Coast and sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings

The general synopsis at 1800

High Dogger 1030 expected Germany 1029 by 1800 Wednesday

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map

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Viking

Wind
Westerly 4 or 5, backing southerly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Very rough at first in north, otherwise rough, occasionally moderate in south.
Weather
Occasional rain in north.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

North Utsire

Wind
Westerly 4 or 5, backing southerly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Very rough at first in north, otherwise rough, occasionally moderate in south.
Weather
Occasional rain in north.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

South Utsire

Wind
Westerly backing southerly 4 or 5.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Forties

Wind
Westerly backing southerly 4 or 5, increasing 6 at times.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Cromarty

Wind
South 4 or 5, increasing 6 at times.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Forth

Wind
South 4 or 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Tyne

Wind
South 4 or 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Dogger

Wind
South 4 or 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Fisher

Wind
West 3 to 5, becoming variable, then south later, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Rough becoming slight or moderate.
Weather
Fog patches in east.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in east.

German Bight

Wind
Variable, becoming south later, 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fog patches in east.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor in east.

Humber

Wind
Northeast veering southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Thames

Wind
Northeast veering southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Dover

Wind
Northeast veering southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Wight

Wind
East veering southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Portland

Wind
East veering southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Plymouth

Wind
East veering southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Biscay

Wind
East veering southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Rough becoming slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Trafalgar

Wind
Northerly backing northwesterly later, 4 to 6, but variable 2 to 4 in far southeast.
Sea state
Very rough at first in south, otherwise slight or moderate.
Weather
Thundery showers in south, rain later in northwest.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first in south.

FitzRoy

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 at first in north, otherwise cyclonic, becoming northwesterly later in west, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain later in west.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor later in west.

Sole

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming cyclonic, then becoming northwesterly later in west, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain later in west.
Visibility
Good occasionally poor later in west.

Lundy

Wind
Southeast 3 to 5, veering south 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Fastnet

Wind
Southeast 3 to 5, veering south 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Irish Sea

Wind
Southeast 3 to 5, veering south 4 to 6.
Sea state
Smooth or slight becoming slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate.

Shannon

Wind
South veering northwest later, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later.
Sea state
Moderate at first in east, otherwise rough.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Wind
South veering northwest later, 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first in northwest.
Weather
Rain at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Malin

Wind
South 5 to 7.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Hebrides

Wind
South 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first in northwest.
Weather
Rain at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Gale warning
Issued:

Severe gale force 9 veering southwesterly and decreasing gale force 8 soon

Wind
South 7 to severe gale 9, veering southwest 5 to 7, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
High becoming very rough.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Fair Isle

Wind
Southwest backing south 5 to 7.
Sea state
Rough or very rough in northwest, moderate or rough in southeast.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good.

Faeroes

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale now ceased but southerly gale force 8 expected soon

Wind
Southerly 6 to gale 8, becoming cyclonic, mainly southwesterly, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming high for a time.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Gale warning
Issued:

Southerly severe gale force 9 decreasing gale force 8 imminent

Wind
Southerly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first, becoming cyclonic, mainly southwesterly, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming high for a time.
Weather
Occasional rain, wintry showers later in southeast.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Shipping forecast information

The shipping forecast is issued four times a day at 2300, 0500, 1100, 1700 UTC and covers a period of 24 hours from 0000, 0600, 1200 and 1800 UTC respectively.

The waters around the British Isles are divided into 31 sea areas shown on the map.

The forecast contains details of gale warnings in force, a general synopsis and sea-area forecasts containing wind direction and force, sea state, weather and visibility.

Gale warnings are issued as required throughout the day (for winds of Gale Force 8 or more).

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.

Please refer to GMDSS services, INMARSAT SafetyNET or international NAVTEX for the latest information. When using these web pages, always check that the page on your screen is not from your cache. Use the Refresh or Reload button if in any doubt.