Coast and Sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings


The general synopsis at midday

High FitzRoy 1023 expected Shannon 1020 by midday tomorrow

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map


Viking

Wind
West or northwest becoming variable, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

North Utsire

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

South Utsire

Wind
Northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first in east, decreasing 2 or 3 in west.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in far east.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Forties

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

Cromarty

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight in east, smooth or slight in west.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Forth

Wind
Southwest 3 to 5 becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Tyne

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

Dogger

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

Fisher

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale now ceased, but northwesterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Northwesterly mainly 4 to 6, but 7 or gale 8 at first in northeast, becoming variable 2 or 3 later in west.
Sea state
Rough at first in northeast, otherwise slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

German Bight

Wind
Northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in far northeast, becoming variable 2 or 3 later in west.
Sea state
Moderate, becoming slight in west.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Humber

Wind
Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 at first, becoming east or northeast 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Thames

Wind
Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 at first, becoming east or northeast 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Dover

Wind
Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 at first, becoming east or northeast 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Wight

Wind
Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 at first, becoming east or northeast 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Portland

Wind
Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 at first, becoming east or northeast 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Plymouth

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight in northeast, slight or moderate in southwest.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Biscay

Wind
In north, northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5. In south, variable 3 or less, increasing 4 at times.
Sea state
In north, slight or moderate. in south, slight.
Weather
In north, fog patches. In south, thundery showers.
Visibility
In north, moderate or good, occasionally very poor. In south, good, occasionally moderate.

Biscay

Wind
In north, northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5. In south, variable 3 or less, increasing 4 at times.
Sea state
In north, slight or moderate. in south, slight.
Weather
In north, fog patches. In south, thundery showers.
Visibility
In north, moderate or good, occasionally very poor. In south, good, occasionally moderate.

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 2 to 4, becoming northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5 in east.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Sole

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5 in east.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Lundy

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, occasionally westerly 5 at first.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Fastnet

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, occasionally westerly 5 at first.
Sea state
Smooth or slight in north and east, slight or moderate in south and west.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Irish Sea

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

Shannon

Wind
Southwesterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in northwest, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Rockall

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or drizzle at times, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Malin

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6 in northwest, variable 2 to 4 in southeast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough in northwest, slight or moderate in southeast.
Weather
Rain or drizzle at times, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Hebrides

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or drizzle at times, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Bailey

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or drizzle at times, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Fair Isle

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6 in northwest, variable 2 to 4 in southeast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough in northwest, slight or moderate in southeast.
Weather
Rain or drizzle at times, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or drizzle at times, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5 becoming southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, becoming rough later.
Weather
Rain then showers, fog patches at first.
Visibility
Moderate to very poor, becoming good.

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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