Coast and sea
General situation
Low pressure will remain centred to the southwest of the United Kingdom through the period. This will bring rain and fog patches to northern and eastern coastlines, and showers elsewhere. Winds will be generally light or moderate, but strong southerly winds will affect the far southwest at first.
Issued at:
For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore for the period to
Inshore waters forecast and strong winds map
Cape Wrath to Rattray Head including Orkney (1)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less at times later in the inner Moray Firth.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain at first, fog patches developing later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5, but variable 3 or less at times in the inner Moray Firth.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally very poor at first.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in south.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, fog patches developing later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeast backing east or northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in south.
- Weather
- Drizzle and fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate to very poor, becoming good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first, backing northeast 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, fog patches developing later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast, becoming variable, 2 or 3.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle and fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate to very poor, becoming good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first, backing northeast 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate in north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, fog patches developing later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 2 or 3, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate later in north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in the wash and Thames estuary.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, fog patches developing.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first in west.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in east and moderate in west.
- Weather
- Occasional rain mainly in east.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in east.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southerly or southeasterly, becoming variable, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in west.
- Weather
- Rain at first in east.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first in east.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeast 3 to 5, backing east then becoming variable later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly backing southeasterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in west.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally slight later in lyme bay.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery in west.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor in west.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 4 or 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery in west.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor in west.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeasterly backing easterly later in north, 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth in the Bristol Channel, otherwise slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in west.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first, then decreasing 2 at times later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth in the Bristol Channel, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4, occasionally 5 near St Davids Head.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in southwest.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East becoming variable, 2 to 3, occasionally 4 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast backing east later, 3 or 4, decreasing 2 at times later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain then showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 or 3 occasionally 4 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast, but becoming variable at times, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in far northwest.
- Weather
- Occasional rain and fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in far northwest.
- Weather
- Showers, occasional rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly easterly or southeasterly, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain and fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming northerly or northwesterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly, veering southeasterly in south, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in sheltered southeast.
- Weather
- Rain and fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast becoming variable, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast veering east or southeast, 2 to 4, then becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast veering east or southeast, 2 to 4, then becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional rain, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast 4 or 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in northwestern shelter.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Tuesday 14 May 2024 at 1200 UTC until Wednesday 15 May 2024 at 0000 UTC
General situation
A southeasterly flow will persist across Shetland Waters.
Forecast
- Wind
- Southeast 3 to 5
- Sea state
- Moderate but rough at first in far northeast
- Weather
- Showers
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Wednesday 15 May until 1200 UTC on Wednesday 15 May
- Wind
- Southeast 3 to 5
- Sea state
- Moderate, but slight later over sheltered waters west of shetland
- Weather
- Fog patches
- Visibility
- Good occasionally very poor
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly 4 to 5, locally 6 at first, backing southeast later.
- Sea state
- Slight, locally moderate, with a low to moderate swell.
- Weather
- Isolated showers with a risk of thunder, mainly near the french coast, dying out around dusk.
- Visibility
- Good, locally moderate or perhaps poor at times.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southeast 3 to 5, veering southerly for a time overnight.
- Sea state
- Slight, decreasing smooth to slight, with a low swell throughout.
- Weather
- Isolated thundery showers, mainly near the french coast, dying out around dusk.
- Visibility
- Good, locally moderate or perhaps poor at times.
The inshore waters forecast information
Forecasts for UK inshore waters are issued four times a day and cover a period of 24 hours from 0000, 0600, 1200 and 1800 UTC.
The coastal waters around the British Isles are divided into 19 areas which extend up to 12 nautical miles offshore.
The forecast contains details of wind direction and force, sea state, weather and visibility.
Strong coastal winds (force 6 or more) are displayed for the first 24 hours of the inshore waters forecast.
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.