Coast and Sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings


The general synopsis at 1800

Low Viking 994 expected northern Sweden 988 by 1800 Wednesday

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map


Viking

Gale warning
Issued:

Northwesterly gale force 8 expected soon

Wind
Northwesterly 4 to 6, but 7 or gale 8 at first in far north, backing westerly 3 to 5 later, then backing southerly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain then showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

North Utsire

Gale warning
Issued:

Northwesterly gale force 8 expected soon

Wind
Northwesterly 4 to 6, but 7 or gale 8 at first in far north, backing westerly 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain then showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

South Utsire

Wind
Northwesterly 4 to 6, backing westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Forties

Wind
In east, northwesterly 4 to 6, backing westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5 later. In west, northwesterly, backing southerly or southwesterly later, 4 to 6.
Sea state
In east, moderate or rough. in west, slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in west.
Weather
In east, thundery showers. In west, showers, thundery at first.
Visibility
In east, good occasionally poor. In west, good occasionally poor at first.

Forties

Wind
In east, northwesterly 4 to 6, backing westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5 later. In west, northwesterly, backing southerly or southwesterly later, 4 to 6.
Sea state
In east, moderate or rough. in west, slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in west.
Weather
In east, thundery showers. In west, showers, thundery at first.
Visibility
In east, good occasionally poor. In west, good occasionally poor at first.

Cromarty

Wind
Northwesterly, backing southerly or southwesterly later, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, thundery at first.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor at first.

Forth

Wind
Northwesterly, backing southerly or southwesterly later, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, thundery at first.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor at first.

Tyne

Wind
Northwesterly, backing southerly or southwesterly later, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, thundery at first.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor at first.

Dogger

Wind
Northwesterly, backing southerly or southwesterly later, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, thundery at first.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor at first.

Fisher

Wind
West or northwest 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or thundery showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

German Bight

Wind
West or northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate elsewhere.
Weather
Rain or thundery showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Humber

Wind
West or northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate elsewhere.
Weather
Rain or thundery showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Thames

Wind
West or northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate elsewhere.
Weather
Rain or thundery showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor.

Dover

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

Wight

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

Portland

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

Plymouth

Wind
Northwest backing west later, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate later.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Biscay

Wind
Northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Trafalgar

Gale warning
Issued:

Northerly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Northerly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first in north.
Sea state
Slight or moderate in far southeast, elsewhere moderate becoming rough, occasionally very rough later in north.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

FitzRoy

Wind
In south, northerly 5 to 7. In north, northwesterly backing westerly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
In south, showers . In north, showers, rain later.
Visibility
In south, good. In north, good, occasionally moderate.

FitzRoy

Wind
In south, northerly 5 to 7. In north, northwesterly backing westerly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
In south, showers . In north, showers, rain later.
Visibility
In south, good. In north, good, occasionally moderate.

Sole

Wind
Northwesterly backing westerly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Lundy

Wind
Northwesterly backing westerly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in east.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Fastnet

Wind
Northwesterly backing westerly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming slight for a time in north.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Irish Sea

Wind
Northwest backing southwest later, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, perhaps thundery at first, rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Wind
Northwest 4 or 5, backing west or southwest 5 to 7.
Sea state
Rough occasionally very rough later in far northwest.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

Rockall

Gale warning
Issued:

Southwesterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Northwest 4 to 6, backing southwest, then veering west later, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally moderate, becoming rough or very rough later.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

Malin

Gale warning
Issued:

Southwesterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Northwest 4 to 6, backing southwest, then veering west later, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally moderate, becoming rough or very rough later.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

Hebrides

Gale warning
Issued:

Southerly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Northwest 4 to 6, backing southwest, then veering west later, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally moderate, becoming rough or very rough later.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

Bailey

Gale warning
Issued:

Southerly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Variable 3 or 4, becoming south, then veering southwest later, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
Sea state
Rough, occasionally moderate at first, becoming very rough later.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Fair Isle

Wind
Northwest backing south or southwest later, 5 to 7, decreasing 3 or 4 for a time, perhaps gale 8 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

Faeroes

Gale warning
Issued:

Southeasterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6, becoming southerly or southeasterly 6 to gale 8, then veering southwesterly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Gale warning
Issued:

Southeasterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6, becoming southerly or southeasterly 6 to gale 8, then veering southwesterly 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or 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.

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