Coast and Sea
Inshore waters and strong winds
General situation
A developing Atlantic low tracks north or northeast towards Iceland. This low will then move steadily east during Monday and overnight into Tuesday bringing strong winds to many northern and eastern waters.
Issued at: .
For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore for the period 00:00 (UTC) on Mon 7 Sep 2026 to 00:00 (UTC) on Tue 8 Sep 2026
Inshore waters and strong winds map
Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney (1)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 4 to 6, increasing 7 or gale 8.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in north, becoming rough or very rough later to the west of Orkney.
- Weather
- Occasional rain then showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly veering westerly or northwesterly, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate at first in south, otherwise moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in north.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain then showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 5 or 6 veering west or northwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest veering west or northwest later, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain then showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest, 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Occasional rain then showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Occasional rain then showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly veering westerly or southwesterly, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near North Foreland.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming westerly or southwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, veering westerly or northwesterly 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain for a time.
- Visibility
- Good becoming moderate or poor for a time.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 4 to 6, veering northwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain for a time, mainly fair later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, becoming good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest, veering west or northwest for a time, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight at first in east, otherwise slight or moderate, occasionally rough west of Lands End.
- Weather
- Showers, rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 to 6, veering west or northwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in far west.
- Weather
- Rain at first, then mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, becoming good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest, veering west or northwest for a time, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first in Bristol Channel, becoming moderate or rough later.
- Weather
- Showers, rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 to 6, veering west or northwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate, occasionally rough later west of Lands End.
- Weather
- Rain at first, then mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, becoming good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 to 5, veering west 3 or 4, then backing southwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later near St Davids Head.
- Weather
- Showers, then rain for a time.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest veering west, then northwest later, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first near St Davids Head.
- Weather
- Rain, then showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally rain poor at first.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 to 6, veering west 3 to 5 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest veering west, then northwest later, 5 or 6, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain then showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest veering west for a time, 4 or 5, increasing 5 or 6, occasionally 7.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate.
- Weather
- Fair, then rain for a time.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 5 to 7, veering west 6 or 7, decreasing 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming moderate or rough for a time.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 to 5, increasing 6 or 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in far north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest veering northwest, 4 to 6, increasing 7 or gale 8 for a time in far north.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough but slight or moderate until later in south and east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later near Mull of Kintyre.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly veering northwesterly, 4 to 6, increasing 7 or gale 8 for a time in North Channel.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough near Mull of Kintyre.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough in west.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly veering northwesterly, 6 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough until later in west.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 5 to 7, increasing 7 to severe gale 9.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, very rough later near entrances.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly veering westerly or northwesterly, 7 to severe gale 9, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough until later near entrances.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 5 to 7, increasing 7 to severe gale 9.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally high later in west.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly veering westerly or northwesterly, 7 to severe gale 9, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first, becoming mainly rough later.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough later in west.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Monday 07 Sep 2026 at 0000 UTC until Monday 07 Sep 2026 at 1200 UTC
General situation
Deep Atlantic low south of Iceland will drift southeast towards Faeroes during Monday.
Forecast
- Wind
- Southwest 4 to 6
- Sea state
- Rough, becoming moderate in southeast.
- Weather
- Mainly fair then showers
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1200 UTC on Monday 07 Sep until 0000 UTC on Tuesday 08 Sep
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 in west.
- Sea state
- Rough, becoming very rough in west, but moderate to east of shetland, and in southeast at first.
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West to southwest 3 to 4, occasionally 5 from midday, mainly mid-channel.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight, increasing slight to moderate by evening, with a low swell throughout.
- Weather
- Patchy drizzle and mist spreading east overnight, with a risk of fog patches mainly in the north and west, clearing by late afternoon.
- Visibility
- Moderate to good, occasionally poor or perhaps very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 to 5, veering north to northwest by midday, perhaps locally 6 at times.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate with a low swell.
- Weather
- Rain, locally heavy, spreading from the west, clearing to isolated showers by midday.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate to poor.
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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