Coast and sea
General situation
Mainly settled conditions will prevail across the United Kingdom during the next couple of days as high pressure to the north and low pressure to the south brings an east to northeasterly airflow to the inshore waters. There will be strong winds in many areas.
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
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in northwest, decreasing 3 at times elsewhere.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast veering southeast, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first near Cape Wrath, becoming variable 2 later in Moray Firth.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeasterly, 3 or 4 in north but 4 or 5 in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in Firth of Forth, veering east 2 or 3, then south or southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight becoming moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 or 4 veering east 2 or 3, then southeast 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight becoming moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly veering easterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in south, then veering southeasterly 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 3 at first in north, increasing 6 at times in south.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, becoming moderate or poor for a time.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly, veering easterly later, 4 or 5, increasing 6 at times.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly 3 to 5 at first in west, otherwise northeasterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, becoming moderate or poor for a time near North Foreland.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 to 6, veering easterly 4 or 5 later in west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 3 at first, then increasing 6 at times.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers then fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 3 at first, then increasing 6 at times.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first and 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough in west.
- Weather
- Showers then fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly, veering southeasterly in west, 5 or 6, occasionally 4 in east and 7 in west.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough in west and slight in Lyme Bay.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5 increasing 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight at first in east, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers then fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5 veering easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate except in Cardigan Bay and Caernarfon Bay.
- Weather
- Occasional rain at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 3 at times in north.
- Sea state
- Mainly slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in Cardigan Bay and Caernarfon Bay.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in far north, decreasing 3 at times elsewhere.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate in north and west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, becoming variable 3 at times near the English coast.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in west, smooth or slight in east.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast veering east 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally variable 3 at first, then increasing 7 at times.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally variable 3 at first, veering southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or 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
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally variable 3 at first, then increasing 7 at times.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in far north, but elsewhere slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, then becoming variable 3 at times.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate until later except in far north, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 3 at times in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth in shelter.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in far south, becoming variable 3 at times elsewhere.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth in shelter.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in far north, becoming variable 3 at times elsewhere.
- Sea state
- Moderate in far north, but elsewhere smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in far north, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate until later in far north, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in far north, decreasing 3 at times elsewhere.
- Sea state
- Mainly slight or moderate, but smooth or slight between Barra and Canna.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in far north, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Mainly slight or moderate, but smooth or slight between Barra and Canna.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 3 at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Friday 04 Apr 2025 at 1200 UTC until Saturday 05 Apr 2025 at 0000 UTC
General situation
High pressure will remain centred between Iceland and Norway with a northeasterly flow covering Shetland Waters.
Forecast
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later in far east
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Saturday 05 Apr until 1200 UTC on Saturday 05 Apr
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in far east
- Sea state
- Moderate, but rough in east
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East to northeast 3 to 4, increasing 4 to 5 by dusk, occasionally 6 in the north of the area.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, increasing slight to moderate by midnight, occasionally rather rough mid-channel.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East to northeast 4 to 5, locally 6.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, occasionally rather rough mid-channel.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
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.
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.
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