Coast and sea
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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