Coast and Sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings


The general synopsis at midnight

High west of FitzRoy 1024 expected Sole 1022 by midnight tonight

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map


Viking

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming west or northwest 3 to 5 for a time.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

North Utsire

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly, becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

South Utsire

Wind
Northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in southeast.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in southeast.
Weather
Drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Forties

Wind
Westerly becoming variable, 2 to 4, becoming northwesterly 4 or 5 later in east.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Cromarty

Wind
Westerly becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Drizzle.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Forth

Wind
West becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally smooth.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Tyne

Wind
West becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally smooth.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Dogger

Wind
West becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Fisher

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale now ceased, but northwesterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in northeast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in west.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

German Bight

Wind
Northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight later in west.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Humber

Wind
West becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally smooth in west and moderate at first in east.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Thames

Wind
West becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally smooth in west.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Dover

Wind
Variable 4 or less.
Sea state
Smooth, occasionally slight at first.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Wight

Wind
Variable 4 or less.
Sea state
Smooth, occasionally slight at first.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Portland

Wind
Variable 4 or less.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Plymouth

Wind
North becoming variable, 2 to 4, then north 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally smooth in northeast and moderate in southwest.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Good, occasionally very poor.

Biscay

Wind
Variable 4 or less, becoming northeasterly 4 or 5 later in north.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate later in northwest.
Weather
Thundery showers in south, fog patches in north.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in north.

Trafalgar

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 or 5 in central area, otherwise variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight occasionally moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

FitzRoy

Wind
Variable, mainly northerly, 2 to 4, becoming northerly 4 to 6 later in east.
Sea state
Slight occasionally moderate.
Weather
Drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Sole

Wind
Variable, mainly northerly, 2 to 4, becoming northerly 4 or 5 later in east.
Sea state
Slight occasionally moderate.
Weather
Drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Lundy

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Fastnet

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northwest 3 to 5 for a time.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in southwest.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Irish Sea

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Shannon

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later in northwest.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind
South or southwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Malin

Wind
South or southwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight in southeast, elsewhere moderate.
Weather
Drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Hebrides

Wind
South or southwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Bailey

Wind
South or southwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Fair Isle

Wind
Southwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in east.
Weather
Drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Southwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight just east of faeroe isles.
Weather
Drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Drizzle, 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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