Coast and Sea
Inshore waters and strong winds
General situation
A fresh, moist southwesterly flow will continue to affect northern and western waters today, bringing fog patches at times. High pressure gradually builds from the near Continent brining fine and increasingly warm weather to all but the far north of Scotland during Saturday.
Issued at: .
For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore for the period 12:00 (UTC) on Fri 22 May 2026 to 12:00 (UTC) on Sat 23 May 2026
Inshore waters and strong winds map
Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney (1)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4, then southwest 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but slight or moderate in northwest.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6 until later near Cape Wrath and Orkney.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but slight or moderate in northwest.
- Weather
- Showers, rain or drizzle later in northwest.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later in northwest.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast, veering south or southwest, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near Rattray Head.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain for a time.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly south, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in northeast, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain later, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeasterly becoming variable, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in lyme bay.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle and fog patches in west.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in west.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly north, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in lyme bay.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first in west.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly southwest, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in Bristol Channel.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle and fog patches in west at first, and later elsewhere.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in Bristol Channel.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 2 to 4, occasionally 5 until later near Anglesey.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 2 to 4, occasionally 5 near Anglesey later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly, 3 to 5, but variable 2 to 4 for a time in Liverpool Bay.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in Liverpool Bay.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in north, becoming variable for a time in Liverpool Bay.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 or 5, decreasing 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in south.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate later in south.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth later.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, fog patches at first in southeast, fair later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in southeast.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair, occasional rain or drizzle later in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later in north.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, fog patches at first near Mull of Galloway, fair later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first near Mull of Galloway.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair, occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in west.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, rain or drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers, rain or drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Friday 22 May 2026 at 1200 UTC until Saturday 23 May 2026 at 0000 UTC
General situation
A light to moderate southwesterly flow covers Shetland Waters.
Forecast
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate in west.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Saturday 23 May until 1200 UTC on Saturday 23 May
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast 2 to 4, locally variable 1 to 2, veering west to northwest 3 to 5 around midnight, then northwest to north 2 to 3 by late morning.
- Sea state
- Smooth, locally slight, with a low swell.
- Weather
- Risk of mist or fog patches in the far west at first, and in the south and west later.
- Visibility
- Good, perhaps locally poor or very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North to northwest 2 to 3, locally 4 at times, veering northeast later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, locally slight, with a low swell.
- Weather
- Risk of mist or fog patches until late afternoon.
- Visibility
- Good, perhaps locally poor or very poor.
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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