Coast and sea

Inshore waters and strong winds

General situation

The United Kingdom is covered by a strong north or northwest airflow, with gales or severe gales affecting northern and eastern areas at times. Wintry showers, affecting some areas, with heavy, squally snow showers mainly affecting northern Scotland.

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)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwest 7 to severe gale 9, veering north 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Moderate or rough in shelter, otherwise very rough or high.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North 6 to gale 8, backing northwest 6 or 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough in shelter, otherwise very rough, occasionally high at first in north.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North or northwest 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first near Rattray Head.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North or northwest 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwest 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North or northwest 6 to gale 8, occasionally 5 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwest 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate in south.
Weather
Squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northwest 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in north.
Weather
Squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, but rough or very rough in north.
Weather
Fair then squally wintry showers in north.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate in north.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally 4 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, but in north rough, occasionally very rough at first.
Weather
Squally wintry showers in north.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate in north.

North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first near North Foreland.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Wintry showers at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northwesterly 5 or 6, decreasing 4 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth later.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near headlands.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northwest 4 to 6, veering north 4 or 5 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first near headlands.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North or northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate in far west, otherwise smooth or slight.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North or northwest 5 or 6, decreasing 4.
Sea state
In far west, moderate occasionally rough, otherwise slight, occasionally smooth in lyme bay.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 near St Davids Head.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough near St Davids Head.
Weather
Showers becoming wintry.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 near St Davids Head, veering north 4 or 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in far west.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwest 5 to 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Squally showers, becoming wintry.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northwest 5 to 7, veering north 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first.
Weather
Squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwest 5 to 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally slight near the Solway Firth.
Weather
Squally wintry showers in southwest.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate in southwest.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northwest 5 to 7, veering north 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in far southwest.
Weather
Squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Isle of Man (12)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwest 5 to 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North or northwest 5 or 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 for a time in far north.
Sea state
Smooth or slight in far south, otherwise moderate or rough.
Weather
Squally showers becoming wintry.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Smooth in far south, otherwise slight or moderate, occasionally rough in far north.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
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
Northerly or northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in the North Channel.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in the Firth of Clyde.
Weather
Squally showers becoming wintry.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in the North Channel.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in the North Channel.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwest 6 to gale 8, veering north 6 or 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in far west.
Weather
Squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North 5 to 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in far west.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

The Minch (16)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
In far north very rough occasionally high at first, otherwise moderate or rough.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Sea state
In far north very rough, otherwise moderate or rough.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first near Cape Wrath.
Sea state
Very rough or high, but rough near barra and canna.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first near Cape Wrath.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Shetland Isles (18)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North 6 to gale 8, veering northeast 5 to 7.
Sea state
Moderate in shelter, otherwise rough or very rough, occasionally high at first.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Moderate occasionally poor.

For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)

Strong wind warning

Valid Friday 02 Jan 2026 at 0000 UTC until Friday 02 Jan 2026 at 1200 UTC

General situation

A strong, unstable, northerly airflow over Shetland Water with frequent snow and hail showers.

Forecast

Wind
Northerly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first in the south.
Sea state
Very rough or high, but occasionally rough just east of shetland.
Weather
Squally snow and hail showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor or very poor.

Outlook for 12 Hours from 1200 UTC on Friday 02 Jan until 0000 UTC on Saturday 03 Jan

Wind
North 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Very rough, occasionally high at first, rough to the east of shetland at times.
Weather
Squall snow and hail showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor or very poor.

Channel Islands (19)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwesterly 4 to 5, perhaps occasionally 6.
Sea state
Slight to moderate.
Weather
Showers by dawn, perhaps locally heavy, mostly dying out by dusk.
Visibility
Good or very good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North to northwest 4 to 5, perhaps locally 6 mid-channel at first.
Sea state
Slight to moderate.
Weather
Isolated showers, mainly at first.
Visibility
Good or very good, occasionally moderate.

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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