, decreasing 2 or 3, veering northwest 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 5 or 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 5 or 6, veering west 4 or 5, becoming variable 3 or 4, then northwest 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but rough at first in north, becoming smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in far north.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in the North Channel, becoming variable 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate for a time.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly 5 to 7, veering northwesterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first near Mull of Kintyre, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in the North Channel, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 5 or 6, decreasing 3 or 4, veering north 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Rough becoming moderate, occasionally slight in shelter.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, backing northwest 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in shelter.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 5 or 6, decreasing 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in south and smooth later in central areas.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 or 5, backing west 3 or 4, increasing 5 or 6, backing southwest 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in central areas and rough later in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 5 or 6, decreasing 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough becoming moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 or 5, backing west 3 or 4, increasing 5 or 6, backing southwest 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough later in northwest.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North, backing northwest, 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in northeast, and rough later in far northwest.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Monday 27 May 2019 at 0000 UTC until Monday 27 May 2019 at 1200 UTC
General situation
A cool, showery northerly or northwesterly airstream covers Shetland waters.
Forecast
- Wind
- Northerly, backing northwesterly later, 4 or 5
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1200 UTC on Monday 27 May until 0000 UTC on Tuesday 28 May
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 or 5
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming rough later in northwest
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Good
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4, locally 3 by dawn after midday backing west 4 to 5, perhaps locally 6 in mid-channel by late afternoon, then west to northwest increasing 5 locally 6 during the evening.
- Sea state
- Slight increasing moderate during early afternoon and locally rather rough in west of area during late evening.
- Weather
- Patchy mist and drizzle across east of area quickly clearing during early hours isolated showers develop after midday.
- Visibility
- Moderate to poor in east initially, otherwise good moderate in showers later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West to northwest 5 locally 6, veering northwest 4 to 5 during afternoon and decreasing 3 to 4 by midnight.
- Sea state
- Moderate with a low swell, but rather rough in west of area till late afternoon, then decreasing slight by midnight.
- Weather
- Isolated showers becoming more frequent overnight, then isolated again by Tuesday evening.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate in showers.
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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