Coast and sea
General situation
High pressure over the Irish Sea will decline during the next couple of days and an easterly flow will be established. Light or moderate winds over the coastal waters will become fresh to strong easterly especially in the south. The weather will be mainly fair with occasional rain or showers.
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
- Northwest 4 or 5, becoming variable 4 or less, then east or southeast 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in inner Moray Firth and rough at first in northwest.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 4 or 5, backing northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first in inner Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 4 or less, becoming east 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in far northeast.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East 3 to 5 backing northeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming northeast 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 or 4 veering east 4 or 5, backing northeast later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth near shore, becoming moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4, veering northeast 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 or 4 increasing 5.
- Sea state
- Slight becoming moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 2 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in northeast.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 3 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming mainly moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming northeasterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers in east.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 4 or less, becoming east or northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first in lyme bay.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, increasing 6 or 7.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 2 at first and 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in southwest.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East 3 to 5, increasing 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth at first in east, occasionally rough later in far southwest.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 or 4, veering east 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in west.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then northeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 2 to 4, veering east 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth becoming mainly slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest, becoming variable for a time, then east later, 2 or 3.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East 2 or 3, increasing 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming east or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth, but slight or moderate in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4, increasing 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth at first in south and east.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly veering easterly or northeasterly, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 1 to 3, increasing 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest veering northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 2 to 4, veering east 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4, veering northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth west of skye.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth west of skye.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4, veering northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5, veering northeast then east or southeast later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight in east and rough at first in west, otherwise moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers, fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Sunday 19 Apr 2026 at 1800 UTC until Monday 20 Apr 2026 at 0600 UTC
General situation
Northwesterly flow covers Shetland Waters
Forecast
- Wind
- Northwesterly veering easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in west
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but slight east of shetland
- Weather
- Rain or showers
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0600 UTC on Monday 20 Apr until 1800 UTC on Monday 20 Apr
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5
- Sea state
- Moderate, but slight east of shetland
- Weather
- Rain or showers at first otherwise fair
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 to 4, occasionally 5, veering east 4 to 5 overnight, perhaps locally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight with a low swell at first.
- Weather
- Fair or fine.
- Visibility
- Good or very good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East 4 to 5, increasing 5 to 6, perhaps 7, mid-channel, later.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, increasing rather rough to rough mid-channel later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good or very good.
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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