Coast and Sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings


The general synopsis at midnight

Atlantic low 995 expected Norwegian Basin 1000 by midnight tonight

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map


Viking

Wind
Southeasterly 4 to 6, veering southwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

North Utsire

Wind
Southeasterly 4 to 6, veering southwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

South Utsire

Wind
Southeasterly 4 to 6, veering southwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight at first.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Forties

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, veering northwest 5 to 7 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Cromarty

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first and 7 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Forth

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first and 7 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Tyne

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first and 7 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Dogger

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first and 7 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Fisher

Wind
South or southwest veering west, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate ,occasionally slight at first in east and rough later in west.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

German Bight

Wind
South or southwest veering west, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate ,occasionally slight at first in east and rough later in west.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Humber

Wind
West or southwest 5 to 7, occasionally 4 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth.
Weather
Drizzle, fair later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Thames

Wind
West or southwest 5 to 7, occasionally 4 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth.
Weather
Drizzle, fair later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Dover

Wind
West or southwest 5 to 7.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Drizzle, fair later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Wight

Wind
West or southwest 5 to 7.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Drizzle, fair later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Portland

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, veering northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight.
Weather
Drizzle, fog patches, fair later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Plymouth

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, veering northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight.
Weather
Drizzle, fog patches, fair later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Biscay

Wind
Variable 4 or less at first in north, otherwise easterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in east and south and rough later in southwest.
Weather
Drizzle, fog banks later in north.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later in north.

Trafalgar

Gale warning
Issued:

Easterly gale force 8 continuing

Wind
Cyclonic, mainly northeasterly, 4 to 6, but easterly 6 to gale 8 in far southeast.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in southeast and at first also in far north and slight near portuguese coast.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

FitzRoy

Wind
In south, northeasterly becoming cyclonic, 5 to 7. In north, variable 4 or less, becoming easterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
In south, fair. In north, drizzle, fog banks.
Visibility
In south, good. In north, moderate to very poor.

FitzRoy

Wind
In south, northeasterly becoming cyclonic, 5 to 7. In north, variable 4 or less, becoming easterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
In south, fair. In north, drizzle, fog banks.
Visibility
In south, good. In north, moderate to very poor.

Sole

Wind
Westerly 4 or 5 becoming variable 4 or less, then easterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Drizzle, fog banks.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor.

Lundy

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally slight later.
Weather
Drizzle, fog patches at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

Fastnet

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally slight later.
Weather
Drizzle, fog patches at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

Irish Sea

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Drizzle, fog patches at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

Shannon

Wind
Southwest 4 to 6, becoming variable 4 or less.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally very rough in north.
Weather
Drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Rockall

Gale warning
Issued:

Southwesterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Southwest 6 to gale 8, veering northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Malin

Wind
Southwest 4 to 6, veering west or northwest 5 to 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough becoming rough or very rough, but slight or moderate in southeast.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Hebrides

Wind
Southwest 4 to 6, veering west or northwest 5 to 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind
Southwest 4 to 6, veering west or northwest 5 to 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Fair Isle

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally slight.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Cyclonic, becoming northeasterly later, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

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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