The Shipping Forecast — Text
Live • fetched from the Met Office • Southampton is in sea area “Wight”
Valid from 06:00 (UTC) on Thu 29 Oct 2026 until 06:00 (UTC) on Fri 30 Oct 2026 • Issued 00:15 (UTC) on Thu 29 Oct 2026 • Cached 01:42
Sea Area Wight (covers the Solent & Southampton Water)
Forecast group: Thames, Dover, Wight
Variable becoming east or southeast later, 2 to 4. Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight. Rain for a time. Moderate or good
The Shipping Forecast is issued by the Met Office on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, four times a day, and covers the seas around the British Isles. It has four parts: any gale warnings in force, the general synopsis (where the weather systems are and where they’re heading), the sea area forecasts for the next 24 hours (wind, sea state, weather, visibility), and — on the radio broadcast only, not in this online text — coastal station reports at 0048 and 0535. Southampton and the Solent fall within sea area “Wight”, highlighted above.
General Synopsis
High Germany 1030 slow moving with little change 1031 by 1800 Thursday. New low expected northwest Shannon 1003 by same time.
Gale Warnings In Force
| Area | Issued | Warning |
| Shannon | 09:58 (UTC) on Wed 28 Oct 2026 | Southerly gale force 8 expected later |
| Rockall | 03:48 (UTC) on Wed 28 Oct 2026 | Gale now ceased but southerly gale force 8 expected later |
| Bailey | 15:58 (UTC) on Wed 28 Oct 2026 | Gale now ceased, but southerly gale force 8 expected later |
All Sea Area Forecasts (Next 24 Hours)
| Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire, Forties, Cromarty, Forth | Southwesterly 3 to 5, occasionally 6 at first in north Viking. Moderate or rough at first in Viking, North Utsire and South Utsire, otherwise slight or moderate. Rain or showers until later. Moderate or good |
| Tyne, Dogger, Fisher, German Bight, Humber | West or southwest 4 or 5, becoming variable 2 to 4 later. Slight or moderate, occasionally smooth later in Tyne, Dogger and Humber. Showers. Moderate or good |
| Thames, Dover, Wight | Variable becoming east or southeast later, 2 to 4. Slight or moderate, becoming smooth or slight. Rain for a time. Moderate or good |
| Portland, Plymouth | Variable 3 or 4, becoming southeasterly 4 or 5. Moderate or rough at first in west Plymouth, otherwise slight or moderate. Mainly fair. Moderate or good |
| Biscay | Southeasterly 3 to 5, becoming variable 3 or less later in south. Moderate or rough, becoming slight or moderate. Fair. Good |
| South Trafalgar | In west, easterly 3 or 4, becoming variable 3 or less, in east, easterly 5 to 7. Moderate, occasionally rough at first. Showers in west. Good |
| North Trafalgar | Variable 2 to 4. Moderate, occasionally rough at first. Mainly fair. Good |
| Southeast FitzRoy | Variable 3 or 4. Moderate, occasionally rough at first. Showers. Moderate or good |
| Northwest FitzRoy, West Sole | Southerly or southeasterly 5 to 7, occasionally 4 later. Rough, occasionally very rough at first. Rain. Moderate or good |
| East Sole, Lundy, Fastnet, Irish Sea | Southerly or southwesterly backing southeasterly, 3 to 5, occasionally 6 later. Moderate or rough in east Sole and Fastnet, slight or moderate in Lundy and Irish Sea. Rain at first. Moderate or good |
| Shannon, Rockall | Southerly or southeasterly 6 to gale 8, veering northwesterly 4 to 6 later in west. Rough or very rough. Rain. Moderate or good, occasionally poor later |
| Malin, Hebrides | Southwest 4 or 5, backing south or southeast 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later. Moderate or rough, becoming rough or very rough later. Showers at first. Moderate or good |
| Bailey | Southwest 5 or 6, backing south or southeast, 6 to gale 8, becoming cyclonic for a time. Rough becoming very rough. Rain later. Moderate or good, occasionally poor |
| Fair Isle | Southwest backing south or southeast 4 or 5, occasionally 6 at first. Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough at first. Showers at first. Moderate or good |
| Faeroes, Southeast Iceland | Cyclonic 4 to 6, occasionally 3 at first in Southeast Iceland, becoming southerly or southeasterly, 5 to 7 later. Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough for a time at first. Fair, then rain. Moderate or good, occasionally poor later |
Sea Area Map
Sea area boundaries used in the Shipping Forecast — Wight is the small area covering the Solent, Southampton Water and the Isle of Wight, between Portland and Dover.
Source: Met Office, on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency • See also: Shipping Forecast (Audio) • Inshore Waters Forecast • UK Wave Height