Coast and Sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings


The general synopsis at 1800

Low 300 miles northeast of Iceland 990 slow-moving, deepening 988 by 1800 Friday. Low northeast Spain 1009 slow-moving, deepening 1007 by same time

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map


Viking

Wind
Southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in far north.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

North Utsire

Wind
Southwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight at first.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

South Utsire

Wind
Northwesterly 4 to 6, backing westerly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight at first.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Forties

Wind
West or southwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Cromarty

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Forth

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Tyne

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

Dogger

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

Fisher

Wind
Northwesterly backing southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in northeast.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough at first in far northeast.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

German Bight

Wind
Northwest backing southwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Humber

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

Thames

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally smooth.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Dover

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

Wight

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

Portland

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

Plymouth

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

Biscay

Wind
Northeast becoming cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Thundery showers later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate later.

Trafalgar

Wind
Northwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in east.
Weather
Thundery showers in north.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

FitzRoy

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 4 to 6, but cyclonic 3 to 5 in far southeast.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in east.
Weather
Thundery showers, mainly in south.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor in south.

Sole

Wind
North or northeast, backing northwest later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Lundy

Wind
North or northeast, backing northwest later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Fastnet

Wind
North or northeast, backing northwest later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Irish Sea

Wind
Northwesterly backing southwesterly 3 to 5, but variable 2 to 4 in southwest.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Showers in north.
Visibility
Good.

Shannon

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming west or northwest 4 or 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Rockall

Wind
West 4 to 6, backing southwest 5 to 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in far north.
Weather
Occasional drizzle, rain later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

Malin

Wind
West 4 to 6, backing southwest 5 to 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional drizzle, rain later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

Hebrides

Wind
West 4 to 6, backing southwest 5 to 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional drizzle, rain later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

Bailey

Wind
West or southwest 5 to 7.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally very rough later in south.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Fair Isle

Wind
Southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later in southwest.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in southeast.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

Faeroes

Wind
Southwesterly 5 or 6, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later in north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Westerly 5 to 7, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
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