Coast and sea
General situation
The moderate to strong northwesterly showery flow will ease off today, as a ridge builds from the southwest. However, rain, drizzle and fog patches will affect the north and west from the afternoon and into tomorrow.
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
- Northwest 4 to 6, becoming variable 4 or less, then southwest 3 to 5, veering west 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair then rain or drizzle, fog patches in northwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in northwest.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 2 to 4, backing southwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6 near Cape Wrath.
- Sea state
- Moderate in northwest, otherwise slight, occasionally smooth.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate in north.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6, becoming variable 4 or less, then southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in southwest.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5, becoming variable 3 or less, then west 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate becoming slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then west or northwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming smooth later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6, veering southeast 2 or 3, then west 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming slight later.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming smooth later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 4 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 4 or less, becoming southerly 2 or 3 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in east, backing southwesterly 3 to 5, veering northwesterly 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in east.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly backing southwesterly, 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight at first.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest backing southwest, 3 to 5, veering northwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight at first.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5 decreasing 2 or 3.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate at first in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 2 or 3, becoming variable 4 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6 decreasing 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 3 or 4, backing southwest 2 to 4, veering northwest later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in south.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest, backing southwest for a time, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in Solway Firth.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 3 or 4, backing southwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Smooth.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 3 or 4, backing west or southwest, variable or west later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, falling slight.
- Weather
- Fair, occasional rain or drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable or west 3 or 4, backing southwest 2 or 3 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 3 or 4, becoming variable 4 or less, then west or southwest 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in far north.
- Weather
- Fair then rain or drizzle, fog patches in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in north.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 4 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in far north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle at first, fog patches at first in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in north.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 or 4, becoming variable 4 or less, then westerly or southwesterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair then rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, becoming variable 4 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight near Mull of Kintyre.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 2 to 4, backing west or southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair then rain, drizzle and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle at times, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 or 4, backing south 4 or 5 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near entrances.
- Weather
- Fair then rain, drizzle and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 or 4, increasing 5 or 6.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate near entrances.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle at times, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 or 4, backing south 4 or 5 for a time.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Fair then rain, drizzle and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 or 4, increasing 5 or 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle at times, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 3 to 5, backing west 2 to 4, then south, veering west later, 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain, drizzle and fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate occasionally very poor later.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Tuesday 08 Jul 2025 at 0600 UTC until Tuesday 08 Jul 2025 at 1800 UTC
General situation
A transient ridge of high pressure crosses from the west on Tuesday before a weak Atlantic trough extends west in the evening bringing a southwesterly flow.
Forecast
- Wind
- North or northwest backing southwest, 3 to 5
- Sea state
- Moderate
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Tuesday 08 Jul until 0600 UTC on Wednesday 09 Jul
- Wind
- Southwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 3 at first in east
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Rain and fog patches
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor or very poor
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North to northwest 3 to 4, occasionally 5 at first, backing west to northwest in the afternoon, becoming northerly or variable 1 to 2 overnight.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight, with a low swell throughout.
- Weather
- Fine.
- Visibility
- Good or very good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 2, becoming north to northwest to for a time from Tuesday afternoon.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fine.
- Visibility
- Good or very 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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