Coast and sea
General situation
A ridge of high pressure extending southwards across the United Kingdom will continue to give a good deal of fair weather with generally light or moderate breezes, some showery rain is likely over northern waters later Sunday.
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
- North or northeast 2 to 4, veering south or southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth later in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming south or southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in Firth of Forth.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 2 to 4, veering southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain for a time.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast veering southeast later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeast becoming variable later, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers until later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming easterly or northeasterly later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly easterly, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in Thames estuary.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 until later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming east or northeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 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
- Variable, mainly east, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in lyme bay.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming northerly 4 or 5 later in west.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in east.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming southeasterly 3 or 5 later east of Anglesey.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in far south.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming northerly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming southeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in Liverpool Bay.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in Liverpool Bay.
- Weather
- Fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5, becoming variable then northwest later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east or southeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first, becoming variable 3 or less, then northwest 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, mainly in northwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then northwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
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 northeasterly 4 or 5 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, becoming northwesterly later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming south or southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast veering southwest, becoming variable later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast veering south or southwest later, 3 to 5, increasing 6 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming moderate in north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in south and moderate in north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain until later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast veering south or southwest later, 3 to 5, increasing 6 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in south.
- Weather
- Occasional rain until later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less, then southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in shelter.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Saturday 25 Apr 2026 at 1200 UTC until Sunday 26 Apr 2026 at 0000 UTC
General situation
A ridge of high pressure builds south over Shetland Waters on Saturday.
Forecast
- Wind
- North 4 or 5 veering east or northeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Light showers becoming fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Sunday 26 Apr until 1200 UTC on Sunday 26 Apr
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4 veering southeast and increasing 5 in west later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East to northeast 2 to 3, occasionally moderate f4, mainly in the north of the area, occasionally variable light 1 to 2 in the south.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight, with a low and diminishing swell.
- Weather
- Risk of mist patches in the southeast from midnight to mid-morning.
- Visibility
- Good, perhaps moderate or poor in the southeast after midnight.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 2 to 3, occasionally 4, perhaps 5 mid-channel at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight.
- Weather
- Fine, occasionally fair.
- Visibility
- Good, perhaps locally moderate around dawn.
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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