Coast and Sea
Inshore waters and strong winds
General situation
A slack airflow covers much of the United Kingdom, with only light or moderate breezes affecting most English and Welsh coastal areas. Further north an area of low pressure over the northeastern Atlantic will give rise to fresh or strong south to southwesterly winds.
Issued at: .
For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore for the period 00:00 (UTC) on Thu 7 May 2026 to 00:00 (UTC) on Fri 8 May 2026
Inshore waters and strong winds map
Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney (1)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 to 6, veering south or southwest 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in Moray Firth, elsewhere mainly slight or moderate, but occasionally rough later in north.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly veering westerly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in north, becoming variable mainly northwesterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough to the west and north of Orkney and smooth or slight in Moray Firth, but elsewhere slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, then showers in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly 4 or 5, occasionally 3 in St Andrews Bay and Firth of Forth, increasing 6 at times later in north, and also in far south.
- Sea state
- Mainly slight or moderate, but smooth or slight at first in St Andrews Bay and Firth of Forth.
- Weather
- Fair then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in north, becoming variable 3 or less, then northeasterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight in south.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South, backing southeast for a time later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair then showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South 3 or 4 backing southeast 2 to 4, then becoming variable later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly at first in south, otherwise southeasterly, 3 or 4, occasionally 2 at first and 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first, and also again later in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in south and moderate at first in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 3 or 4 veering easterly 2 or 3, then southeasterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first and smooth later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeasterly backing easterly or northeasterly, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 2 to 4 becoming variable 3 or less, then easterly 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first near North Foreland.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly, backing northeasterly later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming southeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair then showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 or 4, occasionally 2 in The Solent.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 in east.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 in east, becoming easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 in east and north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east or northeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, becoming fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less becoming southerly or southwesterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later near western Anglesey.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 or 4 becoming variable 3 or less, then northeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly, veering southerly or southwesterly later, 3 to 5, but becoming variable 3 or less for a time in Liverpool Bay.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair then showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 to 5 becoming variable 3 or less, then north or northeast 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 or 4 veering south or southwest 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 or 4 becoming variable 3 or less, then north 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 3 or 4 becoming variable 3 or less, then northerly 4 or 5 later, occasionally 6 later in east.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight until later in south, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 3 to 5 veering southerly or southwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 3 or 4 veering westerly or northwesterly 2 to 4, then northerly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight except near the Mull of Kintyre.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly, veering southwesterly later, 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first in east and rough later near western Tiree.
- Weather
- Mainly fair then occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first and poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 to 5 veering northwest 3 or 4, then north 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in east and rough at first near western Tiree.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South veering southwest, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth to the east of Skye.
- Weather
- Rain at times, then showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 to 6 veering northwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight in central and southern areas.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeasterly 4 at first in far north, otherwise southerly veering southwesterly, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain at times, then showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 to 6 veering northwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate between Barra and Canna, but elsewhere moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less becoming south or southeast 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers then rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Thursday 07 May 2026 at 0000 UTC until Thursday 07 May 2026 at 1200 UTC
General situation
Atlantic low will drift slowly northeast towards the Faeroes, pushing associated fronts across Shetland Waters.
Forecast
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 becoming south or southeast 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Moderate, but slight just southeast of Shetland at first, and rough in northwest later.
- Weather
- Rain
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1200 UTC on Thursday 07 May until 0000 UTC on Friday 08 May
- Wind
- South 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Moderate in south and east at first, otherwise mainly rough.
- Weather
- Rain at times
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East to southeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Isolated showers, risk of mist or fog patches near the French coast at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, perhaps locally poor or very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeast 2 to 4, veering south to southwest by dawn, becoming variable 1 to 3 by midday and northeast to east 4 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Isolated showers at first, risk of mist or fog patches near the French coast overnight.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, perhaps locally poor or very poor at first.
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.
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