Coast and sea
General situation
High pressure centred to the north of the United Kingdom will maintain an easterly flow, with strong winds across many southern and western waters and gales at first in the far southwest. Fair conditions will dominate, although there will be some showery rain at first in far southwest.
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
- East or northeast, veering southeast later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly becoming variable, 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, but southerly 4 at first in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East, occasionally variable, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first in south, and smooth later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in north.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first and 2 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 2 or 3, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 4 or 5, increasing 6 at first in south.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate until later in south.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 2 in north.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate in south.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 until later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- 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.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 5 or 6, occasionally 4 near shore.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough for a time at first.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first and decreasing 3 at times near shore.
- 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
- Easterly 6 or 7, occasionally gale 8 at first from prawle point westwards, decreasing 5 or 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate in lyme bay.
- Weather
- Showers at first, mainly in west.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first in west.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly 5 or 6, decreasing 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in east, moderate or rough in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly 4 to 6, but 7 at first in far south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in southwest.
- Weather
- Showers at first near Cornwall.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast, 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in south and decreasing 3 at times in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first and 3 later.
- Sea state
- Mainly slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in Cardigan Bay and caernarfon bay.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Mainly easterly, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 in south and 2 in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in far south.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in west, decreasing 3 at times near the english coast.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in west, smooth or slight in east.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less in Solway Firth.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate at first in west, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6, veering east or southeast.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5, decreasing 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later in south.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first and 3 at times later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5, decreasing 2 at times.
- 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 veering easterly or southeasterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first and decreasing 3 at times later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in North Channel, but elsewhere smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeasterly 3 to 5 at first in North Channel, but variable 2 to 4 elsewhere.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in North Channel, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly at first in north, otherwise easterly or southeasterly, 4 or 5, occasionally 3 in north and 6 in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in west, smooth or slight in east.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeasterly 3 to 5, decreasing 2 at times near shore.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly veering southeasterly later, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in south, decreasing 2 later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in south, but variable 2 to 4 in north.
- 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 veering southeasterly later, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in south, decreasing 2 later in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate at first in south, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in south, but variable 2 to 4 in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Mainly westerly or northwesterly, 2 to 4, becoming variable at times in southwest.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming moderate in northeast.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Wednesday 22 Apr 2026 at 1200 UTC until Thursday 23 Apr 2026 at 0000 UTC
General situation
Ridge of high pressure covers Shetland Waters
Forecast
- Wind
- North or northwest becoming mainly west 2 to 4
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming moderate later in northeast
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Thursday 23 Apr until 1200 UTC on Thursday 23 Apr
- Wind
- Mainly west or northwest 2 to 4
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in southwest, slight or moderate in northeast
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East to northeast 5 to 6 with gusts to 35kt, occasionally 4 in the south and east becoming generally 4 to 5 overnight, occasionally 6 mid channel.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate in the southeast, rather rough in the northwest, occasionally rough mid-channel until evening.
- Weather
- Risk of isolated showers, mainly in the west of the area.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East to northeast 4 to 5, occasionally 6 in the north of the area and 3 in the far south.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, occasionally rather rough in the west and mid-channel.
- Weather
- Fair.
- 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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