Coast and Sea
Inshore waters and strong winds
General situation
High pressure over the North Sea will move away southeast into the Continent on Tuesday. Another high will move east or northeast over the UK and into the North Sea during Wednesday as a complex low develops to the south and southwest of the UK. This complex low will drift towards the UK overnight into Thursday.
Issued at: .
For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore for the period 06:00 (UTC) on Tue 23 Jun 2026 to 06:00 (UTC) on Wed 24 Jun 2026
Inshore waters and strong winds map
Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney (1)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast veering west or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in southeast and later in west.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 or 4, becoming variable later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate west of Orkney.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South 4 or 5 becoming variable 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming southeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 4 or 5 veering west or northwest 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in north.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest becoming variable then southeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 or 4, becoming variable later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming north or northeast 3 or 4, then veering east or southeast.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first, becoming variable later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Thundery showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming northeasterly 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly becoming variable 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in west.
- Weather
- Thundery showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in west.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast becoming variable 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Showers at first, thundery in the east.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first in the east.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming east or northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly north or northeast, 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast veering east or southeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming north or northeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast veering east or southeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in far southwest.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming north or northeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast veering east 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming north 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North veering east 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable or southeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in the east at first, becoming northerly later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly 2 or 3, veering easterly 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches in south.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in south.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming east or northeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in far west.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first in south, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in south.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches in south.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in south.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming east or northeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches in south at first, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in south.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast veering west or southwest 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest becoming variable 3 or 4, becoming east or northeast later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in north.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 or 4 veering southwest 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 or 5 becoming variable 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 or 4 veering southwest 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 or 5 becoming variable 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast veering southwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Tuesday 23 Jun 2026 at 0600 UTC until Tuesday 23 Jun 2026 at 1800 UTC
General situation
Weak frontal zone spreads across Shetland Waters during Tuesday.
Forecast
- Wind
- South or southeasterly, 2 to 4, veering southwesterly later.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, mist and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Tuesday 23 Jun until 0600 UTC on Wednesday 24 Jun
- Wind
- Southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Occasional rain, mist and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East 4 to 5, perhaps locally 6 at first, soon veering southeast 3 to 4, becoming locally variable 1 to 3 for a time, then north to northeast 2 to 4 during the afternoon.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, with a low swell at first.
- Weather
- Risk of isolated showers, late afternoon and evening, perhaps thundery risk of mist or fog patches in the north and west of the area.
- Visibility
- Good, perhaps locally poor or very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North to northeast 2 to 4, veering east to northeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, increasing moderate mid-channel later.
- Weather
- Risk of mist or fog patches small risk of isolated showers in the evening, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, perhaps locally poor or very poor.
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.