Coast and sea
General situation
Low pressure centred to the southeast of Iceland and over southern England this evening will continue to bring unsettled conditions and strong winds to many areas. A further area of low pressure will move north eastwards across the British Isles on Wednesday, bringing gales to southern 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)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South backing east, then becoming cyclonic, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Showers, rain later in east.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor, becoming moderate to poor later in east.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming westerly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 in far north, backing southwesterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in Moray Firth, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain, then showers, perhaps thundery later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South becoming cyclonic, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate in far north at first, otherwise slight, but smooth in the Firth of Forth.
- Weather
- Showers, rain later.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor, becoming moderate to poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming west 5 or 6, backing southwest 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, but smooth in Firth of Forth, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain, then showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, veering southwest 5 to 7 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, rain for a time.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 5 to 7, decreasing 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, veering south or southwest 5 to 7 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps thundery later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 5 to 7, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeasterly backing southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, increasing 6 or 7 later, occasionally gale 8 later in east.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in east.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps thundery later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 6 or 7, decreasing 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in east.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, increasing 6 or 7, occasionally gale 8 until later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps thundery later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 6 or 7, decreasing 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 to 6, increasing 6 or 7, occasionally gale 8 until later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps thundery later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 6 or 7, decreasing 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 to 5, increasing 6 to gale 8, veering west 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming very rough for a time in west.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps thundery later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Thundery showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming west or southwest 5 or 6, increasing 7 or gale 8 for a time in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps thundery later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Thundery showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming southeast 3 to 5, veering west or southwest 5 or 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in far south.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 5 or 6, decreasing 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in far south.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming cyclonic then west, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight.
- Weather
- Showers, then rain.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or good occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 or less, backing northwest 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, rain then showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5, backing west or southwest 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Mainly slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast becoming variable, 2 to 4, then west 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in far north.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, then rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or good occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Rain then showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly backing northeasterly 3 or 4, then westerly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, then rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or good occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain then showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 to 4, then northwest 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest backing west or southwest, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 to 5, backing south or southeast 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming west or northwest backing southwest later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near entrances.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 to 5, backing south or southeast 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming west or northwest backing southwest later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South 4 or 5, decreasing 3 or 4, backing east 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Tuesday 02 Sep 2025 at 1800 UTC until Wednesday 03 Sep 2025 at 0600 UTC
General situation
South to Southeast flow covers Shetland Waters. Deepening low pressure area will track north towards Shetland on Wednesday afternoon and evening.
Forecast
- Wind
- South 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming slight close to shetland
- Weather
- Occasional showers
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0600 UTC on Wednesday 03 Sep until 1800 UTC on Wednesday 03 Sep
- Wind
- Southeasterly becoming cyclonic 3 to 5, increasing 6 or 7 later in northeast
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Rain or showers
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate or poor
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West to southwest 5 to 6, with gusts to 35kt, backing south to southwest 6 to 7 by midnight, perhaps occasionally 8 mid-channel, veering west to southwest 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Rather rough to rough, occasionally moderate in the south.
- Weather
- Isolated showers rain and from dusk, locally heavy, clearing by midday to isolated showers risk of thunder.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, locally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West to southwest 5 to 6, occasionally 7 overnight, decreasing 4 to 5 by midday.
- Sea state
- Rather rough to rough, decreasing slight to moderate later.
- Weather
- Occasional showers, locally heavy, with a risk of thunder.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, locally poor.
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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