Coast and sea
General situation
High pressure centred to the north or northwest of the United Kingdom will bring mainly settled weather to the inshore waters during the next couple of days. The wind will be light or moderate in strength for most northern waters, but further south a fresh or strong and cold easterly to northeasterly airflow will continue.
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 2 to 4, becoming northeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight until later in south.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first near shore in south, otherwise occasional drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first near shore in south.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then west or northwest 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate in north, slight or moderate in south.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming north or northeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth becoming slight in Moray Firth, otherwise slight becoming moderate later.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, but slight in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 or 4, increasing 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming moderate later.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first, decreasing 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 3 to 5, but 5 or 6 at first in far south.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in Thames estuary and the wash.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, increasing 5 to 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 at first and 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Drizzle for a time in east.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate in east.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, increasing 5 to 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 5 or 6, occasionally 7 at first and 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough for a time away from shore.
- Weather
- Mainly 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 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later near Start Point and Lizard Point.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in lyme bay, then occasionally rough later in south.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later in east.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first near Start Point, prawle point and Lizard Point, decreasing 4 or 5 later in north.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but slight or moderate in lyme bay.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
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 in Bristol Channel.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first near north Devon and lundy, decreasing 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first near land's end.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 near great orme head.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near Anglesey.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally rough at first near Anglesey.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 3 from st bees head southwards.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Mainly slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5 in north, but 4 to 6 in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in south, slight in north.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight for a time in south.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in the North Channel, decreasing 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in North Channel.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in sheltered east.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in south, becoming variable 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in sheltered east.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 or 3 at first in north, otherwise northeasterly veering easterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate in far north.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate in far north.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 or 3 at first in north, otherwise northeasterly veering easterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West 3 or 4, veering north 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first in sheltered east, becoming moderate or rough later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Friday 26 Dec 2025 at 1800 UTC until Saturday 27 Dec 2025 at 0600 UTC
General situation
A ridge of high pressure will extend from the west through the period.
Forecast
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 to 5, veering north 5 or 6 later
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in far north, but smooth in lee shelter of shetland
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0600 UTC on Saturday 27 Dec until 1800 UTC on Saturday 27 Dec
- Wind
- North 4 to 6
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- 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 times, perhaps occasionally 7 mid-channel later.
- Sea state
- Slight in the far southeast to rather rough in the far northwest, increasing rough mid-channel later.
- Weather
- Fair or cloudy, gradually becoming fine.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East to northeast 5 to 6, locally 4 in the south of the area, perhaps occasionally 7 mid-channel at first.
- Sea state
- Slight in the far southeast to rather rough in the far northwest, occasionally rough mid-channel at first.
- Weather
- Fine, gradually becoming cloudy.
- Visibility
- 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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