Coast and Sea
Inshore waters and strong winds
General situation
An area of low pressure will affect the northern UK through the coming days, while a ridge of high pressure extends into the Southwest Approaches. This will keep a generally westerly flow with stronger winds and more unsettled weather focused in the north.
Issued at: .
For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore for the period 12:00 (UTC) on Wed 29 Jul 2026 to 12:00 (UTC) on Thu 30 Jul 2026
Inshore waters and strong winds map
Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney (1)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first in Orkney, becoming variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in south, mainly slight or moderate in north, but occasionally rough at first for north of Orkney.
- Weather
- Showers, thundery later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate and later poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming west or northwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in north and around Rattray Head, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, thundery at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first and moderate later.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming west or southwest, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain then showers, perhaps thundery later in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming moderate at times around Rattray Head.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery at first in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate and perhaps poor at first in north.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest veering west, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 3 to 5, backing southwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming west later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Cyclonic becoming westerly or southwesterly, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in south.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly 3 to 5, veering northerly or northwesterly 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West veering northwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West 3 to 5, veering northwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later in west.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later in west.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest veering west or northwest, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in east, and moderate later in far west.
- Weather
- Showers later in west.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later in west.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in east.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 3 to 5, veering westerly or northwesterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later in far north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 to 5, veering west or northwest 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest veering north or northwest, then backing west later, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly, 2 to 4, increasing 5 or 6 later in north.
- Sea state
- Mainly smooth or slight, but slight or moderate in far north, occasionally rough later.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first and moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly, 5 or 6 at first in north, otherwise 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough at first in far north, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming west 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in south.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first and moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 4 to 6, backing southwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in south.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest 2 to 4, increasing 5 to 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in north.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps thundery later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest, 6 or 7, decreasing 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in north.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first and moderate later.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 2 to 4, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6 later, occasionally 7 in south.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in far north and south.
- Weather
- Showers, then rain later, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first and poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in south, becoming westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in far north and south.
- Weather
- Thundery rain, then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first and moderate later.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 2 to 4, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6 later, occasionally 7 in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate occasionally rough.
- Weather
- Showers, then rain later, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first and poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in south, becoming westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate occasionally rough at first in south.
- Weather
- Thundery rain, then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first and moderate later.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in northwest, occasionally variable 3 or less later in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first then smooth later in east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate later.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Wednesday 29 Jul 2026 at 1200 UTC until Thursday 30 Jul 2026 at 0000 UTC
General situation
Atlantic low pressure will track away northeast across Faroes today. A new low develops west of Scotland into Thursday and moves east.
Forecast
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in northwest at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in southeast later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Thursday 30 Jul until 1200 UTC on Thursday 30 Jul
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally variable 3 or less in south later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth in sheltered waters east of shetland.
- Weather
- Occasional showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate.
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West to northwest 2 to 4, decreasing 2 to 3 towards dawn Thursday.
- Sea state
- Smooth locally slight, increasing generally slight from late afternoon until dawn Thursday.
- Weather
- Mist or fog patches until mid-afternoon, mainly in the southwest of the area.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, locally poor or perhaps very poor until mid-afternoon.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West to northwest 2 to 3, increasing 3 to 4 by mid-afternoon, veering north overnight.
- Sea state
- Smooth, locally slight.
- Weather
- Fair or fine.
- Visibility
- Good or very good.
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.
Caution: The internet is not part of the Maritime Safety Information system and should never be relied upon as the only means to obtain the latest forecast and warning information. Access to the service may be interrupted or delayed from time to time, updates may also be delayed.
Please refer to GMDSS services, INMARSAT SafetyNET or international NAVTEX for the latest information. When using these web pages, always check that the page on your screen is not from your cache. Use the Refresh or Reload button if in any doubt.