Coast and sea
General situation
The United Kingdom remains in a southerly or southeasterly airflow during the next 48 hours, with most parts having either rain or showers. There will also be some mist or fog patches at first, mainly in the east. A developing low in the Southwest Approaches will bring strong winds and gales at times here into Tuesday.
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)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 at times in Moray Firth, occasionally 6 later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in Moray Firth, elsewhere mainly slight or moderate, but becoming moderate or rough later in north.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in east and in Moray Firth.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeast 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough in north, slight or moderate in south.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate in west and poor in east.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeast 3 to 5, increasing 6 to gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain at times, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, increasing 5 to 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in shelter, occasionally moderate later in east.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, increasing 5 to 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, fog patches in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in north and poor in south.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, increasing 5 or 6, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less at first in east, otherwise cyclonic becoming southerly 5 to 7 later, occasionally gale 8 later in west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in lyme bay but becoming rough or very rough later in west.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, but becoming fair for a time.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 6 to gale 8, veering southwesterly 4 to 6 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight at first in lyme bay, otherwise moderate or rough, but rough or very rough in west.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeasterly 2 to 4, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5, then southeasterly 6 to gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in Bristol Channel, otherwise moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in west.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in east.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 in west at first, decreasing 5 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in east, mainly moderate or rough in west, but occasionally very rough in far west.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers or rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in east, moderate or rough in west, but occasionally very rough later near st david's head.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming moderate at times in northwest.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in east.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming moderate in north, then occasionally rough later in northwest.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first in east.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 or 5, increasing 5 or 6, veering southwest 3 or 4 for a time later.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming moderate for a time.
- Weather
- Rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeast 4 or 5, increasing 7 or gale 8, decreasing 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming rough, then moderate later.
- Weather
- Rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough later in far north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate at first except in far north, otherwise moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or 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
- Southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 3 in shelter.
- Sea state
- Mainly slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in far north.
- Weather
- Showers, rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly, 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in far north, elsewhere mainly slight or moderate, but becoming rough later in North Channel.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming rough or very rough later.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in west.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 to 6, decreasing 3 for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight just east and north of skye, but elsewhere slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in south.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast, 4 to 6, backing east or southeast, 6 to gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in east and north and rough in west and south.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 to 6, decreasing 3 for a time.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough later.
- Weather
- Occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southeast, 4 to 6, backing east or southeast, 6 to gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough to the west of the Outer Hebrides but moderate or rough further east.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in east.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Monday 19 Jan 2026 at 0600 UTC until Monday 19 Jan 2026 at 1800 UTC
General situation
High pressure over Scandinavia and low pressure to the west of the UK will maintain a south or southeast airflow over Shetland Waters.
Forecast
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in east
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough becoming rough or very rough
- Weather
- Rain or showers
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Monday 19 Jan until 0600 UTC on Tuesday 20 Jan
- Wind
- South or southeast 5 to 7
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough
- Weather
- Rain or showers
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly 2 to 3, increasing 3 to 4 by midday, then 4 to 5 by dusk, perhaps occasionally 6 in the west later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight with a low to moderate swell.
- Weather
- Rain, drizzle, mist and a risk of fog patches, clearing by evening isolated showers in the west of the area from dusk.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, locally poor or perhaps very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South to southeast 4 to 5, increasing 6 to 7 by midday, veering south to southwest 4 to 5 for a time overnight.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, increasing moderate to rather rough, locally rough mid-channel for a time.
- Weather
- A risk of mist patches occasional rain from dusk.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, perhaps locally poor.
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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