An alert has been sent out highlighting views of the Northern Lights aurora are ‘likely’ tonight (Wednesday, January 1) in London. Weather experts at AuroraWatch UK issued the red alert earlier this afternoon.
If the skies are kind, a Met Office map shows we could see the Northern Lights 6pm tonight and 3am tomorrow (Thursday, January 2) with the strongest opportunity around 9pm. Yet be aware – there will be cloud cover in many areas elsewhere that could make it difficult to spot the lights.
On its space section of its specialist forecasts, the Met Office said: “A Coronal Mass Ejection arrived at Earth yesterday (New Year’s Eve, December 31), and a second weaker CME is expected to arrive today (January 1). The combination of the CME arrivals will bring slightly enhanced geomagnetic conditions today and possibly early tomorrow (Thursday, January 2) with a chance of visible aurora across northern Scotland, perhaps southern Scotland and Northern Ireland dependant on cloud cover. Geomagnetic activity then is expected to gradually decline to background levels.”
Why we’ve seen the Northern Lights more often in the UK over the last year when they are so rare
The natural aurora belt occurs around Norway, Iceland and Greenland meaning it takes a rare and extreme geomagnetic storm to bring the belt southwards directly over the UK. The best way to see the aurora in the UK during an extreme storm is to make sure it is a clear night with no cloud cover.
The Met Office has published a short video showing the time lapse of where the Northern Lights could be visible from and at what times
(Image: Getty Images)
The lights are best seen from a dark location with no light pollution, while looking towards the northern horizon. Some stargazers say it’s easier to spot the lights through a camera lens than with the naked eye.
Sky News reported in 2024 that we are in a period where people in the UK are more likely to see the Northern Lights. Their website stated: “We are currently near the peak of the 11-year solar cycle, with high solar activity giving an increased chance of seeing the Northern Lights. The current peak is expected to last until mid-2025, according to the Royal Astronomical Society.”
How to get alerts about the Northern Lights?
The red alert warning sent out on New Year’s Day
(Image: AuroraWatch UK)
You can download a free phone app to make sure you don’t miss a Northern Lights alert again. AuroraWatch UK is a free service which offers alerts of when the aurora might be visible from the UK.
The app is run by scientists in the Space and Planetary Physics group and Lancaster University’s Department of Physics. If you download it, you will receive a message to your phone when auroras are likely to be visible.
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