Coast and Sea
Inshore waters and strong winds
General situation
High pressure centred over the Irish Sea will drift slowly eastwards today, to lie over the North Sea tomorrow. This will bring mostly light or moderate winds and fair conditions, however there will be strong winds and showers in the far northeast at first. A moderate to strong, mainly southerly flow, will then develop away from the southwest on Tuesday into Wednesday, with occasional rain or showers in the northwest.
Issued at: .
For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore for the period 12:00 (UTC) on Mon 10 Aug 2026 to 12:00 (UTC) on Tue 11 Aug 2026
Inshore waters and strong winds map
Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney (1)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in east, becoming variable 2 to 4, then southeasterly 4 or 5 later in east.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough at first to the west and north of Orkney, otherwise slight or moderate, but smooth in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Showers at first, occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 at first in west, otherwise easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, veering southerly or southwesterly 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, occasional rain later, perhaps thundery in northwest.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later but poor later in northwest.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 or 5 at first in north, otherwise variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but slight or moderate near Rattray Head.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly, veering southerly or southwesterly later, 3 to 5, but variable 2 or 3 at times in the Firth of Forth and occasionally 6 later in far north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in Firth of Forth.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming southeasterly 4 or 5 later, occasionally 6 later in far south.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly veering southeasterly 3 or 4, increasing 4 or 5 later, occasionally 6 later in north.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming slight or moderate in north.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 5 or 6, decreasing 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming slight later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 at first in south, otherwise northerly or northeasterly, veering easterly or southeasterly, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming mainly slight later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Mainly slight, occasionally moderate later in south.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight later, then slight or moderate later in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming slight later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in east.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming slight later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly 3 to 5 later except in far west.
- Sea state
- Slight in west, otherwise smooth or slight, becoming slight later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 at first in far west, otherwise easterly, veering northeasterly for a time later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northerly at first, 2 to 4, becoming easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5 for a time later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but slight in south.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly 3 to 5 later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but slight in south, occasionally moderate later in far southwest.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly veering northeasterly 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, becoming southerly for a time, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 or 3, then southeast 3 to 5 for a time except in Solway Firth.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming south or southeast 3 to 5 at times.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east or southeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4, veering south or southeast.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly southeasterly later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming southerly or southeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight later.
- Weather
- Fair, then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming southerly or southeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in west, smooth or slight in east.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight at first in east, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair, then occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, but poor later.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming south or southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but slight or moderate in north and later in far southwest.
- Weather
- Showers, occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, veering south or southwest 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight at first in central areas.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, perhaps thundery for a time.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, but poor later.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming south or southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, veering south or southwest 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, perhaps thundery for a time.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, but poor later.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later, then backing southwest later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers, but mainly fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Monday 10 Aug 2026 at 1200 UTC until Tuesday 11 Aug 2026 at 0000 UTC
General situation
Low pressure over the Norwegian Sea will drift east into Scandinavia allowing a ridge of high pressure to build over Shetland Waters from the west.
Forecast
- Wind
- Northwesterly 5 or 6 decreasing 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Rough, occasionally moderate in sheltered waters south or southeast of shetland. becoming moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Tuesday 11 Aug until 1200 UTC on Tuesday 11 Aug
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 or 4 occasionally 5 at first in east, backing southerly or southwesterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, and slight in shelter just south and east of shetland.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North to northwest 2 to 4, veering northeasterly overnight, perhaps 5 in the far northeast of the area towards midday.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight, increasing moderate in the far north of the area late morning tomorrow.
- Weather
- Fine.
- Visibility
- Good or very good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 2 to 4, locally 5 in the north of the area at times, veering east for a time overnight and early Wednesday morning.
- Sea state
- Slight, locally smooth in the south, locally moderate in the north.
- Weather
- Fine.
- Visibility
- Good.
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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