Coast and sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings

The general synopsis at midday

Low 50 miles south of Iceland 994 losing its identity

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map

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Viking

Wind
Southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6, decreasing 3 at times, then becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Rough at first in northeast, otherwise slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers then rain.
Visibility
Good, becoming moderate or poor for a time.

North Utsire

Wind
Southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6, decreasing 3 at times, then becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers then rain.
Visibility
Good, becoming moderate or poor for a time.

South Utsire

Wind
Southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6, increasing 7 at times, becoming variable 2 to 4 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers then rain.
Visibility
Good, becoming moderate or poor for a time.

Forties

Wind
In northeast, southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6, decreasing 3 at times, then becoming variable 2 to 4 later. In southwest, southeasterly 3 to 5, veering southerly 2 to 4 for a time.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
In northeast, showers then rain. In southwest, showers at first.
Visibility
In northeast, good, becoming moderate or poor for a time. In southwest, good, occasionally moderate at first.

Cromarty

Wind
Southeasterly 3 to 5, veering southerly 2 to 4 for a time.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first.

Forth

Wind
Southeasterly 3 to 5, veering southerly 2 to 4 for a time.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Showers at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first.

Tyne

Wind
Southeasterly 3 to 5, veering southerly 2 to 4 for a time.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Showers at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first.

Dogger

Wind
Southeasterly 3 to 5, veering southerly 2 to 4 for a time.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Showers at first.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first.

Fisher

Wind
Easterly becoming cyclonic 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in north, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Rain for a time.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor until later.

German Bight

Wind
Easterly becoming cyclonic 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Rain for a time.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor until later.

Humber

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming southerly or southeasterly 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Showers at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Thames

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming southerly or southeasterly 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Showers at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Dover

Wind
Variable 2 to 4, becoming southerly or southeasterly 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Showers at first.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Wight

Wind
In east, variable 2 to 4, becoming southerly or southeasterly 3 to 5 later. In west, variable 3 or less becoming southerly 4 to 6.
Sea state
In east, smooth or slight. in west, slight or moderate.
Weather
In east, showers at first. In west, showers, then rain later.
Visibility
In east, moderate or good. In west, good, occasionally poor later.

Portland

Wind
Variable 3 or less becoming southerly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, then rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor later.

Plymouth

Wind
Southerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, increasing 5 or 6 for a time.
Sea state
Slight or moderate in northeast, moderate or rough in southwest.
Weather
Showers then rain, fog patches developing.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Biscay

Wind
In northwest, southerly or southwesterly 3 or 4, increasing 5 or 6 for a time. In southeast, variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
In northwest, showers then rain, fog patches developing. In southeast, occasional rain later.
Visibility
In northwest, moderate or good, occasionally very poor. In southeast, good, occasionally moderate later.

Trafalgar

Forecast issued:

Wind
North or northwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough or very rough becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

FitzRoy

Wind
South or southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough later in west.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Sole

Wind
South or southwest 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough later in west.
Weather
Occasional rain or drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Lundy

Wind
South or southeast 3 to 5, increasing 6 for a time, then veering south or southwest.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers then rain, fog patches developing.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Fastnet

Wind
South or southeast 3 to 5, increasing 6 for a time, then veering south or southwest.
Sea state
Slight or moderate in northeast, moderate or rough in southwest.
Weather
Showers then rain, fog patches developing.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Irish Sea

Wind
South or southeast 3 to 5, increasing 6 for a time.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers then rain, fog patches developing.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Shannon

Wind
Cyclonic becoming south, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or drizzle, fog patches.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally very poor.

Rockall

Wind
South or southwest 3 to 5 backing southeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later, perhaps gale 8 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, then rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first and poor later.

Malin

Wind
South or southwest 3 to 5 backing southeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later, perhaps gale 8 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, then rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first and poor later.

Hebrides

Wind
South or southwest 3 to 5 backing southeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later, perhaps gale 8 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, then rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first and poor later.

Bailey

Wind
South or southwest 3 to 5 backing southeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 later, perhaps gale 8 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, then rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first and poor later.

Fair Isle

Wind
Southerly backing southeasterly 4 to 6, decreasing 3 at times.
Sea state
Moderate or rough becoming slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, becoming fair later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first.

Faeroes

Wind
Southerly backing southeasterly, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, becoming fair later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate at first.

Southeast Iceland

Wind
In southeast, southerly backing southeasterly, 4 to 6. In northwest, cyclonic 3 to 5.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
In southeast, showers, becoming fair later. In northwest, showers.
Visibility
In southeast, good, occasionally moderate at first. In northwest, good, occasionally moderate.

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.