Coast and sea
General situation
High pressure centred near Iceland will continue to give a rather cold and brisk northeasterly flow.
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
- West or northwest 2 to 4, veering north or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 or 5, backing northwest 2 to 4, then backing west 5 or 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming rough northwest of Orkney and near Rattray Head.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 2 to 4, backing northwest 3 to 5, then veering northeast later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 or 5, backing north 3 or 4, then backing west or northwest 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming rough near Rattray Head.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 2 or 3, backing northwest 3 or 4, then veering northeast 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight near shore.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 or 5, backing north 3 or 4, then backing northwest 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast backing north 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in south.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast, backing northwest later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in south, backing northerly 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers later in north.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly 4 or 5, veering northeasterly 5 or 6, then backing northerly 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming rough for a time offshore in northeast.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 3 later in east.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 or 5, increasing 6 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair at first, then showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate offshore.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 or 5, increasing 6 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 near exposed headlands.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 5 or 6, occasionally 7 later near exposed headlands.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming rough later in far west.
- Weather
- Showers later in far west and near Start Point.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in west, smooth or slight in east.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in west, smooth or slight in east.
- 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.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming smooth later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 1 to 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers for a time in south.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly backing northeasterly 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight in North Channel.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate in Firth of Clyde.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in North Channel, becoming variable 1 to 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate in Firth of Clyde.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in west, smooth or slight in east.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 1 or 2 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, becoming northeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but slight or moderate northeast of Skye.
- Weather
- Showers for a time.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 1 to 3, then southwesterly 3 to 5 later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but slight or moderate northeast of Skye.
- Weather
- Showers later in north.
- Visibility
- Good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 or 3, becoming northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Showers for a time.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 1 to 3, then westerly 3 to 5 later in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming rough for a time in far north.
- Weather
- Showers later in north.
- Visibility
- Good.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly veering northerly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later in east.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers, wintry later, mainly east of Shetland.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Sunday 28 Dec 2025 at 1800 UTC until Monday 29 Dec 2025 at 0600 UTC
General situation
A ridge of high pressure will extend from the west at first beginning to decline west on Monday.
Forecast
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but slight in lee shelter of shetland
- Weather
- Fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0600 UTC on Monday 29 Dec until 1800 UTC on Monday 29 Dec
- Wind
- Northwest veering north 4 to 6
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming very rough later in the northeast.
- Weather
- Wintry showers
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate or poor.
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East to northeast 4 to 5, occasionally 6 in the north of the area until midnight, increasing 5 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight in the southeast, moderate in the northwest, perhaps rather rough mid-channel at first.
- Weather
- Mist or fog patches likely in the southeast for a time Monday morning a risk of isolated showers mid-channel later.
- Visibility
- Good, locally poor or very poor in the southeast at times.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East to northeast 5 to 6, occasionally 4 near the french coast.
- Sea state
- Smooth in the far southeast, otherwise slight to moderate, increasing rather rough mid-channel overnight.
- Weather
- Isolated showers developing in the north a risk of mist or fog patches in the southeast overnight.
- Visibility
- Good, locally moderate, perhaps locally poor or 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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