Coast and sea

Inshore waters and strong winds

General situation

A strong north or northwest airflow covers the United Kingdom, with gales affecting northern and eastern areas at times. Wintry showers will affect many areas, with squally snow showers in places mainly across northern and eastern waters.

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
North or northwest 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Moderate or rough in shelter, otherwise rough or very rough, occasionally high in north.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North or northwest 6 or 7, increasing gale 8 at times until later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough in shelter, otherwise rough or very rough.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 6 to gale 8, decreasing 5 at times in south.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough near Rattray Head and in far south.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northwesterly 6 or 7, occasionally 5 in south and gale 8 until later in north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough near Rattray Head and in far south.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwest 6 to gale 8, occasionally 5 at first.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northwest 6 or 7, occasionally gale 8 until later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwest 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 for a time at first.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate in south.
Weather
Squally sleet and snow showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northwest 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate in south.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in north mainly later.
Sea state
In north, moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in east, but in south, slight or moderate.
Weather
Squally wintry showers in north.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor in north.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in north, then decreasing 4 at times.
Sea state
Moderate or rough in north, slight or moderate in south.
Weather
Squally wintry showers in north.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor in north.

North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northwesterly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 at first in east, decreasing 4 or 5 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight except in far east.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally smooth in shelter near shore and moderate offshore.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North or northwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first offshore.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North or northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Smooth or slight in lyme bay, but elsewhere slight or moderate.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North or northwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first and 3 later.
Sea state
Moderate in far west, smooth or slight elsewhere.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in west.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough near St Davids Head.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, decreasing 3 at times later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first near St Davids Head, becoming smooth or slight later in east.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North or northwest 5 to 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in northern Cardigan Bay.
Weather
Squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North or northwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in west.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North or northwest 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first near Mull of Galloway.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in northeast and rough at first elsewhere.
Weather
Squally wintry showers mainly in south and west.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North or northwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Isle of Man (12)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North or northwest 6 or 7, decreasing 5 or 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate or good, becoming mainly moderate later.
Weather
Wintry showers, mainly in south and west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North or northwest 5 or 6, backing northwest 4 or 5 later.
Sea state
Mainly moderate, becoming slight or moderate later.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in far north and at first in east.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in north and at first in south.
Weather
Squally sleet and snow showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in far north.
Weather
Sleet and snow showers.
Visibility
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
Northerly or northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in the North Channel.
Sea state
Mainly slight in Firth of Clyde and near arran, otherwise moderate, occasionally rough near Mull of Kintyre and at first in North Channel.
Weather
Squally sleet and snow showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in Firth of Clyde and near arran.
Weather
Sleet and snow showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North or northwest 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in east and very rough in far west.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North or northwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate in east, moderate or rough in west.
Weather
Snow showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

The Minch (16)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northerly 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Mainly very rough in far north and slight just southeast of skye, otherwise moderate or rough.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northerly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in north.
Sea state
Mainly very rough in far north, otherwise slight or moderate, occasionally rough in north.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northerly 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high near Cape Wrath.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northerly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in north.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough in south.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

Shetland Isles (18)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northerly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 in northwest.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high in west.
Weather
Squally snow showers.
Visibility
Moderate, occasionally very poor.

For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)

Strong wind warning

Valid Friday 02 Jan 2026 at 1200 UTC until Saturday 03 Jan 2026 at 0000 UTC

General situation

A strong, unstable, northerly airflow over Shetland Waters with frequent snow and hail showers.

Forecast

Wind
Northerly 6 to gale 8, perhaps severe gale 9 later in the north.
Sea state
Very rough, becoming high later in the north, occasionally rough just east of shetland.
Weather
Squally snow and hail showers.
Visibility
Moderate, occasionally poor or very poor.

Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Saturday 03 Jan until 1200 UTC on Saturday 03 Jan

Wind
Northerly 6 to gale 8, occasionally increasing severe gale 9.
Sea state
Very rough or high, rough to the southeast of shetland.
Weather
Squally snow and hail showers.
Visibility
Moderate, occasionally poor or very poor.

Channel Islands (19)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North to northwest 4 to 5, occasionally 6, mainly at first.
Sea state
Slight to moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good or very good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North to northwest 4 to 5 decreasing 3 to 4 later.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather
Isolated showers.
Visibility
Good or very good, occasionally moderate.

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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