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,
This Is a Low progression, before moving straight into the first verse. The music is based in the mixolydian mode, highlighted by the fact the V chord (B minor) is minor instead of major. The song's lyrics reference a low-pressure area of weather hitting Britain. The lyrics are based on the Shipping Forecast, with references made to the various areas surrounding the country. In the lyric ""sail on by with the tide"", passing reference is also made to the tune Sailing By, which ends each day's broadcast of BBC Radio 4. Music writer John Harris described the lyrics as "a fantasia centred around the