Coast and Sea
Inshore waters and strong winds
General situation
High pressure will be slow moving over the Continent throughout the forecast period. Low pressure in the Atlantic will push frontal troughs into the western UK.
Issued at: .
For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore for the period 18:00 (UTC) on Wed 28 Oct 2026 to 18:00 (UTC) on Thu 29 Oct 2026
Inshore waters and strong winds map
Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney (1)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 5 or 6 backing south or southeast 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in the west.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in the north and the west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in west.
- Weather
- Rain later in west.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 or 5 backing southeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly 4 or 5, occasionally 3 at first, occasionally 6 later in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest backing south or southeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Rain or showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in north.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 or 5 becoming variable 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain or showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming south or southeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Risk of coastal fog patches for a time, otherwise fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good, but very poor for a time in any coastal fog patches.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 4 or 5 becoming variable 3 or 4, becoming easterly or southeasterly later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Risk of coastal fog patches for a time, otherwise fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good, but very poor for a time in any coastal fog patches.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly becoming variable then easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in the east.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Rain at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Risk of coastal fog patches for a time, otherwise fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good, but very poor for a time in any coastal fog patches.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest backing southeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4, increasing 5 for a time in the west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Risk of coastal fog patches for a time, otherwise fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good, but very poor for a time in any coastal fog patches.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 or 4 backing southeast 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in west.
- Weather
- Rain at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 4 or 5, increasing 6 for a time in the west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest backing south or southeast 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first.
- Weather
- Rain at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 or 5, increasing 6 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest backing south or southeast 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 or 5, increasing 6 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest backing south or southeast 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 or 5, increasing 6 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 or 4, backing south, increasing south or southeast 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 or 5, increasing 5 or 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming slight later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwesterly backing southerly or southeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later in west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in west.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in the west, becoming cyclonic later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in west.
- Weather
- Rain later in north and west.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest backing south or southeast 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 or 5, increasing 6 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain later in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 or 5 backing south or southeast 5 or 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 5 or 6, increasing 7 for a time, becoming cyclonic 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in north.
- Weather
- Rain later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest backing south or southeast 5 or 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 5 or 6, increasing 7 for a time, becoming cyclonic 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later.
- Weather
- Rain later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest backing south or southeast 5 or 6.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 5 or 6, increasing 7 for a time, becoming cyclonic 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Rain later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest backing south 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in north and west, becoming slight in sheltered eastern waters.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Wednesday 28 Oct 2026 at 1800 UTC until Thursday 29 Oct 2026 at 0600 UTC
General situation
The showery southwesterly airstream across Shetland waters eases, with a ridge building north across the North Sea.
Forecast
- Wind
- Southwest 5 or 6, occasionally 4 later
- Sea state
- Very rough at first in north and west, otherwise moderate or rough, becoming slight in sheltered eastern waters
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Mainly good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0600 UTC on Thursday 29 Oct until 1800 UTC on Thursday 29 Oct
- Wind
- Southwest backing south 4 or 5
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but slight in sheltered eastern waters
- Weather
- Showers dying out
- Visibility
- Mainly good
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West to southwest 2 to 3, backing south to southeast 1 to 3 by midnight, then southeast to east 3 to 4 by mid-morning.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate with a low to moderate swell.
- Weather
- Risk of light showers until midnight, mainly mid-channel.
- Visibility
- Good or very good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East to southeast 3 to 4, perhaps occasionally 5 in the north of the area at first, backing east to northeast 4 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight, with a low swell.
- Weather
- Fair or fine.
- Visibility
- Good or very 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.
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.