Coast and Sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings


The general synopsis at midday

High 250 miles west of Rockall 1038 slow moving, intensifying 1039 by midday tomorrow

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map


Viking

Wind
Northwest 3 or 4, backing west or northwest 4 to 6 later.
Sea state
Slight becoming moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

North Utsire

Wind
Northwesterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Drizzle later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

South Utsire

Wind
Northwesterly 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later in southeast.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Drizzle later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

Forties

Wind
Northwest 3 or 4, increasing 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Cromarty

Wind
Northwest 3 or 4, increasing 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Forth

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

Tyne

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally moderate at first in south.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Dogger

Wind
North or northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Fisher

Wind
Northwesterly 4 to 6, increasing 6 or 7 later in northeast.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally slight at first, then rough later in northeast.
Weather
Showers later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate later.

German Bight

Wind
North or northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate later.

Humber

Wind
North or northwest 3 or 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming slight.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Thames

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

Dover

Wind
North or northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight, occasionally smooth later.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Wight

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5, but variable 2 to 4 in north.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Portland

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5, but variable 2 to 4 in north.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Plymouth

Wind
Northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5, but variable 2 to 4 in north.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in west.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Biscay

Wind
Northeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Trafalgar (issued 23:15 UTC+1)

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times in southeast.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in far northwest.
Weather
Showers, thundery later in northwest.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate in northwest.

FitzRoy

Wind
Northeasterly, but cyclonic in south, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later in southeast.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, but slight or moderate in far southeast.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good occasionally moderate.

Sole

Wind
North or northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Lundy

Wind
North or northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, becoming slight occasionally moderate later.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Fastnet

Wind
North or northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, becoming slight occasionally moderate later.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Irish Sea

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in north.
Sea state
Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate later in north.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Shannon

Wind
Northeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Rockall

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Malin

Wind
Northerly or northwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later in southeast.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Hebrides

Wind
Northwest 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in far north.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Wind
West or northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate, occasionally rough in far north.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Fair Isle

Wind
West or northwest 3 or 4, increasing 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
West or northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Gale warning
Issued:

Westerly gale force 8 expected soon

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, but cyclonic 3 to 5 in far north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, but slight or moderate in far north.
Weather
Occasional drizzle.
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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