Coast and sea
General situation
The United Kingdom will lie in a weak area of high pressure through the period, bringing generally light to moderate winds. Areas away from the south coast may see some fog patches at times, and showers are likely on Tuesday for southern and western 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)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east or southeast 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate to the north and west of Orkney, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in north.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or southeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate to the north and west of Orkney, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches developing later in east.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east or northeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast, but becoming variable at times, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches developing later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North veering northeast, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches developing later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 or 4, decreasing 2 at times later.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches developing later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less at first in the Thames estuary, otherwise northerly or northeasterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in east.
- Weather
- Fog patches until later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor until later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first in east.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Fog patches developing later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming northeasterly, 2 to 4, increasing 5 at times in east.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in east.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor in east.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4 in west, otherwise northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first near North Foreland.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in east.
- Weather
- Showers later, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming mainly northeast later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming mainly northeast later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming mainly northeast later, 2 or 3, increasing 4 at times later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches in far west.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in far west.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first in far west.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in far west.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northerly or northeasterly at first, 2 to 4, becoming easterly 4 or 5 later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers and fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming easterly, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast becoming variable, 2 or 3, occasionally 4 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable becoming easterly or northeasterly later, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first in south, showers in north, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in south.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4, veering east later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northwesterly, becoming variable later, 2 to 4, occasionally 5 at first in east.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in north.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly east, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 to 5 at first in the North Channel, otherwise variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly easterly later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 2 to 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in far west.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable becoming east or southeast later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fog patches, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming east or southeast 3 to 5 later near Cape Wrath.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers later.
- Visibility
- Good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Moderate, but mainly slight in south and east.
- Weather
- Fog patches at first in south.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first in south.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Sunday 19 May 2024 at 1200 UTC until Monday 20 May 2024 at 0000 UTC
General situation
Ridge of high pressure extending across the area from the north maintaining a slack easterly flow.
Forecast
- Wind
- Variable mainly east or southeast, 2 to 4
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Risk drizzle and fog patches at first, otherwise mainly fair
- Visibility
- Good occasionally poor or very poor at first
Outlook for 12 Hours from 0000 UTC on Monday 20 May until 1200 UTC on Monday 20 May
- Wind
- East or southeast 2 to 4
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Mainly fair
- Visibility
- Mainly good
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 1 to 3, becoming north to northeast 2 to 4 soon.
- Sea state
- Smooth, locally slight.
- Weather
- Mist or fog patches, mainly in the north, clearing soon, perhaps returning later isolated thundery showers near the french coast until evening.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, locally poor or perhaps very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 to 4 perhaps occasionally 5 in the far south at first backing northerly by morning.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Perhaps some mist or fog patches at first, mainly in the north and near the french coast a risk of thundery showers near the french coast until evening.
- Visibility
- Good, locally moderate, perhaps locally poor or very poor.
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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