Coast and sea

Inshore waters and strong winds

General situation

High pressure will remain centred near Iceland, with a strengthening easterly flow across the United Kingdom, becoming strong across many southern and western waters with a risk of gales developing in the far southwest. Mainly fair conditions dominating across the inshore waters, but occasional rain may return to the far southwest for a time on Wednesday.

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
Easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4, decreasing 2 at times later.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate in north and also at first in south.
Weather
Fair then occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly, veering southeasterly later, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in west.
Sea state
Slight, becoming smooth at times.
Weather
Occasional drizzle at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first.

Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in south and 2 later in north.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate later.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in Firth of Forth, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally smooth later.
Weather
Occasional drizzle at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first.

Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
East or northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight at first.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
East or northeast 3 or 4, decreasing 2 or 3 later.
Sea state
Moderate becoming slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
East or northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate occasionally slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
East or northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 2 later.
Sea state
Moderate becoming slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in Thames estuary.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight at first.
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.

Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
East or northeast 5 to 7, decreasing 4 or 5 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate occasionally rough.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

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

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Easterly 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times except in far east.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough later in far west.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Easterly 6 to gale 8, decreasing 5 or 6, occasionally 4 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first near Isles of Scilly, becoming slight or moderate later in east.
Weather
Occasional rain for a time in west.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate in west.

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

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
East 4 to 6, increasing 6 or 7 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough near Lands End.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
East or southeast 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in west.
Weather
Occasional rain for a time in west.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate in west.

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

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
East, backing northeast for a time at first, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Cardigan Bay and caernarfon bay.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
East 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Cardigan Bay and caernarfon bay.
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.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in west.
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
East or northeast 3 to 5, increasing 5 or 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6, veering east or southeast 4 to 5 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
East 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight occasionally moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
East or southeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
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, occasionally 3 at first.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in North Channel.
Weather
Showers at first.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly veering easterly or southeasterly, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Smooth or slight in Firth of Clyde, otherwise slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in south.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in sheltered east.
Weather
Showers at first.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in south and 3 in north, veering southeasterly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally smooth in sheltered east and moderate in south and west.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

The Minch (16)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time in far south.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally smooth to the south and east of skye and moderate until later in far north and at first near southern entrance.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly, veering southeasterly later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 3 in south and 6 in north.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, veering southeasterly 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate in south, becoming smooth or slight later in north.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Shetland Isles (18)

24 hour forecast:

Wind
North or northeast 3 or 4, decreasing 2 or 3 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

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

Strong wind warning

Valid Tuesday 21 Apr 2026 at 0600 UTC until Tuesday 21 Apr 2026 at 1800 UTC

General situation

Ridge of high pressure covers Shetland Waters

Forecast

Wind
North or northeast 3 or 4
Sea state
Moderate, but smooth or slight east of shetland
Weather
Fair
Visibility
Good

Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Tuesday 21 Apr until 0600 UTC on Wednesday 22 Apr

Wind
North or northeast 2 to 4
Sea state
Slight or moderate, but smooth east of shetland
Weather
Fair
Visibility
Good

Channel Islands (19)

Strong winds are forecast

24 hour forecast:

Wind
East to northeast 5 to 6, locally 4 in the southeast, perhaps occasionally 7 in the far north and the far west after dusk.
Sea state
Smooth to slight increasing slight to moderate in the southeast, otherwise moderate increasing rather rough to rough.
Weather
Isolated showers mid-channel, dying out around midday risk of showers in the far southeast around dawn tomorrow.
Visibility
Good.

Outlook for the following 24 hours:

Wind
East to northeast 5 to 6, locally 7, mainly mid-channel, at first, decreasing 4 to 5 later.
Sea state
Slight to moderate in the southeast, rather rough to rough elsewhere, decreasing smooth or slight with a low swell later.
Weather
Isolated showers likely until dusk.
Visibility
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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