Coast and sea
General situation
A complex and slow moving area of low pressure centred over or close to the United Kingdom, will dominate into the weekend. Winds will be light at times with fog patches and showers expected.
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
- East or southeast backing north or northwest later, 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest, 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in north.
- Weather
- Fog patches for a time.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in Firth of Forth.
- Weather
- Fair, fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally very poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable occasionally north or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally very poor at first.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming mainly north later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast, 2 to 4, increasing 5 at times.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming north later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 2 to 4, increasing 5 at times.
- Sea state
- Mainly slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming mainly northerly later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 2 to 4, increasing 5 at times.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth until later.
- Weather
- Showers, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming mainly west later.
- Sea state
- Mainly smooth, occasionally slight at first.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers, perhaps thundery later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor in east at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest occasionally variable, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Showers for a time, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable occasionally west or northwest, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers for a time, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming north 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in far west.
- Weather
- Fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming mainly north or northeast, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 near the Isles of Scilly.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in far west.
- Weather
- Showers for a time, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming mainly north later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in far southwest.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest veering northeast later, 2 to 4, increasing 5 at times, occasionally variable 3 or less in Bristol Channel.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then northerly 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest, 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near Mull of Kintyre.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then west or northwest 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 or 4, increasing 5 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast backing west or northwest later, 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near and west of rathlin island.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming moderate at times in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly backing west or northwest, 3 to 5, occasionally variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly, 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming moderate for a time in the North Channel.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in northwest.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in shelter.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly backing northwesterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in northwest, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in shelter.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming north, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in south.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in far south.
- Weather
- Showers then mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North becoming variable later, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first in south.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near south and north entrances.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Showers then mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly backing westerly, 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 3 to 5, becoming northwesterly later in west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair, fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally very poor later.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Friday 17 May 2024 at 0600 UTC until Friday 17 May 2024 at 1800 UTC
General situation
A southeasterly flow will persist across Shetland Waters.
Forecast
- Wind
- Southeast 3 to 5
- Sea state
- Moderate, but slight northwest of shetland
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Friday 17 May until 0600 UTC on Saturday 18 May
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 2 to 4 but becoming northeasterly in west later
- Sea state
- Moderate, but slight in lee shelter of shetland
- Weather
- Mainly fair, fog patches later
- Visibility
- Good, poor or v poor later
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast to east 2 to 4, locally variable 1 to 3 at times, backing east to northeast by the afternoon, then becoming generally variable 1 to 3 during Friday evening.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, with a low swell developing.
- Weather
- Isolated showers, mainly near french coasts during the afternoon, dying out by dusk.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, locally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, becoming northwest to west 2 to 4 for a time Saturday afternoon.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, with a low and diminishing swell.
- Weather
- Showers in the northeast of the area by midday, moving southwest local mist and a risk of fog patches.
- Visibility
- Good, locally poor, perhaps very poor at times.
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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