Coast and Sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings


The general synopsis at 1800

High mid-Atlantic 1028 slow moving, intensifying 1032 by 1800 Thursday. High Fair Isle 1029 dissipating by same time

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map


Viking

Wind
Northerly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later in east.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

North Utsire

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 3 or 4, increasing 5 at times later.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate later.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

South Utsire

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 3 or 4, increasing 5 at times later.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate later.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Forties

Wind
North or northeast 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Cromarty

Wind
Variable 3 or less, becoming north 3 or 4 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Forth

Wind
Variable 3 or less, becoming north 3 or 4 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Tyne

Wind
Northeast backing north 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Dogger

Wind
Northeast backing north 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Fisher

Wind
North or northeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Thundery showers later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

German Bight

Wind
North or northeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Thundery showers later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Humber

Wind
North or northeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Thames

Wind
Northeast 4 or 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Dover

Wind
Northeast 4 or 5, increasing 6 at times.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Wight

Wind
Northeast 4 or 5, increasing 6 at times.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Portland

Wind
East or northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, thundery in south.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Plymouth

Wind
East or northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, thundery in south.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Biscay

Wind
Variable becoming northwest, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Trafalgar

Wind
Variable, becoming westerly or northwesterly, 3 or 4, increasing 5 or 6 later in southeast.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate in far southeast.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

FitzRoy

Wind
Cyclonic 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate at first in far northwest.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Sole

Wind
East or northeast, backing north later, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Lundy

Wind
East or northeast, backing north later, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Fastnet

Wind
East or northeast, backing north later, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Irish Sea

Wind
East backing north or northeast, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Shannon

Wind
Northeast backing north later, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Rockall

Wind
Northeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Malin

Wind
Northeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Hebrides

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming north or northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle and fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Bailey

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming north or northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle and fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Fair Isle

Wind
Variable 3 or less, becoming north 3 or 4 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in northwest.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Southwesterly veering northwesterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first in north.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle and fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional drizzle and fog patches at first in southeast.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in southeast.

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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