Coast and Sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings


The general synopsis at 1800

High northwest Humber 1028 dissipating

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map


Viking

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Drizzle at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor at first.

North Utsire

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Drizzle at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor at first.

South Utsire

Gale warning
Issued:

Northwesterly gale force 8 expected soon

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

Forties

Wind
West or northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Cromarty

Wind
West or northwest 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate in east, smooth or slight in west.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Forth

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northwest 3 to 5 for a time at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate in east, smooth or slight in west.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Tyne

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northwest 3 to 5 for a time at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Dogger

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

Fisher

Gale warning
Issued:

Northwesterly gale force 8 expected soon

Wind
Northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

German Bight

Wind
Northwesterly 5 to 7.
Sea state
Slight or moderate at first in south, otherwise moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Humber

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in east, becoming variable 2 at times in west.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming rough for a time in far northeast.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Thames

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 at times in west.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Dover

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Wight

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming southwesterly 5 for a time in northwest.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Portland

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northeasterly 5 at times in south.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Plymouth

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northeasterly 5 at times in west.
Sea state
Smooth or slight in east, slight or moderate in west.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Biscay

Wind
North or northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later in northeast.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Trafalgar

Wind
Mainly northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, but variable 3 or less in far northeast.
Sea state
Rough at first in far northwest, otherwise slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers in northwest.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate in northwest.

FitzRoy

Wind
Mainly northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6, but cyclonic 2 to 4 in far southeast.
Sea state
Mainly moderate or rough, but slight or moderate in far southeast.
Weather
Thundery showers in west.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Sole

Wind
North or northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Lundy

Wind
North or northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight in east, slight or moderate in west.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Fastnet

Wind
North or northeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 at times.
Sea state
Smooth or slight in north, slight or moderate in south.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Irish Sea

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in north.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in northeast.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Shannon

Wind
North or northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Rockall

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly, backing westerly in north, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Drizzle at times.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Malin

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in southeast.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Drizzle at times.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Hebrides

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Bailey

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, backing southwesterly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming rough later in northwest.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Fair Isle

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in east.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Variable 3 at first in north, otherwise westerly 4 to 6, backing southwesterly 5 to 7 later.
Sea state
Mainly moderate or rough, but slight at first in far north.
Weather
Occasional rain or 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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