Coast and sea
General situation
A ridge of high pressure extending south across the United Kingdom will give predominantly fine weather with mainly light or moderate breezes, although strong easterly winds will continue to affect southwestern and English Channel waters until this evening.
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
- Variable 3 or less, becoming north or northwest 2 to 4, veering northeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate in north and east.
- Weather
- Fog patches in Moray Firth, showers later in northeast.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in Moray Firth.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast veering southeast, then becoming cyclonic later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 later, becoming northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5 later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming moderate later near Rattray Head.
- Weather
- Fog patches later in Firth of Forth.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later in Firth of Forth.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 at first in south, otherwise northeasterly 3 to 5, veering southerly or southeasterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in Firth of Forth, but elsewhere slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast becoming variable, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming southeast, 3 or less, increasing 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight becoming moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming south 3 or 4, veering north later.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches later near shore.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later near shore.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 3 to 5, veering east or northeast 2 or 3, then southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming moderate in north.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth later.
- Weather
- Fog patches later near shore.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later near shore.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming northeasterly, then veering easterly later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight occasionally smooth.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in east, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first and smooth later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming northeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast, backing northeast for a time, 3 to 5, occasionally 2 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then east 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight occasionally moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first and 2 later, becoming variable 2 to 4 later in west.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first in west, then becoming slight at times in east.
- Weather
- Fair, then showers in west.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 4 to 6, decreasing 2 to 4, becoming variable later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Bristol Channel.
- Weather
- Fair, then showers in southwest.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in Bristol Channel and moderate at first elsewhere.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in north and moderate near St Davids Head.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 later near Anglesey.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near St Davids Head.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight at first.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east or southeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 or 3.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 or 3, becoming easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 for a time in south.
- Sea state
- Smooth becoming slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, increasing 4 at times.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight at first.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, then variable 3 or less later in northeast.
- Sea state
- Smooth, becoming slight later in North Channel.
- Weather
- Fair then showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, becoming south or southeast later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming northeasterly 3 to 5, then variable 2 to 4 later south of skye.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 at first in southeast, otherwise northeasterly veering southeasterly, then southerly later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in south and moderate in north.
- Weather
- Fair then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming moderate at times west of the Outer Hebrides and later in far north.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly veering southeasterly, then southwesterly later, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 2 to 4, increasing 4 to 6, veering north later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Friday 24 Apr 2026 at 1200 UTC until Saturday 25 Apr 2026 at 0000 UTC
General situation
A ridge of high pressure covers Shetland Waters, this briefly declines on Friday night as a trough sinks south over the area.
Forecast
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 or 4 becoming 5 or 6 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, but smooth or slight in southwest at first. occasionally rough in north later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Saturday 25 Apr until 1200 UTC on Saturday 25 Apr
- Wind
- Northwesterly veering northerly, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in southwest, moderate or rough in northeast.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East to northeast 4 to 5, locally 6 in the north of the area at first, decreasing 3 to 4 during the evening and 1 to 2 in the south of the area overnight.
- Sea state
- Locally moderate to rather rough at first in the northwest, otherwise smooth to slight with a low swell.
- Weather
- Fair or fine.
- Visibility
- Good or very good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Mainly east to northeast, 3 to 4, locally 2 in the south of the area.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight.
- Weather
- Fair or 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.
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