Coast and sea
General situation
Low pressure will move steadily northeastwards across southern Britain, before moving out into the North Sea later on Wednesday. This will bring unsettled, and at times, windy weather. Meanwhile, in the wake of the low, a cold front will gradually move south, and introduce a strong northerly flow. On Thursday, a ridge of high pressure is then expected to build from the west.
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 6 to gale 8, backing north 4 to 6, occasionally 7.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, but moderate in shelter, becoming moderate or rough later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 6 to gale 8, backing northeast 5 or 6 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, becoming mainly rough later.
- Weather
- Rain at first, then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest, backing west, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 or 5, increasing 6 to gale 8 for a time.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6, backing west or southwest 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Rough, becoming moderate or rough later.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming north 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming moderate or rough, then rough or very rough later.
- Weather
- Thundery showers at first, rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 5 or 6, backing west 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly veering northwesterly, 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, backing northwesterly 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough at first in north, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 4 to 6, veering northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers for a time.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest, veering west or northwest, then north later, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 or 5, occasionally 3.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 to 5, veering north 5 or 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming slight in lyme bay.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 or 5, veering northeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough in west, slight or moderate in east.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest, veering northeast later, 3 to 5, occasionally 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough in west, slight or moderate in east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, backing north 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough at first in west, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest, backing northwest later, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first near St Davids Head.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North, backing northwest, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 5 or 6, occasionally 7, backing north 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 4 or 5, backing north or northwest 3 or 4, then west or northwest later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 to 6, backing north 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but moderate or rough in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5, backing west 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in north.
- 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 or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 3 to 5, backing northerly or northwesterly, backing westerly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first near Tiree, backing north 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but rough until later near Tiree.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5, backing west 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast, 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate, becoming moderate or rough later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in central section.
- Weather
- Showers or rain.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast, 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, becoming rough, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers or rain.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 7 or gale 8, backing northwest 5 or 6 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, becoming rough later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Wednesday 09 Oct 2024 at 0600 UTC until Wednesday 09 Oct 2024 at 1800 UTC
General situation
An area of low pressure pushes north into Scandinavia, with high pressure slow moving near Iceland, maintaining a strong to gale force northerly flow over Shetland Waters.
Forecast
- Wind
- North 6 to gale 8
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, moderate in sheltered waters south of shetland
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Mainly good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Wednesday 09 Oct until 0600 UTC on Thursday 10 Oct
- Wind
- North 6 or 7, occasionally gale 8 at first
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, moderate in sheltered waters south of shetland
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Mainly good
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly 3 to 4, occasionally variable 1 to 2 in the south of the area, veering northwest to north by midday, increasing 4 to 5 by dusk, perhaps locally 6 until midnight, mainly in the north of the area.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight with a low swell, becoming slight to moderate overnight.
- Weather
- Rain in the south of the area until midday, occasional showers elsewhere, locally heavy overnight.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, perhaps locally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North to northwest 3 to 5, gradually veering northeasterly through the afternoon and evening.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate with a low swell, decreasing smooth to slight overnight.
- Weather
- Occasional showers, locally heavy at first, becoming isolated overnight.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, locally moderate.
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.
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