Coast and sea

Shipping forecast and gale warnings

The general synopsis at 1800

New low moving east expected west Shannon 976 by 1800 Thursday

Issued at: .

For the period to .

Shipping forecast and gale warnings map

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Viking

Gale warning
Issued:

Southeasterly gale force 8 continuing

Wind
Southeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally 8 at first and later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first and later.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

North Utsire

Wind
Southeasterly 4 to 6.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

South Utsire

Gale warning
Issued:

Southeasterly severe gale force 9 decreasing gale force 8 soon

Wind
Southeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally 8 at first and later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor. Light icing.

Forties

Wind
Southeasterly 5 or 6, occasionally 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first in north.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Cromarty

Wind
Southeasterly 5 or 6, occasionally 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Forth

Wind
Southeasterly 5 or 6, occasionally 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Tyne

Wind
Southeasterly 5 or 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Dogger

Wind
Southeasterly 5 or 6.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Fisher

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale now ceased but southeasterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Easterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later in north.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

German Bight

Wind
Easterly 5 to 7.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Wintry showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Humber

Wind
East or southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Thames

Wind
East or southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Dover

Wind
East or southeast 3 to 5.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Wight

Wind
East or southeast 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later.
Sea state
Slight or moderate.
Weather
Showers, rain later.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Portland

Wind
Southeast veering southwest later, 4 to 6, occasionally 7 for a time.
Sea state
Moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain later.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Plymouth

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale now ceased but southeasterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Cyclonic, 5 to 7, occasionally 4 for a time, increasing gale 8 at times later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Biscay

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale now ceased but southwesterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Cyclonic, 5 to 7, occasionally 4 for a time, increasing gale 8 at times later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally high at first and later in west.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Trafalgar

Wind
West or southwest 4 to 6, occasionally 7 at first.
Sea state
Very rough or high, occasionally rough in southeast.
Weather
Thundery showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

FitzRoy

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale force 8 backing southwesterly imminent, increasing severe gale force 9 later

Wind
Westerly or southwesterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 in west, increasing 7 to severe gale 9.
Sea state
Very rough or high, occasionally very high later in west.
Weather
Rain or squally showers.
Visibility
Poor.

Sole

Gale warning
Issued:

Southeasterly gale force 8 expected soon

Wind
Cyclonic 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times, perhaps severe gale 9 later.
Sea state
Very rough or high, occasionally very high later in west.
Weather
Squally showers.
Visibility
Moderate or poor.

Lundy

Gale warning
Issued:

Southeasterly gale force 8 expected soon

Wind
South or southeast 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 until later, decreasing 4 or 5 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Fastnet

Gale warning
Issued:

Southeasterly gale force 8 expected soon

Wind
South or southeast 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 until later, decreasing 4 or 5 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain or showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Irish Sea

Gale warning
Issued:

Southeasterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Southeast 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times.
Sea state
Slight or moderate, occasionally rough.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Shannon

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale now ceased but southeasterly gale force 8 expected soon

Wind
Cyclonic 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, becoming high or very high later in south.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Rockall

Gale warning
Issued:

Southeasterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Southeast 6 to gale 8, perhaps severe gale 9 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Malin

Gale warning
Issued:

Southeasterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Southeast 6 to gale 8, perhaps severe gale 9 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough, occasionally moderate.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Hebrides

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale now ceased but southeasterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
Southeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good.

Bailey

Gale warning
Issued:

Gale now ceased but southeasterly gale force 8 expected later

Wind
In south, southeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 later. In north, southeasterly 5 to 7.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
In south, showers. In north, rain.
Visibility
In south, moderate or good. In north, good, occasionally poor.

Fair Isle

Wind
Southeasterly 5 to 7.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Faeroes

Wind
Southeasterly 5 to 7.
Sea state
Rough or very rough.
Weather
Rain.
Visibility
Good, occasionally poor.

Southeast Iceland

Gale warning
Issued:

Easterly severe gale force 9 continuing

Wind
In east, southeasterly 5 to 7. In west, easterly or southeasterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first, decreasing 4 to 6.
Sea state
In east, rough or very rough. in west, very rough or high becoming rough or very rough.
Weather
In east, rain. In west, rain.
Visibility
In east, good, occasionally poor. In west, 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.