Coast and sea

Inshore waters and strong winds

General situation

Strong winds and rain in the northwest will become confined to the far north of Scotland by Monday, as a ridge of high pressure in the southeast builds northwards. High pressure will become dominant across all parts on Tuesday, albeit with a freshening easterly breeze in the far southwest.

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
South 3 to 5, veering southwest 4 to 6, then becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in Moray Firth.
Weather
Occasional rain, mainly in northwest.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in northwest.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming southwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate in north, smooth or slight in south.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle in north.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in north.

Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 3 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain at first in north.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first in north.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
South or southwest, becoming variable at times, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
South or southwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first, becoming variable 2 or 3 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Variable 1 to 3.
Sea state
Smooth, occasionally slight at first.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
South or southeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 1 to 3 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Variable becoming southeast 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth, occasionally slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Variable 2 or 3, becoming southeasterly 3 or 4, then variable 1 to 3 later.
Sea state
Smooth, occasionally slight.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Variable 1 to 3, becoming easterly or southeasterly 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth, occasionally slight.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Variable 1 to 3, occasionally 4 in Strait of Dover.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Variable 1 to 3, becoming easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
South or southwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 1 to 3, then southeast 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Southeast, backing east or northeast, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.

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

24 hour forecast:

Wind
South or southwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 1 to 3, then east or southeast 3 or 4 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, but moderate west of Lizard Point.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first in Lyme Bay.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
East or northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight in east, slight or moderate in west.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

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

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly, but variable at first in east, 2 to 4, backing easterly or southeasterly later.
Sea state
Moderate in west, smooth or slight in east.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Easterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate in west, smooth or slight in east.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
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, occasionally 6 at first near Anglesey, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Variable 1 to 3, occasionally 4 at first.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, but moderate at first in far southwest.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in north, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight in south, slight or moderate in north.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later in north.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Variable 1 to 3, occasionally 4 at first.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Isle of Man (12)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, backing south 3 or 4 later.
Sea state
Moderate, becoming slight later.
Weather
Fog patches later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
South 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 or 3.
Sea state
Slight becoming smooth.
Weather
Fog patches at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
South 4 or 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally south later.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
South 4 or 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally smooth later.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state
Moderate or rough in northwest, slight or moderate in southeast.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
South 4 or 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Drizzle at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor at first.

The Minch (16)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
South 4 or 5, veering southwest 5 to 7, then backing south or southeast 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming rough in far south for a time.
Weather
Rain at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 3 at first, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming smooth in shelter.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in north.

Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
South 4 or 5, veering southwest 5 to 7, then backing south or southeast 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 3 at first, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor in north.

Shetland Isles (18)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, veering west later.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough at first in northwest.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fair later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

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

Valid Sunday 27 Apr 2025 at 1200 UTC until Monday 28 Apr 2025 at 0000 UTC

General situation

Frontal troughs will soon clear this afternoon. Further front will become slow moving from Sunday evening while a south or southwesterly flow covers Shetland Waters.

Forecast

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 5 or 6 decreasing 3 or 4, increasing 5 later in southeast
Sea state
Moderate or rough
Weather
Rain at times
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate or poor

Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Monday 28 Apr until 1200 UTC on Monday 28 Apr

Wind
Southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in southeast, veering west or northwesterly 3 to 5. backing south or southwest 2 to 4 later
Sea state
Moderate
Weather
Rain, fair later
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate or poor

Channel Islands (19)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North to northwest 2 to 3, locally variable 1 to 2 at first, occasionally 4 in the southeast of the area this afternoon, veering east to northeast 2 to 4 overnight.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, with a low swell.
Weather
Local mist or haze, becoming widespread overnight, with a risk of fog patches by early morning.
Visibility
Moderate to good, occasionally poor, perhaps locally very poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
East to northeast 2 to 3, increasing 3 to 4 by late afternoon, perhaps occasionally 5 in the north and west of the area for a time overnight.
Sea state
Smooth to slight, with a low swell.
Weather
Mist or haze, with a risk of fog patches, mainly near the french coast, soon clearing.
Visibility
Moderate to good, occasionally poor, perhaps locally very poor, becoming very 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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