Coast and sea
General situation
Strong winds and rain in the northwest will become confined to the far north of Scotland by Monday, as a ridge of high pressure in the southeast builds northwards. High pressure will become dominant across all parts on Tuesday, albeit with a freshening easterly breeze in the 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)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South 3 to 5, veering southwest 4 to 6, then becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in Moray Firth.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, mainly in northwest.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in northwest.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in north, smooth or slight in south.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in north.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain at first in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first in north.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest, becoming variable at times, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first, becoming variable 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight at first.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 1 to 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming southeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 or 3, becoming southeasterly 3 or 4, then variable 1 to 3 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, becoming easterly or southeasterly 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, occasionally 4 in Strait of Dover.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, becoming easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 1 to 3, then southeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeast, backing east or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 1 to 3, then east or southeast 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate west of Lizard Point.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first in Lyme Bay.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in east, slight or moderate in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly, but variable at first in east, 2 to 4, backing easterly or southeasterly later.
- Sea state
- Moderate in west, smooth or slight in east.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in west, smooth or slight in east.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first near Anglesey, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, occasionally 4 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate at first in far southwest.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in north, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight in south, slight or moderate in north.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later in north.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, occasionally 4 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, backing south 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming slight later.
- Weather
- Fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South 3 or 4, becoming variable 2 or 3.
- Sea state
- Slight becoming smooth.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South 4 or 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally south later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- 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
- South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South 4 or 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough in northwest, slight or moderate in southeast.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South 4 or 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Drizzle at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South 4 or 5, veering southwest 5 to 7, then backing south or southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming rough in far south for a time.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 3 at first, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth in shelter.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in north.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South 4 or 5, veering southwest 5 to 7, then backing south or southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 3 at first, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in north.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first, veering west later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first in northwest.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle, fair later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Sunday 27 Apr 2025 at 1200 UTC until Monday 28 Apr 2025 at 0000 UTC
General situation
Frontal troughs will soon clear this afternoon. Further front will become slow moving from Sunday evening while a south or southwesterly flow covers Shetland Waters.
Forecast
- Wind
- Southerly or southwesterly 5 or 6 decreasing 3 or 4, increasing 5 later in southeast
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough
- Weather
- Rain at times
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Monday 28 Apr until 1200 UTC on Monday 28 Apr
- Wind
- Southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in southeast, veering west or northwesterly 3 to 5. backing south or southwest 2 to 4 later
- Sea state
- Moderate
- Weather
- Rain, fair later
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North to northwest 2 to 3, locally variable 1 to 2 at first, occasionally 4 in the southeast of the area this afternoon, veering east to northeast 2 to 4 overnight.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, with a low swell.
- Weather
- Local mist or haze, becoming widespread overnight, with a risk of fog patches by early morning.
- Visibility
- Moderate to good, occasionally poor, perhaps locally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East to northeast 2 to 3, increasing 3 to 4 by late afternoon, perhaps occasionally 5 in the north and west of the area for a time overnight.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight, with a low swell.
- Weather
- Mist or haze, with a risk of fog patches, mainly near the french coast, soon clearing.
- Visibility
- Moderate to good, occasionally poor, perhaps locally very poor, becoming very 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.
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.