Coast and sea
General situation
The United Kingdom is covered by a strong north or northwest airflow, with gales or severe gales affecting northern and eastern areas at times. Wintry showers, affecting some areas, with heavy, squally snow showers mainly affecting northern Scotland.
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
- Northwest 7 to severe gale 9, veering north 6 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough in shelter, otherwise very rough or high.
- Weather
- Squally snow showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 6 to gale 8, backing northwest 6 or 7.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough in shelter, otherwise very rough, occasionally high at first in north.
- Weather
- Squally snow showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first near Rattray Head.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough.
- Weather
- Squally snow showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 6 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough.
- Weather
- Squally snow showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Squally wintry showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 6 to gale 8, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough.
- Weather
- Squally snow showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 6 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate in south.
- Weather
- Squally wintry showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in north.
- Weather
- Squally wintry showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but rough or very rough in north.
- Weather
- Fair then squally wintry showers in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate in north.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but in north rough, occasionally very rough at first.
- Weather
- Squally wintry showers in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate in north.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first near North Foreland.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Wintry showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 5 or 6, decreasing 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near headlands.
- Weather
- Wintry showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6, veering north 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first near headlands.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate in far west, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Wintry showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 5 or 6, decreasing 4.
- Sea state
- In far west, moderate occasionally rough, otherwise slight, occasionally smooth in lyme bay.
- Weather
- Wintry showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 near St Davids Head.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough near St Davids Head.
- Weather
- Showers becoming wintry.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 near St Davids Head, veering north 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in far west.
- Weather
- Wintry showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Squally showers, becoming wintry.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 5 to 7, veering north 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first.
- Weather
- Squally wintry showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally slight near the Solway Firth.
- Weather
- Squally wintry showers in southwest.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate in southwest.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 5 to 7, veering north 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in far southwest.
- Weather
- Squally wintry showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Wintry showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 5 or 6, occasionally 7 at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Wintry showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 for a time in far north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in far south, otherwise moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Squally showers becoming wintry.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth in far south, otherwise slight or moderate, occasionally rough in far north.
- Weather
- Squally snow showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in the North Channel.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in the Firth of Clyde.
- Weather
- Squally showers becoming wintry.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in the North Channel.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in the North Channel.
- Weather
- Squally snow showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 6 to gale 8, veering north 6 or 7.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in far west.
- Weather
- Squally wintry showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in far west.
- Weather
- Squally snow showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 6 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- In far north very rough occasionally high at first, otherwise moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Squally snow showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
- Sea state
- In far north very rough, otherwise moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Squally snow showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first near Cape Wrath.
- Sea state
- Very rough or high, but rough near barra and canna.
- Weather
- Squally snow showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first near Cape Wrath.
- Weather
- Squally snow showers.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 6 to gale 8, veering northeast 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Moderate in shelter, otherwise rough or very rough, occasionally high at first.
- Weather
- Squally snow showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate occasionally poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Friday 02 Jan 2026 at 0000 UTC until Friday 02 Jan 2026 at 1200 UTC
General situation
A strong, unstable, northerly airflow over Shetland Water with frequent snow and hail showers.
Forecast
- Wind
- Northerly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first in the south.
- Sea state
- Very rough or high, but occasionally rough just east of shetland.
- Weather
- Squally snow and hail showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor or very poor.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1200 UTC on Friday 02 Jan until 0000 UTC on Saturday 03 Jan
- Wind
- North 6 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- Very rough, occasionally high at first, rough to the east of shetland at times.
- Weather
- Squall snow and hail showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor or very poor.
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 to 5, perhaps occasionally 6.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate.
- Weather
- Showers by dawn, perhaps locally heavy, mostly dying out by dusk.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North to northwest 4 to 5, perhaps locally 6 mid-channel at first.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate.
- Weather
- Isolated showers, mainly at first.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, occasionally moderate.
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.
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.