The UK Met Office and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) have launched a revised Inshore Waters Forecast for the Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath area that is broadcast on VHF radio by Stornoway Coastguard.

The new forecasts will start on Monday 15th December 2008 and follows
consultation with the local fishing fleets that operate in the Minch,
Isle of Skye and to the west of the Outer Hebrides. Concerns were
raised by the Western Isles Fisherman’s Association at a meeting with
the UK Met Office that the forecast was not representative of the
weather conditions experienced in the Minch and around Skye.

After looking at computer models of the archived weather data for the
area it was agreed that the original forecast would be spit in two
for Maritime Safety Information Broadcasts (MSI) by Stornoway
Coastguard.

The original Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath forecast will remain
unchanged for Navtex transmissions.

The new forecast areas will be:

* “Ardnamurchan Point to Cape Wrath excluding the Minches”
A line from Lochinver to the Butt of Lewis, the west coast of the
Outer Hebrides and the Sea of the Hebrides from South Uist to the
west coast of Rhum.

* “Minches from Rhum and South Uist to the Butt of Lewis & Lochinver”
The Sea of the Hebrides north from South Uist, including the Isle of
Skye, Mallaig, Kyle of Lochalsh and up to Lochinver on the mainland
side and the Butt of Lewis.