Coast and sea
General situation
A complex area of low pressure continues to sit over the United Kingdom over the next couple of days bringing light winds and showers, with a risk of fog to most central and northern parts. It will generally remain more settled further south, though any showers are likely to turn thundery Sunday afternoon into Monday.
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
- Southeast becoming variable, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in east.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery later, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming northwesterly 3 to 5 later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming moderate to the north and west of Orkney.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest becoming variable, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in north.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery later, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest becoming variable, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery, with fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly south or southwest, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Isolated showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery, fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly easterly or southeasterly, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Isolated showers.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly easterly or northeasterly, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Thundery showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly southerly or southeasterly, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Thundery showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4 becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in west.
- Weather
- Thundery showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or southeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming northwesterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later in west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5 becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in west, but smooth or slight in east.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming northwesterly 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later in west.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in west, but smooth or slight in east.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming easterly 3 to 5 for a time near St Davids Head.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near St Davids Head.
- Weather
- Isolated showers, but fog patches later in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later in north.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming northwest 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally very poor at first.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming northwest 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 3 or 4 soon becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain, drizzle and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor, mainly good later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 or 4, increasing 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate later.
- Weather
- Isolated fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 becoming northwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly westerly, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or showers, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less becoming northwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming moderate in North Channel.
- Weather
- Showers, fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly westerly or northwesterly, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers and fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming northwesterly later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in northern and southern entrances.
- Weather
- Showers and fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming northwesterly later.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Showers, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight becoming moderate.
- Weather
- Showers and fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Sunday 05 May 2024 at 0000 UTC until Sunday 05 May 2024 at 1200 UTC
General situation
Moist southeasterly airstream covers Shetland waters.
Forecast
- Wind
- Southeast 4 or 5
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Fog patches. Occasional drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1200 UTC on Sunday 05 May until 0000 UTC on Monday 06 May
- Wind
- Southeast 3 or 4
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Fog patches. Occasional drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southeast 3 to 4, veering south to southwest for a time overnight increasing occasionally 5 at times in the afternoon.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight.
- Weather
- Patchy rain or drizzle with mist patches, clearing to scattered showers by mid-morning, perhaps heavy at times by midday, then mainly fair by evening.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, locally poor at times.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- South to southwest 2 to 4 or variable 1 to 3 becoming north to northwest 3 to 4 by midday.
- Sea state
- Smooth to slight, with a low swell increasing moderate mid-channel later.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, then isolated showers by midday, perhaps heavy and thundery near French coasts.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, perhaps locally 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.
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