Coast and Sea
Inshore waters and strong winds
General situation
High pressure will maintain mainly light or moderate breezes and fair weather for most areas. However thundery showers and fog will spread into the southwest through Wednesday, as the high drifts east over the North Sea.
Issued at: .
For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore for the period 00:00 (UTC) on Wed 27 May 2026 to 00:00 (UTC) on Thu 28 May 2026
Inshore waters and strong winds map
Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney (1)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming east or southeast, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming south or southeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East veering southeast, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast veering east, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East 3 to 5, veering southeast 4 to 6, then south or southwest 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly veering southeasterly, then southerly later, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth later.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth becoming slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less, then west or northwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Fog patches in west.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in west.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight at first in east, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming south or southwest, then veering west or northwest later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Fog banks.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming east 4 to 6 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate for a time in west.
- Weather
- Fog patches later in west.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later in west.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming west or southwest 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, fog banks in west.
- Visibility
- Moderate to very poor in west, otherwise mainly good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in north and later also elsewhere.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in far north.
- Weather
- Thundery showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4, then southwest 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in north.
- Weather
- Thundery showers, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in south and later also elsewhere.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Thundery showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4, then southwest 5 or 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers, thundery at first, fog patches developing.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 or 4, veering east or northeast 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 or 5, increasing east or southeast 5 or 6, veering south or southwest later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers for a time soon, otherwise fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast veering east or southeast, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers later, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 4 to 6, veering west or southwest 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery at first, fog patches developing.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly veering southerly or southeasterly, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers, fog patches later in North Channel.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later in North Channel.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast veering southwest later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate for a time in west.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly veering southeasterly later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near entrances.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast becoming variable, then south or southwest later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near south entrance.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly veering southeasterly later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast becoming variable, then south or southwest later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then south or southwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Rough at first in north, otherwise slight or moderate, occasionally smooth later in east.
- Weather
- Far.
- Visibility
- Good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Wednesday 27 May 2026 at 0000 UTC until Wednesday 27 May 2026 at 1200 UTC
General situation
High pressure centred over mainland Scotland will drift east on Wednesday
Forecast
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 or 4, decreasing 2 later in southwest
- Sea state
- Moderate, but slight east of shetland. rough at first in north
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1200 UTC on Wednesday 27 May until 0000 UTC on Thursday 28 May
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly backing south or southeasterly 2 to 4
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 mid-channel, then perhaps 6 mid-channel later, becoming west later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, locally slight, with a low swell, locally moderate in the north of the area later.
- Weather
- A risk of isolated thundery showers near the french coast on Wednesday afternoon, then a risk of mist or fog in the west of the area after dusk.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, perhaps locally moderate to very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West to northwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 1 to 3, then northwest 3 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, with a low swell, locally moderate in the north of the area at first.
- Weather
- Risk of mist or fog patches in the west of the area until morning.
- Visibility
- Good, perhaps locally moderate to very poor at times.
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.
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