Coast and Sea
Inshore waters and strong winds
General situation
A slow moving area of high pressure to the north of the United Kingdom will continue to bring a good deal of fine and settled weather. Winds will be largely light or moderate across the north, however further south, easterly or northeasterly winds will be fresh or strong at times.
Issued at: .
For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore for the period 12:00 (UTC) on Tue 14 Jul 2026 to 12:00 (UTC) on Wed 15 Jul 2026
Inshore waters and strong winds map
Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney (1)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly, becoming variable later in Moray Firth, 2 to 4, increasing 5 at times in northwest.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but slight to the west of Orkney.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, but poor later in east.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first in east, occasionally very poor later.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight, but smooth or slight in south.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, but poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor, but very poor later.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, but moderate at first in south.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast, becoming variable for a time, 2 or 3.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 or 5, decreasing 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in the wash and until later in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 to 6, but variable 2 to 4 at first in west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight at first in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate in east.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in east.
- Sea state
- Slight occasionally moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate in east.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5 later, occasionally 6 later offshore.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight for a time.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 in lyme bay, otherwise easterly or southeasterly, backing northeasterly for a time, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight for a time in east.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 until later in lyme bay, otherwise easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth for a time in lyme bay.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 in lyme bay, otherwise easterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in west, backing northeasterly 3 or 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first near north Devon, but 3 or 4 in south, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in east, slight occasionally moderate in west.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in north, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in east and moderate in west.
- Weather
- Showers in south, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate in south.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable at first in north, otherwise northerly or northeasterly, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in north, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4, increasing 3 to 5 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4, occasionally variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly, becoming variable in northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming northeasterly 3 to 5 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, becoming east for a time, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly north or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, but easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4 until later in far north.
- Sea state
- Smooth, but smooth or slight near entrances.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less becoming north or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth, but smooth or slight near entrances.
- Weather
- Fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate, becoming moderate or good occasionally very poor later.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, but easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4 at first in far north.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first in north.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less becoming north or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast becoming variable, 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in northeast.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, but poor later.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Tuesday 14 Jul 2026 at 1200 UTC until Wednesday 15 Jul 2026 at 0000 UTC
General situation
An area of high pressure will remain slow moving across Shetland Waters
Forecast
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, occasionally northeasterly 4 in east.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Wednesday 15 Jul until 1200 UTC on Wednesday 15 Jul
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 to 5, decreasing 3 to 4 by evening, increasing 4 to 5 by dawn, locally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, decreasing smooth to slight by evening, increasing moderate in the north later.
- Weather
- Showers from late morning, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 to 5, locally 6 at first, occasionally 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, perhaps locally rather rough in the north at first, decreasing smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Showers at times, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
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.
Please refer to GMDSS services, INMARSAT SafetyNET or international NAVTEX for the latest information. When using these web pages, always check that the page on your screen is not from your cache. Use the Refresh or Reload button if in any doubt.