Coast and sea
General situation
Most of the United Kingdom will lie in a slack airflow during the next 24 hours, with any strong winds restricted to the north where a developing area of low pressure will move eastwards across northern Scotland.
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
- Cyclonic 4 to 6, becoming north or northwest 2 to 4, then becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in Moray Firth, elsewhere mainly slight or moderate, but occasionally rough to the north and west of Orkney.
- Weather
- Occasional rain then showers, wintry at times in far north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor in north and moderate in south.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, 3 or less, occasionally 4 except in Moray Firth, becoming south or southwest 4 or 5, then cyclonic 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in Moray Firth, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, rain for a time in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later in north.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, veering northerly or northeasterly and increasing 6 for a time, becoming variable 3 or less later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate for a time.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5 a veering south or southeast 3 or 4, then veering southwest 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 or 4, veering north or northeast 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate, occasionally rough.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5, veering south or southeast 2 or 3.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming north or northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 4 to 6, decreasing 2 or 3, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeasterly, backing northerly later, 3 to 5 but variable 3 or 4 at first in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in south.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, decreasing 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Thames estuary.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in east.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate in east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in east, decreasing 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but slight or moderate at first in east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 or 4 becoming variable 2 to 4, then backing east later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly, backing northwesterly for a time, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate west at first of Lands End.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 at times in east.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in far west.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 near headlands, becoming variable 3 or 4 later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near st david's head.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, but northerly or northeasterly 2 to 4 at first in south.
- Sea state
- Mainly smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest, veering east or northeast later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, veering southeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest, veering east or northwest, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East ot northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first, becoming southeast 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, veering easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but slight or moderate in far north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, then veering southerly or southeasterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- 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
- Northwesterly 3 or 4 veering northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, then veering easterly later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later near the Mull of Kintyre.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly 4 or 5, veering southerly or southeasterly 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 or 4, becoming south 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 5 or 6, becoming variable 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but occasionally moderate near entrances.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming south or southwest 3 to 5, then becoming cyclonic 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in north, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, then rain.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 5 or 6, becoming variable 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming south or southwest 3 to 5, then becoming cyclonic 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, then rain.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest backing west later, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming rough for a time in north and west.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers, wintry at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Tuesday 05 May 2026 at 0600 UTC until Tuesday 05 May 2026 at 1800 UTC
General situation
A cold and showery northwesterly flow, backs westerly today as a ridge of high pressure builds over Shetland Waters.
Forecast
- Wind
- West or northwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in northwest at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but slight just southeast of shetland.
- Weather
- Showers, occasionally wintry
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Tuesday 05 May until 0600 UTC on Wednesday 06 May
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 to 5
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough in northwest at first, but slight just southeast of shetland.
- Weather
- Showers, occasionally wintry
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 2 to 4, locally 5 in the south of the area at times, backing northwest late afternoon, then veering northeast again overnight.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth.
- Weather
- Rain and showers, perhaps heavy and thundery at first risk of mist patches at times.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, locally poor at times.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East to northeast 3 to 4, decreasing 2 to 3 by mid-afternoon, veering southeast overnight, perhaps locally 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Isolated showers, perhaps heavy and thundery near brittany coast towards dawn Thursday.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, locally moderate at times, perhaps locally poor later.
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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