Coast and sea
General situation
A ridge of high pressure extending southwards across the United Kingdom will continue to give a good deal of fair weather with generally light or moderate breezes, some showery rain is likely over northern waters through Sunday, with showers developing more widely from Monday afternoon across eastern England.
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
- South or southeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4, then becoming southwest later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 2 or 3.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth later in Moray Firth, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Firth of Forth.
- Weather
- Occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Firth of Forth, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, fair later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or 4, becoming north or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming mainly slight later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly, veering southwesterly later, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly, veering northerly or northwesterly, veering northeasterly later, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly becoming variable later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly easterly, becoming northeasterly later, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in Thames estuary, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, mainly in east.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 offshore.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4, then north or northeast 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less for a time in east, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in lyme bay and moderate later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, becoming northerly later in west, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, but variable 2 or 3 at first in east, veering northeasterly later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in east and moderate in west.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming north or northeast 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North veering northeast later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near St Davids Head.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in Liverpool Bay, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in Liverpool Bay.
- Weather
- Fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming northwest, veering east or northeast later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4 occasionally 5 at first, becoming variable 3 or less, then northwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight occasionally moderate at first, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest becoming east or northeast later, 2 to 4 occasionally 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast, becoming variable, then west or northwest later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, mainly in northwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest becoming variable later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly, becoming variable, then northwesterly for a time, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, becoming northwesterly then veering northerly or northeasterly later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast 3 to 5, becoming variable, mainly west 2 or 3.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, then showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming northwest for a time, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South veering southwest, then veering west later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate in north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest, becoming variable later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South veering southwest, then veering west later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest, becoming variable later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in shelter, becoming mainly moderate later.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Sunday 26 Apr 2026 at 0600 UTC until Sunday 26 Apr 2026 at 1800 UTC
General situation
A ridge of high pressure declines on Sunday as a trough extends over Shetland Waters from the west.
Forecast
- Wind
- East or southeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough in north.
- Weather
- Fair, occasional rain in southwest.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate in southwest.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Sunday 26 Apr until 0600 UTC on Monday 27 Apr
- Wind
- South or southeasterly 3 to 5
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers. Occasional mist later.
- Visibility
- Good or moderate, occasionally poor later.
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East to northeast 2 to 4, occasionally variable 1 to 2 mainly in the south of the area.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Risk of mist or fog patches at first and again later, mainly near the french coast.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, perhaps locally poor or very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 to 4, occasionally variable 1 to 2, increasing 4 to 5 later, locally 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, increasing slight to moderate later.
- Weather
- Risk of mist or fog patches at first, risk of showers later.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, perhaps locally poor or very poor, then perhaps moderate later.
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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