Coast and Sea
Shipping forecast and gale warnings
The general synopsis at 1800
Low Faeroes 1001 expected western Norwegian Basin 996 by 1800 Tuesday. New high expected Biscay 1023 by same time
Issued at: .
For the period to .
Shipping forecast and gale warnings map
Viking
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly, backing southerly or southwesterly for a time, 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate occasionally rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
North Utsire
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly, backing southerly or southwesterly for a time, 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate occasionally rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
South Utsire
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly, backing southerly or southwesterly for a time, 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate occasionally rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Forties
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly, backing southerly or southwesterly for a time, 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming moderate occasionally rough.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Cromarty
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly, backing southerly or southwesterly for a time, 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Forth
- Wind
- Westerly or northwesterly, backing southerly or southwesterly for a time, 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Tyne
- Wind
- Northwest backing west or southwest, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Dogger
- Wind
- Northwest backing west or southwest, 3 to 5, occasionally 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Fisher
- Wind
- Northwest backing west or southwest, 3 to 5, occasionally 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
German Bight
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5 backing west or southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Humber
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5 backing west or southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Thames
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5 backing west or southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Dover
- Wind
- Northwesterly backing westerly or southwesterly, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Wight
- Wind
- Northwesterly backing westerly or southwesterly, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Portland
- Wind
- Northwesterly backing westerly or southwesterly, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Plymouth
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Biscay
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Trafalgar
- Wind
- Mainly northerly 4 to 6, but variable 3 or less in northwest.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first in south but becoming slight later in northwest.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
FitzRoy
- Wind
- In southeast, cyclonic 3 to 5 in south but variable 2 to 4 in north. In northwest, westerly or southwesterly 2 to 4 backing southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- In southeast, moderate, becoming slight later in north. in northwest, moderate.
- Weather
- In southeast, fair. In northwest, showers, then rain later.
- Visibility
- In southeast, good. In northwest, good, occasionally moderate later.
FitzRoy
- Wind
- In southeast, cyclonic 3 to 5 in south but variable 2 to 4 in north. In northwest, westerly or southwesterly 2 to 4 backing southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- In southeast, moderate, becoming slight later in north. in northwest, moderate.
- Weather
- In southeast, fair. In northwest, showers, then rain later.
- Visibility
- In southeast, good. In northwest, good, occasionally moderate later.
Sole
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 2 to 4 backing southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough later in west.
- Weather
- Showers, then rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Lundy
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 to 5, backing south or southwest 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Fastnet
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 to 5, backing south or southwest 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Irish Sea
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 to 5, backing south or southwest 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Shannon
- Wind
- Southwest 4 or 5, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming moderate or rough later.
- Weather
- Showers then rain.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or poor.
Rockall
- Wind
- Southwest 5 to 7 becoming cyclonic 4 to 6, then variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or squally showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Malin
- Wind
- Southwest 5 to 7 becoming cyclonic 4 to 6, then variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or squally showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Hebrides
- Wind
- Southwest 5 to 7 becoming cyclonic 4 to 6, then variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or squally showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Bailey
- Wind
- Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first, becoming variable 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain or squally showers, becoming fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Fair Isle
- Wind
- Southwesterly, veering northwesterly later, 4 to 6, increasing 7 later in north, perhaps gale 8 later in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough, then becoming very rough later in far north.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Faeroes
- Gale warning
-
Issued:
Northwesterly gale force 8 expected later
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5 becoming northwesterly 4 to 6, increasing 7 or gale 8 later in northeast.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming rough or very rough later.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Southeast Iceland
- Wind
- In east, northeasterly 4 to 6 backing northerly 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later. In west, northeasterly 4 to 6 becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- In east, moderate becoming rough, then becoming very rough later in far east. in west, slight or moderate.
- Weather
- In east, occasional rain. In west, showers.
- Visibility
- In east, moderate or good, occasionally poor at first. In west, good.
Southeast Iceland
- Wind
- In east, northeasterly 4 to 6 backing northerly 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later. In west, northeasterly 4 to 6 becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- In east, moderate becoming rough, then becoming very rough later in far east. In west, slight or moderate.
- Weather
- In east, occasional rain. In west, showers.
- Visibility
- In east, moderate or good, occasionally poor at first. In west, 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.
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