Shipping Forecast North Sea

Low just southwest of Iceland 965 expected 100 miles north of Fair Isle 969 by midday tomorrow

Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire

Westerly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 in southwest Viking. Rough or very rough, occasionally high. Squally wintry showers. Good occasionally poor

Forties, Cromarty

West 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 in north. Moderate or rough, becoming very rough for a time. Wintry showers. Good occasionally poor

Forth, Tyne, Dogger

Southwest 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times except in Tyne. Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough in northeast Dogger. Wintry showers. Good occasionally poor

Fisher, German Bight

Southwest 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times. Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough. Rain or showers. Good, occasionally moderate

Humber

Southwest 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later. Slight or moderate, occasionally rough in east. Rain or showers. Good, occasionally moderate

Thames, Dover, Wight

Southwest 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times. Moderate or rough. Occasional rain. Moderate or good, occasionally poor

Portland, Plymouth

West 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8 at first. Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough. Occasional rain or drizzle. Moderate or good, occasionally poor

Biscay, North Fitzroy

Westerly or southwesterly 5 or 6, becoming variable 4 in south. Rough or very rough. Occasional drizzle. Good, occasionally poor

South Fitzroy

Northerly or northeasterly 4 or 5. Rough or very rough. Occasional drizzle. Moderate or good

Sole, Lundy, Fastnet

West or southwest 6 to gale 8. Rough or very rough. Rain. Good, occasionally poor

Irish Sea

Southwesterly 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later in south. Slight or moderate, occasionally rough. Rain or showers. Moderate or good

Shannon

Westerly 6 to gale 8, veering northwest 4 or 5 later in north. Very rough or high. Rain. Moderate, occasionally poor

South Rockall

Westerly or northwesterly 5 to 7, decreasing 4 for a time. High. Occasional rain. Moderate, occasionally poor

North Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey, Fair Isle

Westerly 7 to severe gale 9, occasionally storm 10 in Bailey. High or very high. Squally wintry showers. Moderate or poor

Faeroes, Southeast Iceland

Cyclonic, mainly northwesterly, 7 to severe gale 9, increasing storm 10 for a time. High or very high. Squally wintry showers. Moderate or poor

Trafalgar (issued 2315 UTC)

Northeasterly 5 to 7, but easterly 7 to severe gale 9 in southeast. Rough, occasionally very rough. Showers. Good.

Shipping forecast overview

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.

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

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

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.