Editing Shipping Forecast (section)

==Region names==
[[File:UK shipping forecast zones.png|400px|thumb|right|Map of Sea Areas and Coastal Weather Stations referred to in the Shipping Forecast]]
The 31 sea areas covered in the forecast are as shown in this table and map.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/guides/coast-and-sea/shipping-forecast |title=Shipping forecast key |publisher=Met Office |access-date=25 April 2023}}</ref> The forecast follows the order shown, going clockwise around the British Isles, with each area except Trafalgar, Irish Sea, Shannon, and Fair Isle bordering the previous. Trafalgar is included only in the 00:48 forecast, except when gales or more are due there.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Order
!Name
!Origin of Name
|-
|1
|Viking
|[[Viking-Bergen Banks|Viking Bank]]
|-
|2
|North Utsire
| rowspan="2" |[[Utsira (island)]]
|-
|3
|South Utsire
|-
|4
|Forties
|[[Long Forties]]
|-
|5
|Cromarty
|[[Cromarty Firth]]
|-
|6
|Forth
|[[Firth of Forth]]
|-
|7
|Tyne
|[[River Tyne|Tyne Estuary]]
|-
|8
|Dogger
|[[Dogger Bank]]
|-
|9
|Fisher
|[[Fisher Bank]]
|-
|10
|German Bight
|[[German Bight]]
|-
|11
|Humber
|[[Humber]] (estuary)
|-
|12
|Thames
|[[Thames Estuary]]
|-
|13
|Dover
|[[Dover]] (port)
|-
|14
|Wight
|[[Isle of Wight]]
|-
|15
|Portland
|[[Isle of Portland]]
|-
|16
|Plymouth
|[[Plymouth]] (port)
|-
|17
|Biscay
|[[Bay of Biscay]]
|-
|18
|Trafalgar
|[[Cape Trafalgar]]
|-
|19
|FitzRoy
|After [[Robert FitzRoy]]
|-
|20
|Sole
|[[Sole Bank]]
|-
|21
|Lundy
|[[Lundy]] (island)
|-
|22
|Fastnet
|[[Fastnet Rock]]
|-
|23
|Irish Sea
|[[Irish Sea]]
|-
|24
|Shannon
|[[Shannon Estuary]]
|-
|25
|Rockall
|[[Rockall]] (islet) / [[Rockall Basin]]
|-
|26
|Malin
|[[Malin Head]]
|-
|27
|Hebrides
|[[Hebrides]] (archipelago)
|-
|28
|Bailey
|[[Bill Bailey's Bank]]
|-
|29
|Fair Isle
|[[Fair Isle]]
|-
|30
|Faeroes
|[[Faroe Islands]]
|-
|31
|Southeast Iceland
|[[Iceland]]
|}These areas still largely follow the format of the chart adopted in 1949. In 1955, meteorologists from countries bordering the [[North Sea]] met and recommended the following changes: that the area Heligoland be renamed German Bight, to conform with the name generally used by other countries; that a new area, Fisher, be split off from the north-eastern half of Dogger; that a new area, Viking, be split off from the northern half of Forties; and that the area Iceland be renamed Southeast Iceland to clarify its position. After international consultation, these were adopted in 1956.<ref name="Met Office Shipping Fact sheet 8">{{citation|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Fact sheet 8 – The Shipping Forecast |year=2015 |url=https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/binaries/content/assets/metofficegovuk/pdf/research/library-and-archive/library/publications/factsheets/factsheet_8-shipping-forecast.pdf|publisher=[[Met Office]]|access-date=26 October 2019}}</ref> In August 1984, to conform with common North Sea area boundaries agreed upon by neighbouring countries, the areas North Utsire and South Utsire were created.<ref name="Met Office Shipping Fact sheet 8"/> In 2002, the area Finisterre was renamed FitzRoy, to avoid confusion with a different area called Finisterre used by the Spanish meteorological service.<ref name="fitzroy">{{cite news | title = Shipping forecast loses household name | work = BBC News | date = 3 February 2002 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1798629.stm | access-date = 17 December 2007 }}</ref> 

The sea areas match the forecast areas used by other North Sea countries, though some names differ. The Dutch [[KNMI (institute)|KNMI]] and Norwegian counterpart names Forties the [[Fladen Ground]], while {{lang|fr|[[Météo-France]]|italic=no}} uses {{lang|fr|[[Pas-de-Calais]]|italic=no}} for Dover, {{lang|fr|[[Cap d'Antifer|Antifer]]|italic=no}} for Wight, {{lang|fr|[[Casquets]]|italic=no}} for Portland and {{lang|fr|[[Ouessant]]|italic=no}} for Plymouth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://marine.meteofrance.com/content/2012/5/26760-48.pdf|title=Guide pratique – Marine (pdf file)|publisher=Météo France|access-date=18 November 2014}}</ref>

===Coastal weather stations===
The coastal weather stations named in the Shipping Forecast (and numbered on the map) are:
{{Div col|colwidth=12em}}
* [[Tiree]] Automatic (1)
* [[Stornoway]] (2)
* [[Lerwick]] (3)
* [[Wick, Highland|Wick]] Automatic (0048 only)
* [[Aberdeen]] (0048 only)
* [[Leuchars]] (4)
* [[Boulmer]] (0048 only)
* [[Bridlington]] (5)
* [[Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic]] (6)
* [[Greenwich Light Vessel Automatic]] (7)
* [[St. Catherine's Point]] Automatic (0048 only)
* [[Jersey]] (8)
* [[Channel Light Vessel Automatic]] (9)
* [[Isles of Scilly|Scilly]] Automatic (10)
* [[Milford Haven]] (0048 only)
* [[Aberporth]] (0048 only)
* [[Valley, Anglesey|Valley]] (0048 only)
* [[Crosby, Merseyside|Liverpool Crosby]] (0048 only)
* [[Valentia Island#Climate|Valentia]] (11)
* [[Ronaldsway]] (12)
* [[Malin Head]] (13)
* [[Machrihanish]] Automatic (0048 only)
{{div col end}}

===Inshore waters===
The inshore waters forecast uses the following coastal areas of the United Kingdom: 

# [[Cape Wrath]] – [[Rattray Head]] including [[Orkney]]
# [[Rattray Head]] – [[Berwick-upon-Tweed]]
# [[Berwick-upon-Tweed]] – [[Whitby]]
# [[Whitby]] – [[Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire|Gibraltar Point]]
# [[Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire|Gibraltar Point]] – [[North Foreland]]
# [[North Foreland]] – [[Selsey Bill]]
# [[Selsey Bill]] – [[Lyme Regis]]
# [[Lyme Regis]] – [[Land's End]] including the [[Isles of Scilly]]
# [[Land's End]] – [[St David's Head]] including the [[Bristol Channel]]
# [[St David's Head]] – [[Great Orme]] Head including [[St George's Channel]]
# [[Great Orme]] Head – [[Mull of Galloway]]
# [[Isle of Man]]
# [[Lough Foyle]] – [[Carlingford Lough]] (covers the entire coastline of [[Northern Ireland]])
# [[Mull of Galloway]] – [[Mull of Kintyre]] including the [[Firth of Clyde]] and the [[North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)|North Channel]]
# [[Mull of Kintyre]] – [[Ardnamurchan Point]]
# [[Ardnamurchan Point]] – [[Cape Wrath]]
# [[Shetland]] Isles