Coast and sea
General situation
A strong showery northwesterly flow affects the coastal waters, with thunderstorms in southeast this evening and further thunderstorms tomorrow evening, before a ridge builds from the west on Tuesday and winds and showers ease off. However, a band of rain and drizzle affects northwest Scotland later on Tuesday.
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
- Northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in southeast.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in southeast, becoming variable 4 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain later in northwest.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later in northwest.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5, backing northwesterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in southwest.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 4 or less, but northwesterly 5 or 6 at first in north, becoming southeasterly 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in southwest and rough in far northeast.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 4 or 5, backing northwest 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight at first.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming northwest 4 to 6, veering northeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight near shore and rough offshore.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 4 or 5, backing northwest 4 to 6, veering north 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, thundery at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 2 to 4, backing northwest 4 to 6, veering north 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight at first in south then rough in northeast.
- Weather
- Showers, thundery at first, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 4 or less, becoming northerly 5 or 6, decreasing 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, thundery at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly 3 to 5, backing northwesterly 2 to 4, increasing 4 to 6, veering northerly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in northeast.
- Weather
- Showers, thundery at first, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly 3 or 4, veering northerly 5 or 6, backing northwesterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in west.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, thundery at times.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 to 4, then northwesterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in west.
- Weather
- Thundery showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5, veering north 5 or 6, backing northwest 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, thundery for a time, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest backing west, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Thundery showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in far west and smooth later in sheltered north.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in southwest.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- 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
- Northwest 3 to 5, increasing 5 to 7 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first near great orme head, backing southwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 5 to 7, occasionally 4 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in northeast.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 5 to 7 decreasing 3 or 4, backing west later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 5 or 6 occasionally 7.
- Sea state
- Moderate, possibly moderate to rough.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 5 or 6 occasionally 7, gradually decreasing west or northwest 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate, possibly moderate to rough, then falling slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in southeast.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in south.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 to 6, backing westerly or southwesterly 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first, occasional rain or drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first in Firth of Clyde.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4, backing westerly 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first, occasional rain or drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first in southwest and slight in sheltered east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4, backing southwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in central area.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 to 5 backing westerly 2 to 4, then southwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in central area.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming rough for a time in northwest.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 to 5 backing westerly 2 to 4, then southwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming slight in southeast.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in southeast.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Sunday 06 Jul 2025 at 1800 UTC until Monday 07 Jul 2025 at 0600 UTC
General situation
A weak ridge of high pressure will cover Shetland Waters
Forecast
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in east
- Sea state
- Moderate
- Weather
- Mainly fair
- Visibility
- Good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0600 UTC on Monday 07 Jul until 1800 UTC on Monday 07 Jul
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in east
- Sea state
- Moderate
- Weather
- Mainly fair
- Visibility
- Good
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West to northwest 4 to 5, occasionally 6 until dusk, veering northwest to north 5 to 6 around dawn, perhaps with gusts to 35kt, decreasing 4 to 5 by midday.
- Sea state
- Moderate to rather rough, decreasing slight to moderate overnight.
- Weather
- Showers developing overnight, becoming locally heavy and perhaps thundery by dawn, clearing by mid-morning.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, perhaps locally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 5, decreasing 3 to 4 by midday.
- Sea state
- Slight, perhaps moderate in the west at first, decreasing smooth to slight later.
- Weather
- A risk of showers around dawn.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, perhaps locally moderate.
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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