Coast and Sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings


The general synopsis at midnight

High moving slowly east expected 350 miles west of Shannon 1030 by midnight tonight. Low moving steadily east expected 150 miles west of FitzRoy 996 by same time

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map


Viking

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

North Utsire

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

South Utsire

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Forties

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Cromarty

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Forth

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Tyne

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Dogger

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Fisher

Wind
Northwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

German Bight

Wind
Northwest 3 to 5, increasing 5 or 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally very rough later in far north.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Humber

Wind
North or northwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, thundery at times.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Thames

Wind
North or northwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, thundery at times.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Dover

Wind
North or northwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, thundery at times.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Wight

Wind
North or northwest, veering northeast later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
Weather
Showers, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Portland

Wind
North or northwest, veering northeast later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
Weather
Showers, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Plymouth

Wind
North or northwest, veering northeast later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Biscay

Wind
North or northwest, veering northeast later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Trafalgar (issued 23:15 UTC+1)

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly, backing southerly or southwesterly later in northwest, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in east and later in northwest.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in far southeast and rough at first in far northeast.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

FitzRoy

Wind
In southwest, northerly 3 to 5, veering easterly or northeasterly, but southeasterly in far southwest, 4 to 6, increasing 7 or perhaps gale 8 later in far west. In northeast, northerly or northwesterly veering northeasterly, 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
In southwest, moderate occasionally rough. in northeast, moderate, occasionally rough at first.
Weather
In southwest, showers, then occasional rain in west, perhaps thundery later in far west. In northeast, showers.
Visibility
In southwest, good, occasionally poor in west. In northeast, good, occasionally moderate at first.

FitzRoy

Wind
In southwest, northerly 3 to 5, veering easterly or northeasterly, but southeasterly in far southwest, 4 to 6, increasing 7 or perhaps gale 8 later in far west. In northeast, northerly or northwesterly veering northeasterly, 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
In southwest, moderate occasionally rough. in northeast, moderate, occasionally rough at first.
Weather
In southwest, showers, then occasional rain in west, perhaps thundery later in far west. In northeast, showers.
Visibility
In southwest, good, occasionally poor in west. In northeast, good, occasionally moderate at first.

Sole

Wind
North, veering northeast later, 4 or 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough at first.
Weather
Showers, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Lundy

Wind
North, veering northeast later, 4 or 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight.
Weather
Showers, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Fastnet

Wind
North, veering northeast later, 4 or 5.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers, perhaps thundery.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Irish Sea

Wind
Northerly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 at times in east.
Sea state
Smooth or slight occasionally moderate.
Weather
Showers, perhaps thundery in south.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Shannon

Wind
North veering northeast, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight in east.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first.

Rockall

Wind
North or northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Malin

Wind
North or northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Hebrides

Wind
North or northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Bailey

Wind
North or northwest, backing west later, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate.
Weather
Showers, drizzle later.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

Fair Isle

Wind
Northwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough at first.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Faeroes

Wind
Northwesterly, backing westerly or southwesterly in west and later in east, 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in far east.
Weather
Drizzle or showers later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough later in west.
Weather
Occasional drizzle or showers.
Visibility
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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