Coast and sea
General situation
A ridge of high pressure will decline as an easterly flow becomes established across the United Kingdom. Light or moderate winds for most areas on Monday will then strengthen, becoming fresh to strong especially in the south on Tuesday. Some showers are expected, mainly for eastern waters, but otherwise mainly fair conditions will dominate.
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 east, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight until later in Moray Firth, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 or 5 at first in north, otherwise variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming moderate later.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly backing northeasterly, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east or northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming moderate later.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly 3 or 4, veering northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly, veering southeasterly for a time at first in west, 3 or 4, increasing 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers until later in east.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 5 or 6, occasionally 4 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast, veering southeast for a time at first, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 5 or 6, occasionally 4 near shore and 7 later offshore.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough later in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in far west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time except in far south, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in Bristol Channel and moderate in southwest, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough near Lands End.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming east or northeast, 2 to 4, increasing 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later near St Davids Head.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming moderate at times mainly in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming northeast 2 to 4, veering east 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, becoming slight at times.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 or 3, becoming easterly 3 or 4, increasing 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable mainly north, 2 to 4, becoming east 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in far north and also later in far south.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, increasing 5 or 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight occasionally moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate in North Channel.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly, becoming variable for a time in east, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in west, veering easterly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in sheltered east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in sheltered east.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North veering east or northeast, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth near skye.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first near entrances.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly 3 to 5, veering easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in north.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight between barra and canna and also later near Sutherland.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first, becoming variable 3 or less later, then northeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in east.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Monday 20 Apr 2026 at 0600 UTC until Monday 20 Apr 2026 at 1800 UTC
General situation
Low pressure over Shetland Waters moves to the east with high pressure building from the north later Monday.
Forecast
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5 becoming variable 2 or 3 in northeast later
- Sea state
- Moderate, but slight east of shetland and rough in west at first
- Weather
- Showers at first then fair
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Monday 20 Apr until 0600 UTC on Tuesday 21 Apr
- Wind
- Cyclonic 4 or less becoming north or northeast
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East to northeast 4 to 5, increasing 5 to 6 by evening.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight, increasing slight to moderate by evening, further increasing rather rough in the northwest by midnight.
- Weather
- Fair or fine.
- Visibility
- Good or very good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East 5 to 6, occasionally 7 mid-channel in the afternoon and evening, then generally 6 to 7 after midnight.
- Sea state
- Slight in the far southeast, moderate to rather rough elsewhere, increasing rough in the far north by evening.
- Weather
- Fair or fine.
- Visibility
- 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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