Coast and sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings

The general synopsis at midnight

Low southwest Iceland 970 expected 100 miles east of Iceland 982 by midnight tonight

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map

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Viking

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale now ceased but southwesterly gale force 8 expected soon

Wind
Southwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

North Utsire

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale now ceased but southwesterly gale force 8 expected soon

Wind
Southwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

South Utsire

Wind
Southerly 4 to 6, veering westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain then showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Forties

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain then showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Cromarty

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain then showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Forth

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain then showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Tyne

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain then showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Dogger

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain then showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Fisher

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

German Bight

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Humber

Wind
Southwest veering west or northwest later, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

Thames

Wind
Southwest veering west or northwest later, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

Dover

Wind
West or southwest 3 to 5, veering northwest 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

Wight

Wind
West or southwest 3 to 5, veering northwest 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

Portland

Wind
West or southwest 3 to 5, veering northwest 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

Plymouth

Wind
West or southwest 3 to 5, veering northwest 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

Biscay

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming north or northwest 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate later.

Trafalgar

Forecast issued:

Wind
North or northeast 5 to 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

FitzRoy

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale now ceased, but northeasterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
In south, northeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later. In north, westerly veering northerly or northwesterly, 4 to 6.
Sea state
In south, moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later. in north, moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
In south, fair . In north, occasional rain.
Visibility
In south, good. In north, good, occasionally moderate.

Sole

Wind
Westerly veering northerly or northwesterly, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Lundy

Wind
Southwest, veering west or northwest, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain then showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Fastnet

Wind
Southwest, veering west or northwest, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in west.
Weather
Rain then showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Irish Sea

Wind
Southwest, veering west or northwest, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain then showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Shannon

Gale warning
Issued:

Westerly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Westerly or northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in north.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming very rough or high.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Rockall

Gale warning
Issued:

Westerly gale force 8, increasing severe gale force 9 soon, then increasing storm force 10 later

Wind
West or northwest 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 later.
Sea state
High or very high, occasionally very rough at first.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Moderate or poor.

Malin

Gale warning
Issued:

Westerly gale force 8 increasing severe gale force 9 later

Wind
West or southwest 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming high or very high.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Hebrides

Gale warning
Issued:

Southwesterly gale force 8 continuing, veering and increasing westerly severe gale force 9 later

Wind
West or southwest 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming high or very high.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Gale warning
Issued:

Southwesterly severe gale force 9 veering and increasing northwesterly storm force 10 later

Wind
Southwest, veering northwest later, 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 later.
Sea state
High or very high.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Moderate or poor.

Fair Isle

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale now ceased but southerly gale force 8 expected soon, veering southwesterly later

Wind
Southwest becoming cyclonic later, 6 to gale 8.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming high or very high, except in southeast.
Weather
Squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or poor.

Faeroes

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale force 8 backing southerly and increasing severe gale force 9 imminent, veering southwesterly later

Wind
Southwest becoming cyclonic later, 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming high or very high.
Weather
Squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or poor.

Southeast Iceland

Gale warning
Issued:

Southwesterly severe gale force 9 veering northerly later

Wind
Southwesterly, becoming cyclonic then northerly later, 7 to severe gale 9.
Sea state
High or very high, becoming very rough or high later.
Weather
Squally wintry showers.
Visibility
Poor occasionally moderate.

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.