Coast and sea

Inshore waters and strong winds

General situation

A deep low over Norway will move away north as the strong winds and gales will gradually ease. A small low will move east into the channel on Saturday, before an Atlantic low will move southeast over Ireland.

Issued at: 06:00 (UTC) on Fri 22 Jan 2021

For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore for the period 06:00 (UTC) on Fri 22 Jan 2021 to 06:00 (UTC) on Sat 23 Jan 2021

Inshore waters forecast and strong winds map

Inshore waters forecast explained

Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney (1)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: West or northwest 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 or 5 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate in Moray Firth, otherwise rough or very rough, occasionally high at first in northwest.
Weather: Wintry showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: West or northwest 4 or 5, backing southwest 3 or 4.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, but slight in inner Moray Firth, occasionally very rough at first in northwest.
Weather: Wintry showers.
Visibility: Good occasionally poor.

Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Northwest 6 to gale 8, backing west 3 or 4.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in east and very rough at first in far northeast.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: West 3 or 4.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in northeast and smooth in southwest.
Weather: Wintry showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Northwest 6 or 7, backing west 3 or 4.
Sea state: Moderate or rough becoming moderate later.
Weather: Mainly fair.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: West 3 or 4, veering northwest 2 or 3 for a time.
Sea state: Moderate.
Weather: Wintry showers later.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor later.

Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: West 6 or 7, backing southwest 4 or 5.
Sea state: Moderate or rough becoming moderate.
Weather: Mainly fair.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Southwest 4 or 5, veering northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Wintry showers later.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor later.

Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Southwesterly 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4.
Sea state: Smooth or slight, but moderate in northeast.
Weather: Mainly fair.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Southwesterly 3 or 4, veering northwesterly 2 to 4, increasing 4 to 6 later.
Sea state: Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in northeast.
Weather: Wintry showers later.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor later.

North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Westerly 4 or 5, backing southwesterly 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state: Slight, occasionally moderate in southwest and smooth in northeast.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Variable 3 or less, becoming northwesterly 4, backing westerly 4 to 6, becoming variable 4 or less later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate at first.

Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)

24 hour forecast:

Wind: West 3 or 4, occasionally 5 offshore, becoming variable 3 or less, then northeast 3 or 4 later.
Sea state: Moderate, occasionally slight near shore.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Northeast 3 or 4, backing north 4 or 5, becoming variable 4 or less, then southeast 3 or 4 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

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

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: West 3 to 5, increasing 5 or 6, becoming variable 3 or less, then north 4 or 5 later.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in lyme bay.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: North 4 or 5, becoming variable 4 or less, then cyclonic 5 to 7 later.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in lyme bay.
Weather: Showers, perhaps wintry later.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor later.

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

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in southwest, becoming variable 4 or less, then northerly 3 to 5 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate in Bristol Channel, otherwise moderate or rough.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Northerly 3 to 5 becoming variable 4 or less, then cyclonic 4 to 6 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in southwest.
Weather: Showers, perhaps wintry later.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor later.

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

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Northwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in northeast.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Northwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in north, becoming variable 4 or less, then southeasterly 4 or 5 in south later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth later in northeast.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: West 4 to 6, veering northwest 3 to 5, backing west later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate becoming slight.
Weather: Wintry showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: West or northwest 3 to 5, increasing 5 or 6, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate becoming smooth or slight.
Weather: Wintry showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Isle of Man (12)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: West 5 or 6, veering northwest 4 or 5 for a time.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Wintry showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: West 5 or 6 veering northwest 6, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate becoming smooth or slight.
Weather: Wintry showers.
Visibility: Good occasionally poor.

Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: West or northwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, increasing 5 to 7 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in northwest.
Weather: Squally wintry showers mainly in north.
Visibility: Good occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Northwest 5 to 7, backing west 3 or 4, then southwest 5 to 7, veering northwest 3 to 5 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in north and in the North Channel, and smooth later in south.
Weather: Squally snow showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

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

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first, becoming cyclonic 5 to 7 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight for a time.
Weather: Squally wintry showers.
Visibility: Good occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Cyclonic 5 to 7, becoming westerly 2 to 4, backing southwesterly 5 to 7, veering northwesterly 3 or 4 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in North Channel, becoming smooth or slight later.
Weather: Squally snow showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Northwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, becoming cyclonic 5 to 7 later.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, but slight in east.
Weather: Squally snow showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Cyclonic, becoming northwest, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first, backing west 3 to 5 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, but rough until later in northwest.
Weather: Squally snow showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

The Minch (16)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Northwest 5 to 7, becoming cyclonic, mainly northwest, 4 to 6.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, but rough or very rough in north.
Weather: Squally snow showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Cyclonic, mainly northwest, 4 to 6, becoming west 3 to 5.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, but rough in north.
Weather: Squally snow showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Northwest 5 to 7, becoming cyclonic, mainly northwest, 4 to 6.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first in north.
Weather: Squally snow showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: Cyclonic, mainly northwest, 4 to 6, becoming west 3 to 5.
Sea state: Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather: Squally snow showers.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Shetland Isles (18)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: North 6 to gale 8, backing northwest 5 to 7.
Sea state: Very rough or high, occasionally rough in sheltered southeast, becoming rough or very rough.
Weather: Wintry showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor.

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

Valid Friday 22 Jan 2021 at 0600 UTC until Friday 22 Jan 2021 at 1800 UTC

General situation

Deep low will remain slow-moving close to the Norwegian coast east of Shetland maintaining a strong cold showery northwesterly airstream.

Forecast

Wind: Northwest 6 to gale 8.
Sea state: Very rough, occasionally high in northwest, and rough in more sheltered waters southeast of shetland.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Friday 22 Jan until 0600 UTC on Saturday 23 Jan

Wind: Northwesterly backing westerly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in far northeast.
Sea state: Very rough, occasionally rough in southeast.
Weather: Wintry showers.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate or poor.

Channel Islands (19)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind: Westerly 4 to 6, locally 3 at first, increasing 5 to 7 for a time this afternoon and evening, backing south to southeast 3 to 5 overnight, occasionally variable 1 to 3 by dawn.
Sea state: Slight to moderate with a low to moderate swell, increasing rather rough to rough for a time from midday until midnight.
Weather: Occasional showers, locally heavy with hail, dying out this evening rain spreading east after midnight, perhaps locally heavy with sleet.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate, perhaps locally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind: South to southeast 3 to 5, occasionally variable 1 to 3 at first, becoming north to northwest by midday, backing southwest to south 4 to 6 overnight, perhaps locally 7.
Sea state: Slight to moderate with a low to moderate swell, increasing rather rough in the west later.
Weather: Rain or showers mainly at first and again later, locally heavy perhaps with sleet.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate, perhaps locally poor.

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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