Coast and Sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings


The general synopsis at midnight

Atlantic high 1025 expected Plymouth 1022 by midnight tonight

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map


Viking

Wind
Northwest 5 to 7 backing west 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

North Utsire

Wind
Northwesterly 4 to 6 backing westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

South Utsire

Wind
Northwesterly 4 to 6 backing westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Forties

Wind
Northwesterly 4 to 6 backing westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Cromarty

Wind
West 3 to 5, backing southwest 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in east.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate later.

Forth

Wind
West veering northwest, 2 to 4, backing southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in east.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

Tyne

Wind
Northwest 3 to 5, backing southwest 3 or 4.
Sea state
Mainly slight.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate later.

Dogger

Wind
Northwest 3 to 5, backing southwest 3 or 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate later.

Fisher

Wind
Northwest backing west, 4 to 6, occasionally 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

German Bight

Wind
Northwest backing west, 4 to 6, occasionally 3.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Humber

Wind
Northwest backing southwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Thames

Wind
Northwest backing southwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in southwest.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Dover

Wind
Northwest backing southwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Wight

Wind
Northwest backing southwest, 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Portland

Wind
Northwest backing southwest, 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Plymouth

Wind
Northwest backing southwest, 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight except in southwest.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Biscay

Wind
Northerly 3 or 4, veering easterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time in north.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight later near french coast.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Trafalgar (issued 23:15 UTC+1)

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly, becoming cyclonic, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later near gibraltar.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

FitzRoy

Wind
In south, northerly or northeasterly, becoming cyclonic, 4 to 6. In north, variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

FitzRoy

Wind
In south, northerly or northeasterly, becoming cyclonic, 4 to 6. In north, variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Sole

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming southwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Lundy

Wind
West backing southwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Fastnet

Wind
West backing southwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Irish Sea

Wind
West backing southwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight occasionally smooth.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Shannon

Wind
West 4 or 5, backing southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers then rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind
West 4 or 5, backing southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers then rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Malin

Wind
West 4 or 5, backing southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, but smooth or slight in southeast.
Weather
Showers then rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Hebrides

Wind
West 4 or 5, backing southwest, becoming cyclonic later, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Rough becoming moderate.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

Bailey

Wind
West becoming variable, 2 to 4, then cyclonic 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Fair Isle

Wind
Westerly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in north, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in far north and slight later east of orkney.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Faeroes

Wind
Westerly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in north, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Northwesterly veering northeasterly, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally slight near icelandic coast.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Shipping forecast information

The shipping forecast is issued four times a day at 2300, 0500, 1100, 1700 UTC and covers a period of 24 hours from 0000, 0600, 1200 and 1800 UTC respectively.

The waters around the British Isles are divided into 31 sea areas shown on the map.

The forecast contains details of gale warnings in force, a general synopsis and sea-area forecasts containing wind direction and force, sea state, weather and visibility.

Gale warnings are issued as required throughout the day (for winds of Gale Force 8 or more).

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.

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