Coast and sea
General situation
High pressure centred over the North Sea will give predominantly fine and settled weather with light winds, although strong easterly winds will still affect southwestern and English Channel waters on Friday.
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
- Variable 1 to 3, becoming north or northwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches, fair later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest veering northeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first near Orkney, veering southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, becoming north 3 or 4 later near Rattray Head.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, becoming north or northeast, then veering southeast later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, becoming southeast 3 or 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, becoming northeast 2 to 4, then veering southeast later.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming moderate later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, becoming northeast later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming moderate later near Whitby.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 2 to 4, becoming variable 1 to 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, becoming northeasterly 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 or 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 or 5, veering east 3 or 4, then becoming variable 1 to 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East 5 or 6, backing northeast 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but slight or moderate in Lyme Bay.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 1 to 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, and decreasing 3 at times later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in far east.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first, becoming variable 1 to 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in east, slight or moderate in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first, becoming variable 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in east, slight or moderate in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but slight or moderate in far southwest.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first, becoming variable 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, becoming east 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight becoming smooth.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 or 3.
- Sea state
- Smooth.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 1 to 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, becoming southeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 1 to 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight in North Channel.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, becoming east or southeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 1 to 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, becoming southeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, becoming northeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 2 at first, veering southeast later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in north.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast, backing northeast later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasional smooth.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 2 at first, veering southeast later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 2 to 4, increasing 5 or 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming rough later in far north.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Friday 24 Apr 2026 at 0000 UTC until Friday 24 Apr 2026 at 1200 UTC
General situation
A ridge of high pressure covers Shetland Waters
Forecast
- Wind
- Northwest 3 or 4
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in southwest, slight or moderate in northeast
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1200 UTC on Friday 24 Apr until 0000 UTC on Saturday 25 Apr
- Wind
- Northwest 3 or 4, increasing 5 or 6
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in southwest, moderate in northeast. increasing moderate later, and occasionally rough in northeast, but slight in shelter south of shetland.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Mainly good, occasionally moderate later.
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East to northeast 4 to 5, occasionally 6 with gusts to 35kt at first, mainly in the north of the area, locally 3 in the south of the area later.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, locally rather rough in the north of the area at first.
- Weather
- Fair or fine.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East to northeast 3 to 4, locally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate.
- Weather
- Small risk of isolated showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, perhaps locally moderate later.
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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