Coast and Sea
Inshore waters and strong winds
General situation
High pressure over the southern UK will move away west or southwest during Sunday, Monday and overnight into Tuesday. Meanwhile, a series of deep lows tracking past Iceland will drive frontal troughs into the UK and surrounding waters.
Issued at: .
For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore for the period 06:00 (UTC) on Sun 4 Oct 2026 to 06:00 (UTC) on Mon 5 Oct 2026
Inshore waters and strong winds map
Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney (1)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 in the north and west.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough in northwest, slight or moderate in southeast.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly veering westerly 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 for a time in the north, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough in northwest, slight or moderate in southeast.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 5 or 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly veering westerly 5 or 6, increasing 7 for a time in the north, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in the north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in north.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly veering westerly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in the north, occasionally 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in north until later.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 3 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 or 5 veering west 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 or 3 becoming westerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in the north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in north, becoming variable 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 or 3.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 or 3 becoming northeasterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 or 3.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 or 3, becoming northeast 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in west.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in west.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming westerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later in northwest.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in northwest, becoming variable later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 3 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth later.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 5 or 6 decreasing 3 or 4, becoming variable later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth later.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 or 5, perhaps 6 in places.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in the north, decreasing 3 or 4, veering north or northwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming slight later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Mainly good, occasionally moderate later.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 5 or 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but rough in northwest.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 5 or 6 veering west or northwest 3 or 4, becoming variable later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but rough in northwest.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- 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 5 or 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 5 or 6 veering west or northwest 3 or 4, becoming variable later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 5 to 7 veering west 4 or 5, occasionally 3 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 for a time.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 for a time, veering west 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 for a time.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 for a time, veering west 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first and again later in southwest.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, but moderate just east of Shetland.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Sunday 04 Oct 2026 at 0600 UTC until Sunday 04 Oct 2026 at 1800 UTC
General situation
A strong southwesterly airstream covers Shetland waters
Forecast
- Wind
- Southwest 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, but moderate just east of shetland later
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Sunday 04 Oct until 0600 UTC on Monday 05 Oct
- Wind
- Southwest 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in southwest
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, but moderate just east of shetland
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Risk of mist patches near french coasts around until mid-morning.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, perhaps locally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 2 to 4, perhaps locally 5 in the south of the area later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Risk of mist or fog patches near french coasts until mid-morning.
- Visibility
- Good or very 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.
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.