Coast and sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings

The general synopsis at 0600

High Ireland 1042 expected Shannon 1039 by 0600 tomorrow

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map

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Viking

Wind
West or southwest veering northwest later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in north.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

North Utsire

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northwest 4 or 5 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in north.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

South Utsire

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Forties

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming west or northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle later.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Cromarty

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming west or northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle later.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Forth

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming west or northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle later.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Tyne

Wind
Very rough becoming northwest later, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Dogger

Wind
Very rough becoming northwest later, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Fisher

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming north or northwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

German Bight

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

Humber

Wind
Northeast 4 to 6, backing north or northwest 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Moderate becoming slight.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Thames

Wind
Northeast 4 to 6, backing north or northwest 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Moderate becoming slight.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Dover

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Showers, squally at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Wight

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Showers, squally at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Portland

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Showers, squally at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Plymouth

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Showers, squally at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Biscay

Wind
North or northeast 5 to 7, veering east or northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Thundery showers for a time.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Trafalgar

Gale warning
Issued:

Northeasterly gale force 8 expected later

Forecast issued:

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6, increasing 7 or gale 8 later in north.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in north.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

FitzRoy

Gale warning
Issued:

Northeasterly gale force 8 continuing

Wind
In south, easterly or northeasterly 6 to gale 8 . In north, easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in north.
Sea state
In south, moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in south. in north, moderate or rough.
Weather
In south, showers. In north, mainly fair.
Visibility
In south, moderate or good. In north, good.

Sole

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Lundy

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Fastnet

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Irish Sea

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Shannon

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Rockall

Wind
Southwest veering west 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair then occasional drizzle and fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasional very poor.

Malin

Wind
Southwest veering west 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair then occasional drizzle and fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasional very poor.

Hebrides

Wind
Southwest veering west 3 to 5, occasionally 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in north.
Weather
Fair then occasional drizzle and fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasional very poor.

Bailey

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale force 8 veering westerly imminent

Wind
Southwesterly veering westerly, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in far northwest.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high in northwest.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Fair Isle

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming very rough later in northwest.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Faeroes

Gale warning
Issued:

Southwesterly gale force 8 continuing, veering westerly imminent

Wind
West or southwest 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high in north.
Weather
Drizzle then showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.

Southeast Iceland

Gale warning
Issued:

Severe gale force 9 veering westerly and increasing storm force 10 imminent

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 7 to severe gale 9, perhaps storm 10 for a time later.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Drizzle then showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.

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.