Coast and sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings

The general synopsis at 1800

High 300 miles west of Rockall 1031 expected Rockall with little change by 1800 Saturday. New low expected southern France 1011 by same time. Low 200 miles west of Trafalgar 1009 moving slowly away west

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map

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Viking

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 5 to 7, decreasing 3 or 4.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in north.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

North Utsire

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 5 to 7, decreasing 3 or 4.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in north.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

South Utsire

Wind
Northwesterly 4, increasing 5 to 7.
Sea state
Moderate becoming rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first.

Forties

Wind
North or northwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Cromarty

Wind
North or northwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Forth

Wind
North, becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Tyne

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Dogger

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Fisher

Wind
Northwest 3 or 4, increasing 5 to 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally slight at first in southeast.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

German Bight

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming north or northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Humber

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming north or northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Thames

Wind
Northeast 4 or 5, increasing 6 or 7.
Sea state
Slight becoming moderate, occasionally rough later.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Dover

Wind
Northeast 4 or 5, increasing 6 or 7.
Sea state
Slight becoming moderate, occasionally rough later.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Wight

Wind
Northeast 4 or 5, increasing 6 or 7.
Sea state
Slight becoming moderate, occasionally rough later.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Portland

Wind
Northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Plymouth

Wind
Northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Biscay

Wind
In north, northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later. In south, variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
In north, slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first. in south, slight occasionally moderate.
Weather
In north, fair. In south, fair.
Visibility
In north, good. In south, good.

Trafalgar

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming westerly 4 or 5 for a time in far southeast.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Good occasionally moderate.
Visibility
Showers.

FitzRoy

Wind
In south, variable 2 to 4, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5. In north, northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
In south, moderate occasionally slight. in north, moderate.
Weather
In south, showers. In north, fair.
Visibility
In south, good occasionally moderate. In north, good.

Sole

Wind
Northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Lundy

Wind
Northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Fastnet

Wind
Northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Irish Sea

Wind
North or northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Shannon

Wind
Northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Rockall

Wind
North, becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate occasionally rough.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Malin

Wind
North, becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate occasionally rough.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Hebrides

Wind
Northwest, backing west, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Very rough becoming rough, occasionally moderate later.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Bailey

Wind
Northwest, backing west, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Very rough becoming rough, occasionally moderate later.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Fair Isle

Wind
Northwesterly, backing westerly, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in far north.
Sea state
Very rough, becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate later.

Faeroes

Wind
Northwesterly, backing westerly, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in far north.
Sea state
Very rough, becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate later.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Westerly 4 to 6, backing southwesterly 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Showers then mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

Shipping forecast information

The shipping forecast is issued four times a day at 2300, 0500, 1100, 1700 UTC and covers a period of 24 hours from 0000, 0600, 1200 and 1800 UTC respectively.

The waters around the British Isles are divided into 31 sea areas shown on the map.

The forecast contains details of gale warnings in force, a general synopsis and sea-area forecasts containing wind direction and force, sea state, weather and visibility.

Gale warnings are issued as required throughout the day (for winds of Gale Force 8 or more).

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.