Coast and sea

Inshore waters and strong winds

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General situation

The British inshore waters will lie in a light and variable airflow during the next 24 hours.

Issued at: 06:00 (UTC) on Tue 3 Aug 2021

For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore for the period 06:00 (UTC) on Tue 3 Aug 2021 to 06:00 (UTC) on Wed 4 Aug 2021

Inshore waters forecast and strong winds map

Inshore waters forecast explained

Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney (1)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: South or southeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first near Rattray Head, becoming variable 3 or less.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Fair then showers.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Variable 3 or less becoming south or southeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 near Aberdeenshire.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Showers, perhaps thundery for a time.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Variable mainly south 3 or less, increasing 4 at times.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Showers for a time.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: South or southwest 1 to 3 backing south or southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Fair then showers.
Visibility: Good.

Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Variable 3 or less, becoming south or southeast 3 to 5 for a time.
Sea state: Slight.
Weather: Showers for a time.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Variable 3 or less becoming south or southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state: Slight, occasionally moderate later.
Weather: Thundery showers for a time.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Variable 3 or less becoming southeast 3 or 4, then veering south later.
Sea state: Slight.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: South 3 or 4 backing southeast 4 or 5.
Sea state: Slight, occasionally smooth at first.
Weather: Showers, perhaps thundery, becoming fair later.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Variable 3 or less becoming easterly or southeasterly 2 to 4.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first in north, then veering southerly or southeasterly later.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Showers, perhaps thundery, becoming fair later.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 at first.
Sea state: Smooth, occasionally slight.
Weather: Showers then fair.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Variable 3 or less becoming southwesterly 2 to 4.
Sea state: Smooth, occasionally slight.
Weather: Mainly fair.
Visibility: Good.

Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Variable 3 or less, becoming southwest 3 or 4 for a time.
Sea state: Smooth, occasionally slight.
Weather: Showers then fair.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Variable 2 or less becoming southwest 2 to 4, then backing south later.
Sea state: Smooth, occasionally slight.
Weather: Mainly fair.
Visibility: Good.

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

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 at first.
Sea state: Smooth or slight in east, slight throughout in west.
Weather: Showers, becoming fair later.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Variable 3 or less becoming south or southwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
Sea state: Smooth or slight in east, but in west slight, becoming moderate later to the west of Lizard Point.
Weather: Fair then showers.
Visibility: Good.

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

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 at first.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Showers, becoming fair later.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Variable 3 or less becoming west or southwest 2 to 4, then backing south 3 or 4 later.
Sea state: Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later in west.
Weather: Fair then showers, perhaps thundery in Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate in Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary.

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

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 at first in north.
Sea state: Smooth, occasionally slight.
Weather: Mainly fair.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Variable 3 or less becoming west or southwest 2 to 4, then backing south 3 to 5 later.
Sea state: Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
Weather: Showers later, perhaps thundery.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate later.

Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Variable 3 or less, increasing 4 at times.
Sea state: Smooth, occasionally slight.
Weather: Showers, becoming fair later.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Variable 3 or less becoming southerly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later in north.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Fair then showers, perhaps thundery.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Isle of Man (12)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Southwest backing south, 2 to 4.
Sea state: Smooth, occasionally slight.
Weather: Showers, becoming fair later.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: South 3 or 4, occasionally 2 at first, increasing 5 at times later.
Sea state: Slight, occasionally smooth at first and moderate later.
Weather: Showers later.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate later.

Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Variable mainly southwest 3 or less becoming south or southeast 2 to 4.
Sea state: Smooth, occasionally slight.
Weather: Showers, becoming fair later.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Southerly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in east, but becoming variable 2 at times in far north.
Sea state: Slight, occasionally smooth at first.
Weather: Fair then thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

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

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Variable 3 or less becoming southerly or southwesterly 2 to 4.
Sea state: Smooth, occasionally slight.
Weather: Showers for a time at first.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Southerly or southwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state: Smooth or slight, becoming slight later.
Weather: Fair then showers, perhaps thundery.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Variable, becoming south or southeast later, 3 or less, increasing 4 at times.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Showers then fair.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: South or southeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first, becoming variable 2 at times later.
Sea state: Slight, occasionally smooth at first.
Weather: Fair then showers, perhaps thundery.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

The Minch (16)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: South or southwest 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 at times.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: South or southwest 3 to 5, becoming cyclonic 1 to 3 later.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Rain or thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Southerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 at times in north.
Sea state: Slight, occasionally smooth between Barra and Canna, and also near Sutherland.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor later.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: South or southwest 3 to 5, becoming cyclonic 1 to 3 later.
Sea state: Slight, occasionally moderate to the west of the Outer Hebrides.
Weather: Rain or thundery showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Shetland Isles (18)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Southwest 2 or 3 backing south 3 or 4.
Sea state: Slight.
Weather: Mainly fair.
Visibility: Good.

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

Valid Tuesday 03 Aug 2021 at 0600 UTC until Tuesday 03 Aug 2021 at 1800 UTC

General situation

Shallow low near Iceland holding a slack south to southwest flow over your location.

Forecast

Wind: South or southwest 2 to 4
Sea state: Slight
Weather: Mainly fair
Visibility: Good

Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Tuesday 03 Aug until 0600 UTC on Wednesday 04 Aug

Wind: South 2 to 4
Sea state: Slight
Weather: Mainly fair
Visibility: Good

Channel Islands (19)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Westerly 2 to 4, locally variable 1 to 3, becoming easterly or variable 2 or 3 overnight.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Isolated showers.
Visibility: Good, locally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Easterly or variable 1 to 3, becoming southerly.
Sea state: Smooth or slight.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good.

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.

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.