Coast and Sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings

The general synopsis at 1800

Low 250 miles west of FitzRoy 999 expected 100 miles west of Trafalgar, with little change by 1800 Saturday. High mid-Atlantic 1030 expected just west of Shannon, with little change by same time

Issued at: 23:15 (UTC) on Fri 21 Aug 2026.

For the period 00:00 (UTC) on Sat 22 Aug 2026 to 00:00 (UTC) on Sun 23 Aug 2026.

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map

Shipping forecast and gale warnings explained

Viking

Wind: Northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate, occasionally rough at first.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

North Utsire

Wind: Northwesterly 5 or 6.
Sea state: Rough becoming moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

South Utsire

Wind: Northwesterly 6 or 7.
Sea state: Rough occasionally moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Forties

Wind: Northwesterly 5 or 6, decreasing 4 later in far west.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Cromarty

Wind: Northwest 4 or 5, backing west 2 to 4.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Forth

Wind: Northwest 4 or 5, backing west 2 to 4.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Tyne

Wind: Northwest 4 or 5, backing west 2 to 4.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Dogger

Wind: Northwesterly 5 or 6, decreasing 4 later in west.
Sea state: Moderate, occasionally rough in east.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Fisher

Wind: Northwest 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
Sea state: Rough, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

German Bight

Wind: Northwest 5 or 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Humber

Wind: North 4 to 6, backing northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Thames

Wind: North 4 to 6, backing northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate occasionally slight.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Dover

Wind: North 3 to 5, veering east 3 or less.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth later.
Weather: Showers at first.
Visibility: Good.

Wight

Wind: North, veering northeast, 2 to 4.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Portland

Wind: North, veering northeast, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Plymouth

Wind: North, veering northeast, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Biscay

Wind: North 2 to 4, veering northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Trafalgar

Wind: Cyclonic, becoming southwesterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in northwest.
Sea state: Slight in far southeast, otherwise moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in far west.
Weather: Thundery showers in northwest.
Visibility: Good, occasionally moderate in northwest.

FitzRoy

Gale warning: Issued: 09:51 (UTC) on Fri 21 Aug 2026

Easterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind: East or northeast 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in far southwest.
Sea state: Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in far southwest.
Weather: Thundery rain in south.
Visibility: Good, occasionally poor in south.

Sole

Wind: Northeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Lundy

Wind: Northeast 4 or 5.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Fastnet

Wind: Northeast 4 or 5.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good.

Irish Sea

Wind: North 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state: Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good.

Shannon

Wind: Northeast 3 to 5, veering east 2 to 4.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Fair.
Visibility: Good.

Rockall

Wind: Northwest, backing west or southwest, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good occasionally moderate.

Malin

Wind: Northwest, backing west or southwest, 3 or 4.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good occasionally moderate.

Hebrides

Wind: Northwest, backing west or southwest, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
Sea state: Slight or moderate.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good occasionally moderate.

Bailey

Wind: West, backing southwest, 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state: Moderate, becoming rough later in northwest.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good occasionally moderate.

Fair Isle

Wind: West or northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate occasionally slight.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good occasionally moderate.

Faeroes

Wind: West, backing southwest, 3 to 5.
Sea state: Moderate, occasionally slight at first.
Weather: Showers.
Visibility: Good occasionally moderate.

Southeast Iceland

Wind: Southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state: Moderate or rough.
Weather: Showers, rain later in far west.
Visibility: Moderate or good, occasionally poor later in far west.

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.