Coast and sea
General situation
Low pressure will remain centred near tyneside through Thursday before moving over Scotland and filling on Friday. This will bring some wet and windy weather, especially to central and northern areas, with fog patches at times for northeastern waters.
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)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 4 to 6, but 7 or gale 8 at first near Cape Wrath.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough west of Orkney, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain at times, fog patches in east.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor in east.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4, then southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Rough at first west of Orkney, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 5 or 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first, becoming mainly slight later.
- Weather
- Rain at times and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 or 4, becoming variable, mainly southeast later, 3 or less, increasing 4 at times later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming northwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally rough at first in north, then becoming slight later.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle and fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Occasional rain and fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first in south.
- Sea state
- Moderate, becoming slight later.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, fair later in south.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly backing southeasterly later, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwesterly veering westerly later in south, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first near the wash.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly, becoming variable, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly veering northwesterly 2 to 4, then becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West 3 to 5, veering northwest 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 3 or 4, backing southwest then becoming variable later, 2 or 3.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly veering northwesterly 3 or 4, increasing 5 at times in west.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate until later west of the Lizard peninsula.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West veering northwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first near St Davids Head.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less, then south or southeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate at first in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 6 or 7, decreasing 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, but rough until later in north.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest backing southwest, then backing south later, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle mainly in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor in north.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 6 or 7, decreasing 4 or 5, occasionally gale 8 at first in south and west.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or northwest 3 to 5, backing south or southwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate at first in south.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle, fair later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 6 or 7 occasionally gale 8, decreasing 5 or 6 later, then 4 or 5 by end of period.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, falling moderate later.
- Weather
- Rain, heavy at times, then becoming lighter.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, becoming moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 or 5, decreasing west or northwest 3 or 4, then becoming variable 2 or 3.
- Sea state
- Moderate, falling smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Outbreaks of rain, then becoming fair.
- Visibility
- Good, falling moderate at times in rain.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 4 or 5, becoming variable 2 to 4, then southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Rain or showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 until later in North Channel, then decreasing 3 or 4 later in the Firth of Clyde.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, but slight or moderate in Firth of Clyde.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly becoming variable, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first in the North Channel, then becoming southeasterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, but moderate at first in the North Channel.
- Weather
- Rain or showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate later.
- Weather
- Rain at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first, then becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth in shelter.
- Weather
- Rain or showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 6 or 7, decreasing 4 or 5 later, occasionally gale 8 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough until later near northern and southern entrances.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 4 or 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, fog patches developing in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in north.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North 6 or 7, decreasing 4 or 5 later, occasionally gale 8 at first.
- Sea state
- Rough, becoming slight or moderate later in south.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North 4 or 5, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough at first in north.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, fog patches developing in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in north.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly, becoming cyclonic for a time, 4 to 6, but becoming variable 3 or less for a time in east.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in west.
- Weather
- Rain at times, fog patches developing.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Thursday 23 May 2024 at 0000 UTC until Thursday 23 May 2024 at 1200 UTC
General situation
Low pressure will become slow moving across Northern England. Frontal system will remain close to Shetland Waters on Thursday.
Forecast
- Wind
- Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 7 in west. becoming 2 to 4 later in east.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate. becoming rough in west.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle. Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate or poor. Locally very poor.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1200 UTC on Thursday 23 May until 0000 UTC on Friday 24 May
- Wind
- In west: northeast 5 to 7. in east: cyclonic 2 to 4
- Sea state
- Moderate, but rough in west
- Weather
- Rain at times. Fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate or poor, occasionally very poor.
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West 3 to 4, veering northwest after dawn.
- Sea state
- Slight with a low swell.
- Weather
- Isolated showers, mainly overnight, perhaps heavy.
- Visibility
- Good, locally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest 2 to 4, becoming southwest or variable Friday morning.
- Sea state
- Smooth perhaps occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Risk of an isolated shower at first.
- Visibility
- Mainly good.
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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