Coast and Sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings


The general synopsis at midday

Low north of Faeroes 997 expected Norwegian Basin 994 by midday tomorrow

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map


Viking

Gale warning
Issued:

Westerly gale force 8 expected soon

Wind
Southwest 5 or 6 veering west 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in north.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

North Utsire

Wind
Southwesterly veering westerly, 4 to 6, occasionally 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

South Utsire

Wind
Southwesterly veering westerly, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally slight at first.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Forties

Wind
Southwest 4 to 6, veering northwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 4 or less.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Cromarty

Wind
Southwest 4 to 6, veering northwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 4 or less.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming smooth in southwest.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Forth

Wind
Southwest 4 to 6, veering northwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 4 or less.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming smooth in west.
Weather
Rain, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Tyne

Wind
Southwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Rain, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Dogger

Wind
Southwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Fisher

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight at first.
Weather
Rain, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

German Bight

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight at first.
Weather
Rain, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Humber

Wind
Southwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in west.
Weather
Rain, perhaps thundery later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

Thames

Wind
West or southwest 3 to 5, increasing 5 to 7.
Sea state
Slight occasionally smooth, becoming slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Dover

Wind
West or southwest 3 to 5, increasing 5 or 6.
Sea state
Slight occasionally smooth, becoming slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Wight

Wind
West or southwest 3 to 5, increasing 5 or 6.
Sea state
Slight occasionally smooth, becoming slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Portland

Wind
West or southwest 3 to 5, increasing 5 or 6.
Sea state
Slight occasionally smooth, becoming slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Plymouth

Wind
West or southwest 3 to 5, increasing 5 or 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Biscay

Wind
Variable 4 or less, becoming southwesterly 4 or 5 in northwest.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Trafalgar (issued 23:15 UTC+1)

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, northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5. In northwest, southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
In southeast, slight or moderate. in northwest, moderate occasionally slight.
Weather
In southeast, showers. In northwest, rain.
Visibility
In southeast, good. In northwest, moderate or good.

FitzRoy

Wind
In southeast, northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5. In northwest, southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
In southeast, slight or moderate. in northwest, moderate occasionally slight.
Weather
In southeast, showers. In northwest, rain.
Visibility
In southeast, good. In northwest, moderate or good.

Sole

Wind
Southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate occasionally slight, becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Lundy

Wind
Southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Fastnet

Wind
Southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Irish Sea

Wind
Southwest 3 to 5, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth.
Weather
Rain, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind
Cyclonic becoming southwest, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Rockall

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming cyclonic 5 to 7.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough later.
Weather
Rain, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Malin

Wind
West or southwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4, then cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in southeast.
Weather
Rain, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Hebrides

Wind
Northwest veering southeast, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Bailey

Wind
Northwest veering southeast, 4 to 6, increasing 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Fair Isle

Gale warning
Issued:

Northwesterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Northwesterly 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Faeroes

Gale warning
Issued:

Northwesterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Northwesterly 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Southeast Iceland

Gale warning
Issued:

Northwesterly gale force 8 expected soon

Wind
Northwesterly 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 to 6 later, veering easterly or northeasterly later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough, but slight in northwest.
Weather
Showers.
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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