Coast and sea
General situation
A slack area of low pressure will move south over the Continent, allowing a weak ridge of high pressure to follow from the north today. Rain or showers will affect the coastal waters, with fog in the southeast and thundery showers possible in the Bristol Channel. Then a cold northerly flow is expected tomorrow, before another high builds in the north on Wednesday.
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
- Southwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in north, becoming variable 2 to 4, then northwesterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in southeast, moderate in northwest.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 to 6, backing southwesterly 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in inner Moray Firth and rough in northwest.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest becoming variable, 2 to 4, then northwest 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming northeast 4 to 6, veering east 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 4 or less, becoming northeasterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later in east.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain with fog banks, fair later.
- Visibility
- Moderate to very poor, becoming good later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 or 5, but 2 or 3 at first in west, occasionally 6 later in east.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming moderate, occasionally rough later in east.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth, becoming slight later except in west.
- Weather
- Showers and fog patches, fair later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 3 to 5, increasing 5 or 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate, then rough later in northeast.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming northwest, veering northeast later, 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth.
- Weather
- Showers and fog patches, rain later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then northeast 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth becoming slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 4 or less, becoming northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in far west.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate in far west.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 4 or less, becoming north or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in west.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast, backing northwest for a time, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in southwest.
- 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
- Northeast 3 or 4, backing north or northwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in southwest.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5, veering east or northeast 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in west.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast backing northwest, becoming variable for a time, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4, veering east 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near great orme head and Mull of Galloway.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 3 or 4, increasing north or northeast 4 or 5, veering east or southeast 4 or 5 occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in far northwest.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 or 4, veering east or southeast 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first in south and east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 or 4 veering northeasterly 4 or 5, then easterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in North Channel.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 or 4, veering north 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in sheltered southeast.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 4 to 6, veering east or southeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in sheltered east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest 4 or 5, veering north 5 or 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 5 or 6, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth except in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest 4 or 5, veering north 5 or 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate, but slight in southeast.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 5 or 6, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in southeast and rough in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4, then cyclonic, becoming northwest later, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate, but slight in southeast, becoming rough later in north and west.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or sleet, wintry showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Monday 04 May 2026 at 0600 UTC until Monday 04 May 2026 at 1800 UTC
General situation
A trough moves across Shetland Waters on Monday morning followed by a north or northwesterly airflow.
Forecast
- Wind
- Cyclonic 4 to 6 becoming north or northwest 3 to 5
- Sea state
- Moderate, but slight just southeast of shetland
- Weather
- Rain or showers, occasionally wintry
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Monday 04 May until 0600 UTC on Tuesday 05 May
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming rough later in northwest
- Weather
- Wintry showers
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 2 to 3, locally variable 1 to 2 until midday, increasing 3 to 4 this afternoon.
- Sea state
- Smooth, locally slight at times.
- Weather
- Risk of mist patches near the french coast at first risk of isolated thundery showers near the normandy coast this afternoon rain spreading northwards overnight.
- Visibility
- Good, perhaps locally poor at times, becoming moderate, or poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North to northeast 3 to 4, locally 2 at times, increasing 4 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight, increasing slight to moderate later.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps locally heavy in the south, clearing southwards by dusk.
- Visibility
- Moderate, locally poor at first, becoming 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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