Coast and sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings

The general synopsis at 0600

High Tyne 1035 expected Forth 1029 by 0600 tomorrow

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map

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Viking

Wind
Northwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

North Utsire

Wind
Northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in south.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

South Utsire

Gale warning
Issued:

Northwesterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in east.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Forties

Wind
In east, northwesterly 4 or 5. In west, variable 3 or less, increasing 4 at times.
Sea state
In east, slight or moderate. in west, slight.
Weather
In east, fair. In west, fog patches developing.
Visibility
In east, good. In west, good, occasionally very poor.

Cromarty

Wind
Variable 3 or less, increasing 4 at times.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fog patches developing.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

Forth

Wind
Variable 3 or less, increasing 4 at times.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fog patches developing.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

Tyne

Wind
Variable 3 or less, increasing 4 at times.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fog patches developing.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

Dogger

Wind
In west, variable 3 or less, increasing 4 at times. In east, northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
In west, slight. in east, slight or moderate.
Weather
In west, fog patches developing. In east, fair.
Visibility
In west, good, occasionally very poor. In east, good.

Fisher

Gale warning
Issued:

Northwesterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Northwest 4 to 6, increasing 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

German Bight

Wind
Northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate at first in south, otherwise moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Humber

Wind
North or northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 2.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Thames

Wind
North or northeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Dover

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Elsewhere slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Wight

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Portland

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Plymouth

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Biscay

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, becoming cyclonic later except in north.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers later, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Trafalgar

Forecast issued:

Wind
Southerly 4 to 6 at first in west, otherwise variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Very rough at first in far northwest, otherwise moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional rain or showers, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

FitzRoy

Wind
In east, easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, becoming cyclonic later. In west, southerly or southeasterly, veering southerly or southwesterly later, 5 to 7, decreasing 3 or 4.
Sea state
In east, slight or moderate. in west, moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in north.
Weather
In east, showers later, perhaps thundery. In west, occasional rain or drizzle.
Visibility
In east, good, occasionally poor. In west, moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Sole

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 east.
Sea state
Mainly moderate or rough, but very rough at first in far west.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Lundy

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Fastnet

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Mainly moderate or rough.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Irish Sea

Wind
East or southeast 4 to 6 backing east or northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Shannon

Wind
East or southeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough or very rough at first in southwest, otherwise moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Rockall

Wind
East or southeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Malin

Wind
East or southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in east.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Hebrides

Wind
East or southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, but smooth or slight in east.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Bailey

Wind
Southeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less later in north.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Fair Isle

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northwesterly 4 or 5 later in north.
Sea state
Smooth or slight in, but elsewhere slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Faeroes

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northwesterly 4 or 5 later in north.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Southwesterly, becoming cyclonic later, 3 to 5, increasing 6 for a time in north.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally 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.