General situation
A slow moving complex low centred to the south and west of the United Kingdom will maintain a generally easterly flow and bring outbreaks of rain to southern parts, thundery 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 northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or drizzle at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast, becoming cyclonic later, 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- North or northeast 3 to 5 becoming variable 2 to 4, then southwest 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, thundery showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northerly or northeasterly becoming cyclonic, then southwesterly later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery, fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or thundery showers, fog patches.
- Visibility
- Moderate, occasionally very poor.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, thundery at times, fog patches later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 4 to 6, decreasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers and fog patches at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, thundery at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or northwest 4 to 6, backing west or southwest 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers, thundery at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 to 5, occasionally 2 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 3 or 4, backing west or northwest 4 to 6, then southwest 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight at first in Bristol Channel, otherwise slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers developing, thundery at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 to 5, occasionally 2 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers at first.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- North or northwest 4 to 6, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers developing, perhaps thundery for a time.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Cyclonic becoming west or southwest, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, increasing 7 for a time in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain for a time.
- Visibility
- Good, becoming moderate or poor for a time.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in north.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Isle of Man (12)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 3 or 4 veering northeast 4 or 5 occasionally 6.
- Sea state
- Slight, becoming slight of moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeast 4 or 5 occasionally 6 decreasing 3 or 4, then becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Rain or showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in North Channel.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in North Channel.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 in south.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later in far south.
- Weather
- Showers at first in south.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northeasterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first near Mull of Kintyre, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first in far south.
- Weather
- Mainly fair, showers later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later in south.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 4 to 6, becoming variable 2 to 4 later in south.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Strong wind warning
Valid Thursday 02 May 2024 at 0000 UTC until Thursday 02 May 2024 at 1200 UTC
General situation
A mainly easterly flow will persist over Shetland waters.
Forecast
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 or 4
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Mainly fair
- Visibility
- Good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1200 UTC on Thursday 02 May until 0000 UTC on Friday 03 May
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 or 4
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate
- Weather
- Fair
- Visibility
- Good
Channel Islands (19)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northwest 4 to 6, perhaps locally 7 mid-channel for a time, backing west by dawn, decreasing 3 to 5 late evening.
- Sea state
- Slight to moderate, increasing moderate to rather rough around dawn, decreasing slight to moderate in the evening.
- Weather
- Rain and drizzle, mainly in the north and east, perhaps locally heavy mid-channel at first, clearing soon after dawn, then isolated showers for a time.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate, locally poor for a time at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West to southwest 3 to 4, locally 5 at first, becoming variable 1 to 3 in the south of the area in the afternoon then generally southerly 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, locally moderate in the north at first.
- Weather
- Risk of isolated showers later.
- Visibility
- Good, perhaps locally moderate later.
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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