Coast and sea
General situation
A fresh to strong flow will extend across the British Isles at first. High pressure near Iceland will become dominant through Monday, slowly extending colder northerly winds southwards across all areas 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)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming north 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough except in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Showers, occasionally wintry later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly backing northerly or northwesterly later, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in east.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in west, becoming moderate or rough later in east.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps wintry later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East backing northeast backing north or northwest later, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, backing north or northwest 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly backing northerly later, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, rain at times in south.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, rain or drizzle for a time.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor for a time.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or 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
- East or northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, backing north or northeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, becoming mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in west, smooth or slight in east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, decreasing 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in west, smooth or slight in east.
- 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
- East or northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but slight or moderate in far south.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in far south.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in far northwest.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in far northwest.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, backing north or northeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- 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
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, backing northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but slight or moderate in North Channel.
- Weather
- Showers at first in North Channel.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in North Channel.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast backing north or northeast later, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in sheltered east.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 for a time in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in sheltered east.
- Weather
- Showers developing, mainly in north.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 3 to 5, backing north or northeast later, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in far north.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 4 to 6, increasing 7 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate northeast of skye, otherwise smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later, occasionally rough later in far north.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps wintry later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast, 3 to 5, backing north or northeast later, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in north.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 4 to 6, increasing 7 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but moderate or rough in north.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps wintry later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming north 4 to 6 later, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers, wintry later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Monday 05 Dec 2022 at 0600 UTC until Monday 05 Dec 2022 at 1800 UTC
General situation
A cold front edges south across Shetland waters this morning introducing an increasingly cold, showery northerly airstream.
Forecast
- Wind
- Southwesterly 3 to 5 at first in south, otherwise northerly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later
- Sea state
- Slight at first in sheltered eastern waters, otherwise moderate
- Weather
- Occasional rain the showers
- Visibility
- Moderate or good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Monday 05 Dec until 0600 UTC on Tuesday 06 Dec
- Wind
- North 5 or 6, occasionally 7 later
- Sea state
- Moderate soon becoming rough
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Mainly good
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East to northeast 4 to 5 in mid channel, perhaps occasionally 6 later, otherwise east to southeast 2 to 4, increasing 5 at times.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight with a low swell developing later, becoming moderate in mid channel later.
- Weather
- Occasional haze scattered showers in the north of the area mist and fog patches near french coasts this morning.
- Visibility
- Moderate to good, locally poor or very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East to northeast 4 to 6 mid channel, otherwise east to southeast 3 to 5, backing northeast and decreasing 1 to 2 for a time in the sheltered east of the area.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rather rough in mid channel at first, otherwise smooth or slight with a low swell at first.
- Weather
- Occasional haze scattered showers moving southwards across the area mist and fog patches near french coasts later.
- Visibility
- Moderate to good, locally poor to very poor later.
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.
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