An item broadcast at
regular intervals on
BBC Radio 4, giving information on the
weather for major
shipping routes around the
British Isles. Something of a
hangover from the
golden age of radio, it is always read out by a presenter with a perfect
Queen's English accent and is completely
incomprehensible to most
landlubbers (like me).
An example of a shipping forecast would be:
The area forecasts for the next 24 hours:
Viking: Southeasterly 4, soon becoming cyclonic 5 to 7, occasionally gale
8, then southwesterly, decreasing 4 later. Rain then showers.
Moderate or good.
North Utsire, South Utsire: south or southeast veering southwest, 4 or 5 increasing 6 to gale 8
for a time. Occasional rain. Moderate becoming good.