Coast and sea
General situation
The British Isles lies in a mainly westerly or southwesterly airflow with generally light to moderate breezes. Showers will affect many areas away from the south coast on Saturday, whilst high pressure building in from the southwest will bring settled conditions for all parts on Sunday.
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
- Southwesterly 3 or 4, increasing 5 at times in northwest, becoming variable 2 to 4 for a time.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate to the west and north of Orkney, but elsewhere smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery until later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West or southwest, backing south or southeast later, 3 to 5.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate to the west and north of Orkney, but elsewhere smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first in north.
- Visibility
- Good.
Rattray Head to Berwick upon Tweed (2)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest, becoming variable later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery for a time.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly west, 2 to 4, becoming south or southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Berwick upon Tweed to Whitby (3)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less for a time.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery for a time.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 2 to 4, backing south or southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Whitby to Gibraltar Point (4)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, increasing 4 at times.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery for a time.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northwest, 2 to 4, becoming south or southeast 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Gibraltar Point to North Foreland (5)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly becoming variable, then northwesterly later, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers later, perhaps thundery.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor later.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwesterly 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then becoming southerly or southeasterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
North Foreland to Selsey Bill (6)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Westerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, increasing 5 at times later.
- Sea state
- Slight, occasionally smooth.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Westerly veering northwesterly 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then becoming easterly or northeasterly 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis (7)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West 3 or 4, veering northwest 2 or 3 for a time, then occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Mainly fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less, then becoming east 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lyme Regis to Lands End including the Isles of Scilly (8)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest 2 to 4, increasing 5 for a time, then veering northwest 2 or 3 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate west of the Lizard peninsula, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers until later in west.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Northwest becoming variable, 3 or less, then becoming east or northeast 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Moderate until later west of the Lizard peninsula, otherwise smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lands End to St Davids Head including the Bristol Channel (9)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West or southwest 3 or 4, increasing 5 at times.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery for a time in north, becoming fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor in north.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West 3 or 4 becoming variable 3 or less.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight later.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
St Davids Head to Great Orme Head, including St Georges Channel (10)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first, then becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first near St Davids Head.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery for a time, becoming fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming south or southwest 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Great Orme Head to the Mull of Galloway (11)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery for a time, becoming fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, becoming south or southwest 3 or 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Isle of Man (12)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Occasional showers, soon becoming fair.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally moderate at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, soon settling south or southeast 3 or 4, veering south or southwest later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Lough Foyle to Carlingford Lough (13)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly southerly or southwesterly at first in south, 2 to 4.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in far north, but elsewhere smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery at first, becoming fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable 3 or less, occasionally 4 at first, then becoming south or southeast 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight or moderate in far north, but elsewhere smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Galloway to Mull of Kintyre including the Firth of Clyde and North Channel (14)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- Southerly becoming variable, 3 or less, increasing 4 at times later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight, occasionally moderate at first near the Mull of Kintyre.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery at first, becoming fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Variable, mainly northwesterly at first, 2 to 4, becoming southerly 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Mull of Kintyre to Ardnamurchan Point (15)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South or southwest 2 to 4 becoming variable 3 or less, then becoming west or northwest 2 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight to the east of islay and jura, but elsewhere slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Showers, perhaps thundery at first, becoming fair later.
- Visibility
- Good, occasionally poor at first.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West backing south or southwest, 2 to 4, then backing south 3 to 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight to the east of islay and jura, but elsewhere slight or moderate.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
The Minch (16)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South veering west or southwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwest 3 to 5, backing south 4 or 5 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth or slight.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath (17)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South veering west or southwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 at first.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in north and south.
- Weather
- Showers at first.
- Visibility
- Good.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- Southwesterly 3 to 5, backing southerly 4 or 5 later, occasionally 6 later in west.
- Sea state
- Moderate, occasionally slight in north and south.
- Weather
- Fair.
- Visibility
- Good.
Shetland Isles (18)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- South veering southwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5 later.
- Sea state
- Slight in sheltered east, otherwise moderate.
- Weather
- Showers.
- Visibility
- Good.
For Coastal areas up to 60 nautical miles from Lerwick, Shetland (18)
Valid Saturday 27 Jul 2024 at 0000 UTC until Saturday 27 Jul 2024 at 1200 UTC
General situation
A low near Iceland will maintain an unstable southwesterly flow across Shetland Waters.
Forecast
- Wind
- Southwest 3 or 4
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate but slight to east of shetland
- Weather
- Isolated Showers
- Visibility
- Mainly good
Outlook for 12 Hours from 1200 UTC on Saturday 27 Jul until 0000 UTC on Sunday 28 Jul
- Wind
- Southwest 3 or 4
- Sea state
- Mainly moderate but slight to east of shetland
- Weather
- Isolated showers
- Visibility
- Mainly good
Channel Islands (19)
24 hour forecast:
- Wind
- West to northwest 2 to 4, locally variable 1 to 2 until midday.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight, with a low swell.
- Weather
- A risk of light showers in the morning.
- Visibility
- Good or very good, perhaps locally moderate.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
- Wind
- West to northwest 2 to 3, veering east to northeast 1 to 3 by dawn, locally variable, then increasing 3 to 4 later.
- Sea state
- Smooth, occasionally slight, with a low swell.
- Weather
- Fair or fine.
- Visibility
- Good or very 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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