Coast and sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings

The general synopsis at midday

High netherlands 1028 expected German Bight 1030 by midday tomorrow. New low expected south FitzRoy 1007 by same time

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map

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Viking

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 becoming southeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

North Utsire

Wind
Variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate later.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

South Utsire

Wind
Northwesterly 4 to 6 becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate later.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Forties

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 becoming southeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Cromarty

Wind
South or southeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Forth

Wind
South or southeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Tyne

Wind
South or southeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Dogger

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 becoming south or southeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Fisher

Wind
West or northwest 4 to 6 becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Rough, becoming slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

German Bight

Wind
West or northwest 4 to 6 becoming variable 2 to 4.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Humber

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 becoming east or southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Thames

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 becoming east or southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Dover

Wind
Variable 2 to 4 becoming east or southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Smooth or slight.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Wight

Wind
East or southeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Portland

Wind
East or southeast 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough later.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Plymouth

Wind
East or southeast 4 to 6 becoming cyclonic 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Biscay

Wind
East or southeast 4 to 6 becoming cyclonic 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers later.
Visibility
Good.

Trafalgar

Gale warning
Issued:

Northwesterly gale force 8 expected later

Forecast issued:

Wind
Easterly or southeasterly 4 to 6, but 6 or 7 in far southeast, veering westerly or southwesterly later in west.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

FitzRoy

Gale warning
Issued:

Northwesterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Southerly or southeasterly becoming cyclonic, 4 to 6, increasing 7 or gale 8 in west, perhaps severe gale 9 later in southwest.
Sea state
Moderate at first in southeast, otherwise rough or very rough, occasionally high in west.
Weather
Rain or thundery showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Sole

Wind
Southerly or southeasterly becoming cyclonic, 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high in west.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Lundy

Wind
Southeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, becoming rough in west.
Weather
Fair.
Visibility
Good.

Fastnet

Wind
Southeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain at times.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Irish Sea

Wind
Southeast 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first, becoming cyclonic 3 to 5 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Mainly fair.
Visibility
Good.

Shannon

Wind
South or southeast 5 to 7 becoming cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Rain at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Gale warning
Issued:

Severe gale force 9 veering southerly and decreasing gale force 8 imminent

Wind
South or southeast 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Rain at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Malin

Wind
South or southeast 5 to 7 becoming cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Very rough or high in west, rough or very rough in east.
Weather
Rain at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Hebrides

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale now ceased but southeasterly gale force 8 expected soon

Wind
South or southeast 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first, becoming cyclonic 4 to 6.
Sea state
Rough or very rough in east, very rough or high in west.
Weather
Rain at times.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Bailey

Gale warning
Issued:

Severe gale force 9 veering southerly and decreasing gale force 8 imminent

Wind
Southerly or southeasterly 6 to gale 8 veering southerly or southwesterly 5 to 7, decreasing 4 in southeast.
Sea state
Very rough or high.
Weather
Rain then showers.
Visibility
Moderate or poor.

Fair Isle

Wind
Southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6, increasing 7 at times.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough in north and west.
Weather
Occasional rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor later.

Faeroes

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale now ceased but southeasterly severe gale force 9 expected later

Wind
In east, southerly or southeasterly 4 to 6, increasing 7 at times. In west, southeasterly 7 to severe gale 9 veering southerly or southwesterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
In east, moderate or rough becoming rough or very rough. in west, rough or very rough, becoming high for a time.
Weather
In east, occasional rain. In west, rain.
Visibility
In east, moderate or good, occasionally poor later. In west, moderate or poor.

Southeast Iceland

Gale warning
Issued:

Southeasterly storm force 10 continuing

Wind
Southeasterly gale 8 to storm 10 veering southerly or southwesterly 6 to gale 8, decreasing 5 later in east.
Sea state
Rough at first in northeast, otherwise very rough or high.
Weather
Rain then showers.
Visibility
Good at first in northeast, otherwise moderate or 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.