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Showing posts with label shipping forecast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shipping forecast. Show all posts

Thursday 7 December 2017

#StormCaroline - "Cyclonic, becoming northwesterly, severe gale 9 to violent storm 11, occasionally hurricane force 12 at first."

This morning's shipping forecast for Fair Isle issued at 0505 December 7th 2017 as...


#StormCaroline, the first of several severe weather systems hits the north of Scotland hard this morning...


but for many, life at sea continues as this AIS map shows an abundance of marine traffic between Scotland and the Faroes including the 90m pelagic trawler, Joseph Roty...



this video giving a small sense of what it is like to fish in extreme weather when you have 90m of steel under your feet...



the latest WindyTV forecast shows a very unsettled period of weather into next week.

Thursday 30 November 2017

Happy Birthday to the Shipping Forecast - 150 today!

Along with a love of the sea and what it brings, all fishermen share an affinity with the Shipping Forecast, its embedded in our DNA now.  Anyone who has ever needed to listen to it as a matter of necessity always finds themselves drawn to it - even when not at sea.  

The midnight forecast, preceded by the music, 'Sailing By" always gets that bit of extra attention as anyone who was at sea the night of the Fastnet Yacht race disaster or the 1988 October storm will remember.



This simple graphic shows all 31 forecast areas and for most fishermen it is the...



direction and strength of the wind, using the Beaufort Scale, that is most important element of the forecast in planning ahead - heeding the strength, direction and duration of wind likely to affect their ability to continue fishing safely.

Here's a chance to listen to the tea-time (as its often referred to) forecast as heard in the wheelhouse aboard the trawler Crystal Sea earlier this year as recorded by research student, Lamorna Ash. Lamorna is currently based in Newlyn researching a book on the fishing community.







Back to the future and here is today's forecast in full:


  1. Viking

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    • Wind

      North 6 to gale 8, decreasing 4 or 5 later.
    • Sea State

      Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later.
    • Weather

      Wintry showers.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally poor.
  2. North Utsire

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    • Wind

      Northerly or northeasterly 5 to 7, decreasing 4 at times.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Mainly fair.
    • Visibility

      Mainly good.
  3. South Utsire

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    • Wind

      Northerly or northeasterly 5 to 7, decreasing 4 at times.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Mainly fair.
    • Visibility

      Mainly good.
  4. Forties

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    • Wind

      North 6 to gale 8.
    • Sea State

      Rough or very rough.
    • Weather

      Squally wintry showers, occasionally thundery.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally poor.
  5. Cromarty

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    • Wind

      North 6 to gale 8.
    • Sea State

      Rough or very rough.
    • Weather

      Squally wintry showers, occasionally thundery.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally poor.
  6. Forth

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    • Wind

      North 6 to gale 8.
    • Sea State

      Rough or very rough.
    • Weather

      Squally wintry showers, occasionally thundery.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally poor.
  7. Tyne

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    • Wind

      North 6 to gale 8.
    • Sea State

      Rough or very rough.
    • Weather

      Squally wintry showers, occasionally thundery.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally poor.
  8. Dogger

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    • Wind

      North 6 to gale 8.
    • Sea State

      Rough or very rough.
    • Weather

      Squally wintry showers, occasionally thundery.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally poor.
  9. Fisher

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    • Wind

      Cyclonic 4 or 5, becoming northeast 5 to 7.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Wintry showers.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally poor.
  10. German Bight

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    • Wind

      Cyclonic 5 or 6, becoming northeast 5 to 7 later.
    • Sea State

      Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough in west.
    • Weather

      Wintry showers, occasionally thundery.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally poor.
  11. Humber

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    • Wind

      Northwest veering north, 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough, occasionally very rough.
    • Weather

      Wintry showers, occasionally thundery.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally poor.
  12. Thames

    Gale Warning: Gale warning issued 29 November 21:59 UTC(Open)

    Northwesterly gale force 8 expected soon
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    • Wind

      Northwest veering north, 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Wintry showers, occasionally thundery.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally poor.
  13. Dover

    Gale Warning: Gale warning issued 29 November 21:59 UTC(Open)

    Northwesterly gale force 8 expected soon
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    • Wind

      Northwest veering north, 5 to 7, increasing gale 8 at times.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Wintry showers, occasionally thundery.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally poor.
  14. Wight

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    • Wind

      North or northwest 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
    • Sea State

      Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough in south.
    • Weather

      Showers in south.
    • Visibility

      Mainly good.
  15. Portland

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    • Wind

      North or northwest 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
    • Sea State

      Slight or moderate, becoming moderate or rough in south.
    • Weather

      Showers in south.
    • Visibility

      Mainly good.
  16. Plymouth

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    • Wind

      North or northwest 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Squally showers.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally moderate.
  17. Biscay

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    • Wind

      North or northwest 5 to 7, perhaps gale 8 later.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Squally showers.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally moderate.
  18. Trafalgar

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    • Wind

      North or northeast 5 or 6, decreasing 4 at times.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Showers.
    • Visibility

      Good.
  19. FitzRoy

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    • Wind

      Northerly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 in east.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Showers.
    • Visibility

      Good.
  20. Sole

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    • Wind

      Northerly 5 or 6, occasionally 7 in east.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Showers.
    • Visibility

      Good.
  21. Lundy

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    • Wind

      North 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Squally showers.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally moderate.
  22. Fastnet

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    • Wind

      North 5 to 7.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Squally showers.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally moderate.
  23. Irish Sea

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    • Wind

      North 5 to 7, occasionally gale 8.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Squally showers.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally moderate.
  24. Shannon

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    • Wind

      North 5 or 6.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Showers.
    • Visibility

      Good.
  25. Rockall

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    • Wind

      North 5 or 6.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Showers.
    • Visibility

      Good.
  26. Malin

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    • Wind

      North 5 to 7, occasionally 4 later.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Squally showers, wintry at times.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally poor.
  27. Hebrides

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    • Wind

      North 5 to 7, occasionally 4 later.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Squally showers, wintry at times.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally poor.
  28. Bailey

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    • Wind

      Northwest 5 or 6, backing west 5 to 7 later.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Showers.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally moderate.
  29. Fair Isle

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    • Wind

      Northerly 6 to gale 8, backing northwest 4 or 5 later.
    • Sea State

      Rough or very rough, becoming moderate or rough later.
    • Weather

      Squally wintry showers.
    • Visibility

      Good, occasionally poor.
  30. Faeroes

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    • Wind

      North 5 to 7, becoming variable 3 or 4, then west 5 to 7 later.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Wintry showers, then occasional rain.
    • Visibility

      Moderate or good, occasionally poor at first.
  31. Southeast Iceland

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    • Wind

      Westerly 4 or 5, increasing 6 or 7.
    • Sea State

      Moderate or rough.
    • Weather

      Mainly fair.
    • Visibility

      Moderate or good.