Coast and sea
General situation
The United Kingdom will lie in a mainly southeasterly airflow during the next 24 hours, with many places having either rain or showers.
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)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast veering south or southeast, 3 to 5, but becoming variable 2 at times in Moray Firth.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in Moray Firth, but elsewhere slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, becoming fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 near Orkney but becoming variable 2 at times in Moray Firth.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight until later in Moray Firth, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain at times in east.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor in east.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in far north but becoming variable 3 or less for a time elsewhere.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later in south.
- Weather
- Rain at times, mainly at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 in St Andrews Bay and Firth of Forth, but elsewhere south or southeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first in south.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first in north and smooth later in south.
- Weather
- Rain at times, mainly at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 2 to 4, backing east or southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle at first, fog patches developing.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeast 4 or 5, decreasing 3 at times.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming moderate for a time at first in north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor at first.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeasterly backing northeasterly 2 to 4, veering easterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain in north, mainly later, fog patches developing.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly veering southeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 2 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, mainly at first in north, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly backing easterly or northeasterly, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate at first in west, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in east.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly veering southerly or southeasterly, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast backing east or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East 3 or 4 veering southeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly 3 to 5, backing northeasterly 3 or 4 in east but becoming variable 3 or less in west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate to the east of the Lizard Peninsula, but further west, rough becoming moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, then rain later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 or 4 at first in east and southerly or southeasterly 3 or 4 later in west, otherwise variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight in east.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly, backing northeasterly in east, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in west, becoming variable 2 or less later in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough at first in west, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, then rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeast 3 or 4 near Pembrokeshire, and later also near Cornwall, otherwise variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in west, smooth or slight in east.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast 3 to 5, occasionally 2 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight to the east of Anglesey.
- Weather
- Showers, becoming fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less except near Pembrokeshire.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight except near St David's Head.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4 in Morecambe Bay and Solway Firth, but elsewhere easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate until later in north, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, then rain later in Liverpool Bay.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later in Liverpool Bay.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in northwest, becoming variable 2 at times elsewhere.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in northwest.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in Liverpool Bay.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 or 5, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming slight later.
- Weather
- Showers then fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first in east.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeasterly veering southerly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in north, decreasing 3 at times later.
- Sea state
- 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
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in west.
- Sea state
- Mainly slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in far north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 to 6, occasionally 3 close inshore.
- Sea state
- Mainly slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in far north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeast, veering south later, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough later in west.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5, veering south or southeast 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in west and south, smooth or slight in east and north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first in north and 7 later in west.
- Sea state
- To the south and west of Skye, slight or moderate, occasionally rough later, but elsewhere smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5, veering south or southeast 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight near Sutherland.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later, then becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first near Sutherland but becoming moderate or rough elsewhere.
- Weather
- Showers, then rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 or 5, increasing 6 at times.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Saturday 17 Jan 2026 at 1200 UTC until Sunday 18 Jan 2026 at 0000 UTC
General situation
High pressure over Scandinavia and low pressure to the west of the UK will maintain a south or southeast airflow over Shetland Waters.
Forecast
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Sunday 18 Jan until 1200 UTC on Sunday 18 Jan
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 to 6
- Sea state
- Moderate
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South to southeast 3 to 4, locally 5, backing east to northeast this evening, veering southeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight with a low to moderate swell.
- Weather
- Risk of isolated showers in the northwest of the area at first, then rain and drizzle from midnight, with mist or fog patches likely later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, locally poor or very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 1 to 3 around dusk, then southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight with a low swell.
- Weather
- Patchy rain or drizzle, with mist or fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate to good, locally poor or very poor at times.
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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