Coast and sea
General situation
A strong northwesterly showery flow will affect the coastal waters, as a ridge builds east over southern UK today, easing the winds and showers there. An Atlantic low will then move east across northern Scotland tomorrow, bringing further strong winds and showers to the northern waters.
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
- Northwest, backing west for a time, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally slight later in inner Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 2 to 4, increasing 5 or 6 for a time.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but smooth or slight in inner Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest backing southwest, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in Firth of Forth.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Firth of Forth.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North backing west, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Rough, occasionally very rough at first in southeast, becoming moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West backing southwest, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 5 or 6, backing west 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 4 or 5, backing southwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6 near Whitby.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 5 or 6, decreasing 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth in Thames estuary, otherwise slight or moderate, but rough at first in east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 4 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate at first in northeast.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in east, decreasing 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in northeast, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 or 4, veering east, becoming variable later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest veering northeast, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but rough at first in west.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 or 4, veering east 3 to 5 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in lyme bay.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 to 6, veering northeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but rough at first in west, and smooth in Bristol Channel.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 4 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate at first in west.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5, backing northwest 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in southwest.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 2 to 4, backing southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in southwest and later in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 4 or 5, backing northwest 3 or 4, then west 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in southwest.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 4 or 5, backing southwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 4 or 5, imminently decreasing 3 or 4, backing west 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, isolated showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Isolated showers at first.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 4 or 5, backing northwest 3 to 5, then west 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate in north and smooth in south.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West backing southwest, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first in south and rough later in far northwest.
- 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 3 to 5, backing northwesterly 3 or 4, then westerly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in North Channel.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly 4 to 6, backing southwesterly 5 or 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 4 or 5, backing northwest 3 or 4, then west 5 or 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in northwest and smooth at first in sheltered southeast.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 5 or 6, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in sheltered east.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 4 or 5, backing west or northwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest becoming cyclonic, 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough near northern and southern entrances.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 4 or 5, backing west or northwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest becoming cyclonic, 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 6 or 7 decreasing 3 to 5, increasing 5 or 6 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Thursday 10 Oct 2024 at 0600 UTC until Thursday 10 Oct 2024 at 1800 UTC
General situation
The strong northerly airstream across Shetland waters backs more northwesterly through Thursday and eases.
Forecast
- Wind
- North 6 or 7 backing northwest 4 to 6
- Sea state
- Rough, occasionally very rough at first in northeast, and becoming moderate in well sheltered southern and eastern waters
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Thursday 10 Oct until 0600 UTC on Friday 11 Oct
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6 decreasing 2 to 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Rough, but moderate in sheltered waters south and east of shetland.
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 5, decreasing 2 to 4 by midday, veering northeasterly later.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, decreasing smooth or slight by midday a low swell throughout.
- Weather
- Scattered showers, locally heavy with a risk of thunderstorms, becoming isolated overnight.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, locally moderate or poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 2 to 4, gradually veering easterly, locally 5 overnight.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight, with a low and diminishing swell.
- Weather
- Isolated showers, gradually dying out.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, locally moderate at times.
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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