Coast and sea
General situation
Low pressure, mainly centred to the west of Ireland, will continue to bring rain or showers and strong winds to many areas, with gales at times in the northwest and 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
- Easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6, increasing 7 at times in far west.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but slight at first in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first far west, backing northeasterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first.
- Weather
- Showers, wintry later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 or 3 later in north.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain then showers, wintry later.
- Visibility
- Moderate occasionally poor becoming good occasionally poor.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate becoming rough.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Rough.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate occasionally poor, becoming good later.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly 4 or 5, occasionally 3 in south and 6 in north, becoming variable 2 or 3 later in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 at first in south, otherwise easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate occasionally very poor, becoming good later.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly 2 to 4 at first in north, otherwise southerly veering southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in south.
- Sea state
- Slight, but smooth in Thames estuary.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly veering westerly 3 to 5, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, but smooth at first in Thames estuary, becoming moderate later in north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in north.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly veering southwesterly 3 to 5, increasing 5 or 6 for a time later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, but slight at first in east, occasionally rough later in west.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate occasionally very poor at first, becoming good occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly becoming cyclonic 3 to 5, then westerly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 to 5, increasing 5 or 6, backing south 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming rough later.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor and very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South becoming variable 2 to 4, then west 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, increasing 5 to 7 for a time, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but mainly moderate in lyme bay, becoming very rough in far west.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming westerly 5 or 6, increasing 7 at times later in west.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, but moderate at first in lyme bay, occasionally high in far southwest.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, increasing 5 to 7 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight in severn estuary at first, otherwise moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough later in west.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, but variable 2 or 3 at first in east, increasing 5 or 6 for a time.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but slight or moderate at first in severn estuary and rough or very rough in west.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps thundery later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough near st david's head and smooth near great orme head.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor and very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but slight in northeast.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps thundery later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in northwest.
- Weather
- Rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in northwest.
- Weather
- Rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming mainly moderate.
- Weather
- Rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later in far south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 5 to 7, but 3 or 4 at first in far south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in south, moderate or rough in north.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
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 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in the North Channel.
- Weather
- Rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in the North Channel.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in the North Channel.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in east, moderate or rough in west.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 6 or 7, decreasing 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in east, moderate or rough in west.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East 4 to 6, increasing 6 or 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth at first to the east of skye, rough later near entrances.
- Weather
- Rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 6 or 7, decreasing 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate, but slight in sheltered east and rough near entrances.
- Weather
- Rain then showers, wintry later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East 6 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in west.
- Weather
- Rain then showers, wintry later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East 4 to 6, backing northeast 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers, wintry later.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Tuesday 10 Feb 2026 at 1800 UTC until Wednesday 11 Feb 2026 at 0600 UTC
General situation
An east to northeast flow will cover Shetland waters.
Forecast
- Wind
- East 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers, wintry at times.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0600 UTC on Wednesday 11 Feb until 1800 UTC on Wednesday 11 Feb
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Occasional showers, wintry at times.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West to southwest 4 to 5, increasing 5 to 6 after midnight, perhaps locally 7, backing south to southeast 4 to 5 after midday.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate with a low to moderate swell, increasing rough to very rough for a time after midnight.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, risk of thunder at first mist or fog patches.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, locally poor or very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South to southeast 4 to 5 at first, soon becoming cyclonic 4 to 6, then northwest 4 to 5 around midnight, backing west 5 to 6 by dawn.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate with a moderate swell for a time in the evening, increasing rough to very rough by midday.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, heavy at times risk of mist or fog patches.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, locally poor or very poor.
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.
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.