Coast and sea
General situation
A ridge of high pressure extending from the north across the United Kingdom will give mainly fine weather with generally light or moderate breezes.
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
- North or northwest veering north or northeast, 2 to 4, then southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers in northeast.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeast, 3 to 5, veering southwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming southeast later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later, except in Firth of Forth.
- Weather
- Fog patches developing in Firth of Forth.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in Firth of Forth.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in Firth of Forth, but elsewhere slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast, occasionally variable later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming mainly northeast later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches developing near shore.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor near shore.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast veering southeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming moderate in north.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming northeasterly later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in the wash and in south.
- Weather
- Fog patches developing near shore.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor near shore.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in south.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first and smooth later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming slight, occasionally smooth later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming slight, occasionally smooth later in east.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming easterly or northeasterly at times, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor in far west.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first in west and smooth at times in east.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in east.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor in far southwest.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in far south.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming mainly east 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5, perhaps 6 for a time in Liverpool Bay, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair then showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east or southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight occasionally moderate for a time.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming east or southeast 3 or 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, increasing 4 at times later in North Channel.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable mainly east, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in south and east.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming south or southeast, then veering southwest later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, veering south or southeast later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming moderate later in north.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast veering south or southwest, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in south and moderate in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, veering south or southeast later.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming mainly moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast veering south or southwest, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in south.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest veering north, 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first and 3 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in southwest at first.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Saturday 25 Apr 2026 at 0000 UTC until Saturday 25 Apr 2026 at 1200 UTC
General situation
A ridge of high pressure builds south over Shetland Waters on Saturday.
Forecast
- Wind
- Northwesterly veering northerly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate, but rough in the northeast.
- Weather
- Light showers becoming fair later.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1200 UTC on Saturday 25 Apr until 0000 UTC on Sunday 26 Apr
- Wind
- Northerly 4 or 5, becoming variable 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East to northeast 4 to 5, decreasing 2 to 4 by dawn.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, decreasing smooth or slight with a low swell by dawn.
- Weather
- Fair or fine.
- Visibility
- Good or very good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East to northeast, 2 to 4, locally 5 in the north of the area after midday.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight with a low swell.
- Weather
- Fair or fine.
- Visibility
- Good or very good.
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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