Coast and sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings

The general synopsis at 0600

Low Fair Isle 974 slow-moving, filling 985 by 0600 tomorrow. Low west of Shannon 991 losing its identity

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map

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Viking

Wind
South 5 to 7 becoming cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

North Utsire

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

South Utsire

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 3 in southeast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate later.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Forties

Wind
Southwest 5 to 7 veering west or northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Cromarty

Wind
Southwest 5 to 7 veering west or northwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming slight in west.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Forth

Wind
Southwest veering northwest, 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in northeast.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Tyne

Wind
Southwest veering northwest, 4 or 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Dogger

Wind
Southwest veering northwest, 4 or 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Fisher

Wind
Southwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

German Bight

Wind
Southwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, thundery later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Humber

Wind
Southwest veering west or northwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Thames

Wind
Southwest veering west or northwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Dover

Wind
Southwest veering west or northwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Wight

Wind
Southwest veering west or northwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Portland

Wind
Southwest veering west or northwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate in northeast, moderate or rough in southwest.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Plymouth

Wind
Southwest veering west or northwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Biscay

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale now ceased but westerly gale force 8 expected soon

Wind
West or northwest 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Trafalgar

Forecast issued:

Wind
West or northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain for a time.
Visibility
Good, becoming moderate or poor for a time.

FitzRoy

Gale warning
Issued:

Severe gale force 9 decreasing gale force 8 imminent, veering westerly soon

Wind
West or northwest 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Sole

Gale warning
Issued:

Northwesterly gale force 8 expected soon

Wind
West or northwest 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Lundy

Wind
West 3 or 4 veering northwest 4 or 5.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, perhaps thundery at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Fastnet

Wind
West 3 or 4 veering northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, perhaps thundery at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Irish Sea

Wind
West 3 or 4 veering northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind
Cyclonic becoming northwest, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Gale warning
Issued:

Northerly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
North or northwest 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Very rough or high, occasionally rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Malin

Wind
West 4 to 6 veering northwest 5 to 7.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, but slight or moderate in southeast, occasionally high in northwest.
Weather
Showers, turning squally.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Hebrides

Gale warning
Issued:

Severe gale force 9 veering northerly soon

Wind
Cyclonic 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first, becoming northwest later.
Sea state
Very rough or high, becoming rough or very rough later.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Gale warning
Issued:

Severe gale force 9 backing northerly soon

Wind
North 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first, backing northwest later.
Sea state
Very rough or high, becoming rough or very rough later.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Fair Isle

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale force 8 veering northwesterly imminent

Wind
Cyclonic 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate later in east.
Weather
Squally showers, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Gale warning
Issued:

Severe gale force 9 backing northerly soon

Wind
Cyclonic 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first, becoming northwest later.
Sea state
Very rough or high, becoming rough or very rough later.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Gale warning
Issued:

Severe gale force 9 backing northerly imminent

Wind
Northerly 7 to severe gale 9, decreasing 5 to 7 later, becoming variable 4 or less in west.
Sea state
Very rough or high becoming rough or very rough, then moderate in west.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

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.