Shipping Forecast Wight, Portland and Plymouth respectively Pas de Calais, Antifer, Casquets and Ouessant. In the forecast, areas are named in a roughly clockwise direction, strictly following the order above. However, a forecast for Trafalgar is found only in the 0048 forecast – other forecasts do, however, report when there are warnings of gales in Trafalgar. The coastal weather stations named in the Shipping Forecast (and numbered on the map) are: The Shipping Forecast includes a "general situation" update for the British Isles, followed by a forecast for inshore waters of the United Kingdom, divided by area. These areas are: The forecast,
Shipping Forecast warning the Met Office will indicate when it expects the gale to occur. "Imminent" means that a gale is expected within 6 hours, "expected soon" that a gale is expected within 6 to 12 hours and "later" in more than 12 hours' time. The Shipping Forecast is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 because its longwave signal can be received clearly at sea all around the British Isles regardless of time of day or radio conditions. For the same reason, the Shipping Forecast was broadcast in the BBC National Programme until September 1939, and then after the Second World War on