Coast and Sea
Inshore waters and strong winds
General situation
High pressure over northern North Sea on Wednesday will maintain strong easterly winds for most of England and Wales, but light winds in the north. The high will drift northwest over Shetland on Thursday with the winds easing off, but a shallow low will bring rain to the southwest later.
Issued at: .
For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore for the period 00:00 (UTC) on Wed 4 Nov 2026 to 00:00 (UTC) on Thu 5 Nov 2026
Inshore waters and strong winds map
Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney (1)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in northwest, smooth in southeast.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in northwest, smooth, occasionally slight later, in southeast.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast, backing northeast, veering east later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East 2 to 4, backing northeast 3 to 5, veering east 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate in south.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later in south.
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, veering southeasterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight later in south.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in the wash and Thames estuary.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 5 or 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in northwest.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 3 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate occasionally slight, becoming slight occasionally smooth.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in south.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in lyme bay.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first and 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in far west.
- Weather
- Showers, rain later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 to 6 veering east 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 5 or 6, decreasing 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming slight occasionally smooth.
- Weather
- Showers, rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in southwest and later also in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later near great orme head.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first near great orme head and Mull of Galloway.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming slight later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first near Mull of Galloway.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 or 4, occasionally 2 at first and 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in sheltered southeast.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in sheltered southeast.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast, becoming variable, then east or southeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in far south.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in far south.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast, becoming variable, then east or southeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in far southeast.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest veering west or northwest, 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, but smooth or slight in east.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Wednesday 04 Nov 2026 at 0000 UTC until Wednesday 04 Nov 2026 at 1200 UTC
General situation
High pressure covers Shetland Waters
Forecast
- Wind
- West or southwest 2 to 4
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in far west. smooth east of shetland.
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1200 UTC on Wednesday 04 Nov until 0000 UTC on Thursday 05 Nov
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in far west. smooth east of shetland.
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast to east 5 to 6, occasionally 4 in the south and east of the area, veering east 4 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate in the south and east, rather rough to rough in the north and west, decreasing smooth or slight in the southeast to rather rough in the northwest.
- Weather
- Scattered showers, mainly the north of the area at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East 4 to 5, locally 3 in the south of the area, veering southeast 3 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- .
- Weather
- Smooth or slight in the southeast to moderate in the north and west, generally decreasing smooth or slight.
- Visibility
- Risk of isolated showers in the north of the area at first, rain spreading north by dusk on Thursday.
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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