Skip to main content
Bridge bunting
Bridge bunting Picture by Peter Frankland
Today
High
20°
Low
10°
0%
F3
Tomorrow
High
16°
Low
10°
0%
F4
Fri, 16 May
High
17°
Low
10°
0%
F4
Sat, 17 May
High
16°
Low
11°
10%
F4
Sun, 18 May
High
16°
Low
11°
0%
F3
Mon, 19 May
High
16°
Low
11°
0%
F4
Tue, 20 May
High
17°
Low
11°
0%
F4
Morning, Today
High
20°
Some patchy cloud at first, soon becoming mainly sunny.
0%
6
UV
F3
East light F2, backing northeast light F3 to moderate F4.
Sunrise 04:30
Afternoon
High
20°
Mainly sunny.
10%
6
UV
F3
Northeast light F3 to moderate F4, decreasing light F2 to 3.
Sunset 19:45
Night
Low
10°
Mainly clear.
0%
F4
Northeast light F3, increasing moderate F4, occasionally fresh F5.
Full

Shipping Forecast

General Situation
At 18:00UTC low, 1011mb, Fitzroy, slow-moving and expected to fill. New high, 1032mb, northwest of Shetland by Wednesday, expected to extend south across the UK and northern France.

13.2°C
Sea Temperature

Forecast from 00:00UTC Wednesday to 00:00UTC Thursday.
Wind
East to northeast 3 to 4 but locally 2 in the south of the area, backing north to northeast 3 to 4 everywhere Wednesday afternoon, veering east to northeast 4 to 5 after dusk.
Sea State
Smooth or slight, perhaps locally moderate mid-Channel after dusk.
Weather
Areas of mist and risk of fog patches near the French coast until late morning. Isolated showers near the French coast mid-afternoon to late evening.
Visibility
Good, occasionally moderate, perhaps locally poor or very poor.
Outlook from 00:00UTC Thursday to 00:00UTC Friday.
Wind
Northeast 4 to 5, decreasing 3 to 4 Thursday afternoon, backing north for a time Thursday evening.
Sea State
Smooth or slight, perhaps locally moderate mid-Channel until Thursday afternoon.
Weather
Risk of mist patches near the French coast until mid-morning.
Visibility
Good, locally moderate.

Understanding the Forecast

The wind speed is given in the Beaufort Scale on an 8 point compass with a variability of +-45°. Terms commonly used in association with the wind and other parts of the forecast include:

Veering - a change of wind in the clockwise sense (up to 180°)
Backing – a change of wind in the anticlockwise sense (up to 180°)
At first – within the first 12 hours
Later – within the latter 12 hours
Occasional/occasionally – lasts less than half the time (location or time specific)
At times – non-persistent (lasts more than half the forecast period)
For a time – a transient state

Waves or sea state is the forecast of the mean of the largest 7% of combined wind and swell waves. Wind waves are locally produced waves; swell waves are produced by distant strong winds. Sea state descriptions equate to the following wave heights:

Description

Height

Smooth

< 0.5m

Slight

0.5 - 1.25m

Moderate

1.25 - 2.5m

Rough

2.5 - 4.0m

Very Rough

4.0 - 6.0m

High

6.0 - 9.0m

Very High

9.0 - 14.0m

Phenomenal

> 14m

Visibility measurements equate to the following distances in nautical miles and kilometers:

Description

Distance N.Mi

Distance Km

Good

> 5 n.mi

> 10 km

Moderate

2 - 5 n.mi

3.7 - 9 km

Poor

0.6 - 2 n.mi

1.0 - 3.7 km

Very Poor

< 0.6 n.mi

< 1000 m

Recent Weather Stories