Coast and sea
General situation
An area of high pressure will build across the United Kingdom through the period giving generally settled conditions. However fronts will edge into Scotland on a strengthening southwesterly airflow here, with a risk of gales in the far north from Wednesday night.
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
- Westerly backing southwesterly, 3 to 5, increasing 5 to 7 later, occasionally gale 8 later in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate occasionally smooth in south, otherwise moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in far north.
- Weather
- Occasional rain in north.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate in north.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 6 to gale 8, veering northwesterly 5 to 7 later, perhaps gale 8 later in north.
- Sea state
- To the west and north of Orkney, moderate or rough occasionally very rough, but elsewhere slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in east.
- Weather
- Fair at first in south, otherwise occasional rain.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 2 to 4, becoming southwest 3 or 4, increasing 5 to 7 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in north and also later elsewhere.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest, veering west or northwest later, 5 to 7.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later near Rattray Head.
- Weather
- Rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly west, 3 or less, becoming southwest 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times near Berwick upon Tweed.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate near Berwick upon Tweed.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming southwest 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in south.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth near shore.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming southwesterly 3 or 4 later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less until later in south, otherwise westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Easterly or northeasterly 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Easterly becoming variable, 3 or less, occasionally 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Northeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in east and moderate in west.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East or northeast 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in west.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly east, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally moderate in south and smooth in Bristol Channel.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly east, 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth in north.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming southwesterly 3 or 4 later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less throughout in south, otherwise westerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, veering northwesterly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming southwesterly 3 or 4 in north and also later in south, occasionally 5 later in north.
- Sea state
- Smooth occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 or less, increasing 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest, veering west later, 3 or 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming south or southwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate in far northwest.
- Weather
- Drizzle later in north.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate in far north, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional drizzle.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming southerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate later near Mull of Kintyre.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Moderate near Mull of Kintyre, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Drizzle at times.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming southwesterly 3 to 5, increasing 6 at times later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough later in far northwest.
- Weather
- Drizzle at times.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly, veering northerly later in north, 4 to 6.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally slight in east.
- Weather
- Drizzle at times, rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
The Minch (16)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly 3 to 5, backing southwesterly 5 or 6, increasing 7 at times later, perhaps gale 8 later in north.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth at first near skye and rough later near northern entrance.
- Weather
- Drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 6 or 7, occasionally gale 8 in north, veering northwesterly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, occasionally rough near northern entrance.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly 3 to 5, backing southwesterly 5 or 6, increasing 7 at times later, perhaps gale 8 later in north.
- Sea state
- Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough later in far northwest.
- Weather
- Drizzle later.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 6 or 7, occasionally gale 8 in north, veering northwesterly 4 to 6 later.
- Sea state
- Rough occasionally very rough.
- Weather
- Occasional rain or drizzle.
- Visibility
- Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
Shetland Isles (18)
Strong winds are forecast
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West 5 or 6, backing southwest 3 to 5, increasing 6 to gale 8 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in sheltered east, otherwise rough, occasionally very rough later.
- Weather
- Fair then rain.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Wednesday 30 Oct 2024 at 0600 UTC until Wednesday 30 Oct 2024 at 1800 UTC
General situation
High pressure to the south will weaken, allowing a front to move northeast across Shetland waters from Wednesday afternoon.
Forecast
- Wind
- Westerly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 in north at first, backing southwesterly 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate in southeast.
- Weather
- Fair, rain later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate later.
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1800 UTC on Wednesday 30 Oct until 0600 UTC on Thursday 31 Oct
- Wind
- Southwest 3 or 4, soon increasing 6 or 7, later increasing 7 to gale 8.
- Sea state
- Rough, moderate in southeast becoming very rough west later.
- Weather
- Rain, some heavy.
- Visibility
- Good occasionally moderate.
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- East to northeast 2 to 3, increasing 3 to 4 by during the afternoon, locally 5 for a time, veering easterly later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, with a low swell.
- Weather
- Risk of a light shower mid-channel risk of mist or fog patches near the french coasts at first.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, risk locally moderate or poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- East to southeast 3 to 4, decreasing 2 to 3 by midday Thursday, becoming variable 1 to 3 towards midnight.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, with a low swell.
- Weather
- Risk of mist or fog patches near the french coasts until mid-morning.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, risk locally 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.
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.
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