Coast and Sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings


The general synopsis at midnight

High Faeroes 1034 slow moving, declining 1031 by midnight tonight. Low FitzRoy 1011 expected just west of FitzRoy 1013 by same time. Low Biscay 1008 losing its identity

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map


Viking

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

North Utsire

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

South Utsire

Wind
Northwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Forties

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Cromarty

Wind
East or northeast 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

Forth

Wind
East or northeast 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

Tyne

Wind
North or northeast 4 or 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Dogger

Wind
North or northeast 4 or 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Fisher

Wind
North or northeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Thundery showers in far east.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

German Bight

Wind
North or northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Thundery showers in far east.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Humber

Wind
Northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Thames

Wind
Northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Dover

Wind
Northeast 5 to 7.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Wight

Gale warning
Issued:

Northeasterly gale force 8 continuing

Wind
Northeast 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, decreasing 4 at times later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate later.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Portland

Gale warning
Issued:

Northeasterly gale force 8 continuing

Wind
Northeast 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, decreasing 4 at times later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate later.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Plymouth

Gale warning
Issued:

Northeasterly gale force 8 continuing

Wind
Northeast 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, decreasing 4 at times.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate later.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

Biscay

Wind
Cyclonic 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in far northwest.
Weather
Thundery showers at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Trafalgar

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5 in north, variable 2 to 4 in south, becoming northwesterly 4 or 5 later in far southeast.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

FitzRoy

Wind
Cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in north.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in far north and slight in southeast.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Sole

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Lundy

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Fastnet

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Irish Sea

Wind
East or northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight occasionally moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Shannon

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 in south.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in southeast and slight in northeast.
Weather
Showers later.
Visibility
Good.

Rockall

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later in north.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Malin

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in southeast, becoming variable 2 to 4 later in north.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Hebrides

Wind
Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Bailey

Wind
Variable 3 or less, but southwesterly 4 in northwest.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in southeast.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Fair Isle

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, but easterly 3 to 5 in far southwest.
Sea state
Slight, becoming moderate at times.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
In southeast, variable 2 to 4. In northwest, southwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
In southeast, slight, becoming moderate at times. in northwest, slight or moderate.
Weather
In southeast, mainly fair. In northwest, fair.
Visibility
In southeast, good, occasionally poor. In northwest, good, occasionally moderate.

Faeroes

Wind
In southeast, variable 2 to 4. In northwest, southwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
In southeast, slight, becoming moderate at times. in northwest, slight or moderate.
Weather
In southeast, mainly fair. In northwest, fair.
Visibility
In southeast, good, occasionally poor. In northwest, good, occasionally moderate.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Southwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in north.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in north.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Moderate or 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.

Take our short survey