Coast and Sea

Inshore waters and strong winds


General situation

High pressure will persist over the next few days with mainly light or moderate breezes and fair weather for most areas. However, a decaying cold front will bring rain, drizzle and fog patches to the northwest, before clearing on Tuesday.

Issued at: .

For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore for the period 06:00 (UTC) on Mon 25 May 2026 to 06:00 (UTC) on Tue 26 May 2026

Inshore waters and strong winds map


Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney (1)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in northwest, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time in south.
Sea state
To the west and north of Orkney, moderate, occasionally rough later, but elsewhere smooth or slight.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches at first in northwest, becoming fair later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in northwest.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 in south.
Sea state
Moderate or rough to the west and north of Orkney, smooth or slight elsewhere.
Weather
Showers at first in north.
Visibility
Good.

Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly 3 to 5 in far south.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
South or southeast becoming variable, then mainly northwest later, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North or northwest veering east or northeast, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming south or southeast 3 to 5 for a time.
Sea state
Smooth, occasionally slight later.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally smooth at first.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Variable 3 or less, becoming southerly or southeasterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in north, then variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Smooth, occasionally slight in far north.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later in south.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 2 at first, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Variable 3 or less, becoming northeasterly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, becoming moderate later in east.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
East or southeast 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northeast 4 or 5 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
East or northeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first, then becoming variable later.
Sea state
Slight in east, moderate in west.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Variable mainly east or northeast, 2 to 4, becoming east or northeast 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally smooth in east and moderate in west.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
East or southeast becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate in southwest and smooth in east.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming east or northeast 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally smooth in east and moderate in west.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Variable 3 or less.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Variable 3 or less, becoming cyclonic, then east or northeast later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate in west.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth, occasionally slight later in northwest.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming north or northwest, then veering east or northeast later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor at first in northwest.

Isle of Man (12)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northwest 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northwest, veering east later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight occasionally moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in far north.
Weather
Fair, then occasional drizzle and fog patches in far north.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in far north.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly, but northeasterly in far south and veering northeasterly later elsewhere, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in far north and far southeast.
Weather
Fog patches at first in north.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in north.

Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northwesterly 3 to 5 later in North Channel.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair, then occasional drizzle and fog patches later near Mull of Kintyre.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later near Mull of Kintyre.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly, veering easterly or northeasterly later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near Mull of Kintyre.
Weather
Fog patches at first in west.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in west.

Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Southwest 3 to 5 at first in north, otherwise variable, becoming northwest later, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in far northwest.
Weather
Occasional drizzle with fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
North or northwest 3 to 5, occasionally 2 at first, veering east or northeast 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fog patches at first in south.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in south.

The Minch (16)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Southwest 3 to 5, veering west or northwest 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in central areas.
Weather
Rain or drizzle with fog patches, then fair, showers later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
West or northwest becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near entrances.
Weather
Showers at first.
Visibility
Good.

Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Southwest 3 to 5, veering west or northwest 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Moderate occasionally rough.
Weather
Rain or drizzle with fog patches, then fair, showers later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
West or northwest becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough at first.
Weather
Showers at first.
Visibility
Good.

Shetland Isles (18)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Southwest 3 to 5, veering west 5 or 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in east, becoming moderate or rough in west and far north.
Weather
Rain or drizzle at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.

For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)

Valid Monday 25 May 2026 at 0600 UTC until Monday 25 May 2026 at 1800 UTC

General situation

The southwesterly flow veers westerly on Monday night.

Forecast

Wind
Southwest 4 to 5, occasionally 6 in far northwest later.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in west but slight just east of shetland.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.

Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Monday 25 May until 0600 UTC on Tuesday 26 May

Wind
West or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, but slight just east of shetland.
Weather
Mainly fair
Visibility
Mainty good.

Channel Islands (19)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
East to northeast 3 to 4, locally variable 1 to 3 at times, veering southeast later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, with a low swell.
Weather
Fair or fine, risk of some mist at times developing near french coast.
Visibility
Good or very good, occasionally moderate or poor.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
East to southeast 2 to 3, backing northeast 3 to 4, locally variable 2 to 3 at times.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, with a low swell.
Weather
Fair or fine, risk of some mist developing at first.
Visibility
Good or very good, occasionally moderate or poor at first.

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.