Coast and Sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings


The general synopsis at 1800

New high expected Shannon 1023 by 1800 Saturday. Low northwest Bailey 994 losing its identity. High Biscay 1016 dissipating

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map


Viking

Wind
Cyclonic becoming westerly or southwesterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain then showers, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

North Utsire

Wind
Cyclonic becoming westerly or southwesterly, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain then showers, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

South Utsire

Wind
Cyclonic becoming westerly or southwesterly, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain then showers, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Forties

Wind
Cyclonic becoming westerly or southwesterly, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain then showers, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Cromarty

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming southwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Rain at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor at first.

Forth

Wind
Southwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Rain at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor at first.

Tyne

Wind
Southwest becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Rain at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor at first.

Dogger

Wind
Southwest becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather
Rain at first, thundery in east.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor at first.

Fisher

Wind
Southwest 2 to 4, veering northwest 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Thundery showers at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.

German Bight

Wind
Southwest becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Humber

Wind
Southwest becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Thames

Wind
Southwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Showers, thundery later, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Dover

Wind
Southwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Showers, thundery later, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Wight

Wind
Southwest becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Portland

Wind
Southwest becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Plymouth

Wind
Southwest becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate becoming slight.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Biscay

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Thundery showers in south, fog patches in northwest.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in northwest.

Trafalgar

Wind
In southeast, cyclonic mainly northerly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in southeast. In northwest, variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
In southeast, fair. In northwest, showers, thundery later in west, fog patches in east.
Visibility
In southeast, good. In northwest, moderate or good, occasionally very poor in east.

Trafalgar

Wind
In southeast, cyclonic mainly northerly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in southeast. In northwest, variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
In southeast, fair. In northwest, showers, thundery later in west, fog patches in east.
Visibility
In southeast, good. In northwest, moderate or good, occasionally very poor in east.

FitzRoy

Wind
In southeast, variable 2 to 4. In northwest, variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
In southeast, slight or moderate. in northwest, moderate, occasionally slight later.
Weather
In southeast, showers, thundery later in west, fog patches in east. In northwest, showers, fog patches at first.
Visibility
In southeast, moderate or good, occasionally very poor in east. In northwest, moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

FitzRoy

Wind
In southeast, variable 2 to 4. In northwest, variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
In southeast, slight or moderate. in northwest, moderate, occasionally slight later.
Weather
In southeast, showers, thundery later in west, fog patches in east. In northwest, showers, fog patches at first.
Visibility
In southeast, moderate or good, occasionally very poor in east. In northwest, moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

Sole

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight later.
Weather
Showers, fog patches at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

Lundy

Wind
Southwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
Weather
Rain and fog patches at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

Fastnet

Wind
Southwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain and fog patches at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

Irish Sea

Wind
Southwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
Weather
Rain and fog patches at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.

Shannon

Wind
Northwest becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight later.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Rockall

Wind
Southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in north.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Malin

Wind
Southwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Hebrides

Wind
Southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Bailey

Wind
Southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Fair Isle

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 at first in east, otherwise southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate in southeast, but elsewhere moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Faeroes

Wind
Southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in south.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in northwest and rough elsewhere.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
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.

Take our short survey