Coast and sea
General situation
High pressure centred near Shetland will drift westwards during the next couple of days, bringing mainly settled weather to the inshore waters. Winds will be mainly light or moderate for most northern waters, whilst further south a strong and cold east to northeasterly airflow will persist.
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
- Southeasterly 3 to 5 at first in northwest, otherwise variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate to the north and west of Orkney, but elsewhere smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor near shore.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming northeasterly 3 to 5 in north and also later in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate to the north and west of Orkney, but elsewhere smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in east.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less in north, but in south, easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first near Berwick upon Tweed.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less at first in north, otherwise northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in Firth of Forth, becoming moderate at times later.
- Weather
- Drizzle at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming slight at times.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East backing northeast, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 at first.
- Sea state
- Rough at first near east Norfolk, otherwise moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in Thames estuary and in far north.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 5 or 6, occasionally 7 at first, then decreasing 4 at times near shore.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight near shore.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight near shore.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
- Sea state
- Rough becoming moderate, but occasionally rough in far southwest.
- Weather
- Showers at first, mainly in west.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first in west.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later near exposed headlands in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough in southwest and also later elsewhere.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, decreasing 4 at times later.
- Sea state
- Rough at first near Lands End, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first near Lands End.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in Bristol Channel and near lundy, perhaps gale 8 later near north Devon.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later near Lands End.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 6 or 7, decreasing 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight in Cardigan Bay and caernarfon bay.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, increasing 7 at times near Anglesey.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in Cardigan Bay and caernarfon bay, but slight or moderate elsewhere.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate until later in west, becoming smooth at times in east.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in south.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate in south and far north.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in east.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate in south.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, decreasing 3 at times.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near Mull of Galloway and at first near Mull of Kintyre.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 near Mull of Galloway and later just south of arran and near Mull of Kintyre.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near Mull of Galloway.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first south of islay, becoming variable, mainly northeasterly, 2 to 4 in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight east of islay and jura, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in east and moderate in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first near northern entrance.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming east or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming east or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming west 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Mainly slight to the east of Shetland, otherwise moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Thursday 25 Dec 2025 at 1800 UTC until Friday 26 Dec 2025 at 0600 UTC
General situation
An area of high pressure will cover Shetland waters
Forecast
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less
- Sea state
- Moderate, but rough in west at first. slight east of shetland.
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0600 UTC on Friday 26 Dec until 1800 UTC on Friday 26 Dec
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming west or southwest 3 to 5
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East to northeast 5 to 6, occasionally 7 mid-channel at first, decreasing 4 to 5 by midnight, occasionally 6 in the north of the area from around dawn.
- Sea state
- Rather rough mid-channel, otherwise slight to moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good or very good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East to northeast 4 to 5, occasionally 6 in the north of the area.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, locally rather rough in the northwest of the area, increasing rough mid-channel by dusk Saturday.
- Weather
- Mist or fog patches likely in the south of the area overnight.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, locally poor or very poor overnight.
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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