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Northern lights in the UK and Scotland
The UK sits south of the aurora's usual belt, so it takes a storm to bring it into view. Scotland's north coast and the Northern Isles need the least, southern England the most.
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Tonight, town by town
Each town's corrected geomagnetic latitude and the Kp that brings the aurora onto its northern horizon or overhead, on NOAA's rule, with tonight's verdict from NOAA's forecast for its hours of darkness. Clouds are not included.
| Town | Geomag. latitude | On the horizon from | Overhead from | How often (NOAA) | Tonight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lerwick | 57.9° | Kp 1.8 | Kp 4.1 | below storm level | Loading… |
| Kirkwall | 56.6° | Kp 2.4 | Kp 4.7 | below storm level | Loading… |
| Thurso | 56.2° | Kp 2.6 | Kp 4.9 | below storm level | Loading… |
| Inverness | 55.0° | Kp 3.3 | Kp 5.5 (G1) | below storm level | Loading… |
| Aberdeen | 54.5° | Kp 3.5 | Kp 5.8 (G1) | below storm level | Loading… |
| Edinburgh | 53.1° | Kp 4.2 | Kp 6.4 (G2) | below storm level | Loading… |
| Glasgow | 53.1° | Kp 4.2 | Kp 6.5 (G2) | below storm level | Loading… |
| Belfast | 51.7° | Kp 4.9 | Kp 7.2 (G3) | below storm level | Loading… |
| Newcastle | 51.9° | Kp 4.8 | Kp 7.0 (G3) | below storm level | Loading… |
| Manchester | 50.2° | Kp 5.7 (G1) | Kp 7.9 (G3) | G1: about 900 days per 11-year cycle | Loading… |
| Cardiff | 47.8° | Kp 6.9 (G2) | beyond Kp 9 | G2: about 360 days per 11-year cycle | Loading… |
| London | 47.7° | Kp 6.9 (G2) | beyond Kp 9 | G2: about 360 days per 11-year cycle | Loading… |
What the local experts say
South of the belt
The Met Office: "As the UK is south of where the natural aurora belt occurs" (Norway, Iceland, Greenland), "it takes a severe or extreme geomagnetic storm (Kp8-9+) to bring the belt southwards directly over the UK." At lower Kp it reaches the northern horizon of Scotland first (the table below).
Met OfficeWhere in the UK
The Met Office names Scotland, Northern England, North Wales and Northern Ireland as the likeliest, and adds that "North-facing coastlines and elevated areas provide ideal vantage points."
Met Office blogWhat you need
The Met Office: "Look toward the northern horizon", find "a dark location with no light pollution", and "You need a clear night with no cloud cover".
Met OfficeWhen in the year
The Met Office: "The best times to view the Northern Lights are typically around the equinoxes in March/April and September/October". In midsummer the north of Scotland never gets properly dark (the table below).
Met Office blogHow dark it gets, month by month
Hours with the Sun more than 12° below the horizon on the 15th of each month, which is dark enough for the aurora to show, and the middle of the night on the local clock in midwinter. "None" means the aurora cannot be seen even when it is there.
| Town | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Darkest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lerwick | 14 h | 12 h | 9 h | 6 h | none | none | none | 4 h | 8 h | 11 h | 13 h | 14 h | 00:03 |
| Kirkwall | 14 h | 12 h | 9 h | 6 h | none | none | none | 5 h | 8 h | 11 h | 13 h | 14 h | 00:10 |
| Thurso | 14 h | 12 h | 9 h | 6 h | 1 h | none | none | 5 h | 8 h | 11 h | 13 h | 14 h | 00:12 |
| Inverness | 14 h | 12 h | 9 h | 7 h | 2 h | none | none | 5 h | 8 h | 11 h | 13 h | 14 h | 00:15 |
| Aberdeen | 14 h | 12 h | 10 h | 7 h | 3 h | none | none | 5 h | 8 h | 11 h | 13 h | 14 h | 00:07 |
| Edinburgh | 13 h | 12 h | 10 h | 7 h | 3 h | none | 2 h | 6 h | 9 h | 11 h | 13 h | 14 h | 00:11 |
| Glasgow | 13 h | 12 h | 10 h | 7 h | 3 h | none | 2 h | 6 h | 9 h | 11 h | 13 h | 14 h | 00:15 |
| Belfast | 13 h | 12 h | 10 h | 7 h | 4 h | 1 h | 3 h | 6 h | 9 h | 11 h | 13 h | 14 h | 00:22 |
| Newcastle | 13 h | 12 h | 10 h | 7 h | 4 h | none | 3 h | 6 h | 9 h | 11 h | 13 h | 14 h | 00:05 |
| Manchester | 13 h | 12 h | 10 h | 7 h | 4 h | 2 h | 3 h | 6 h | 9 h | 11 h | 13 h | 14 h | 00:07 |
| Cardiff | 13 h | 12 h | 10 h | 8 h | 5 h | 3 h | 4 h | 7 h | 9 h | 11 h | 13 h | 13 h | 00:11 |
| London | 13 h | 12 h | 10 h | 8 h | 5 h | 3 h | 4 h | 7 h | 9 h | 11 h | 13 h | 13 h | 23:59 |
Check your own town
Anywhere in the world: your geomagnetic latitude, what it takes there, tonight's dark hours and NOAA's forecast for them.
Aurora alerts by email
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Kp, the last day and the next three
NOAA's planetary Kp in three-hour blocks. From Kp 5 it is a geomagnetic storm.
Questions
What Kp do I need to see the northern lights in UK and Scotland?
It depends on the town. Lerwick needs about Kp 1.8 for the aurora low on the northern horizon and Kp 4.1 for overhead. London needs about Kp 6.9 (G2) for the aurora low on the northern horizon and more than Kp 9 for overhead. The table on this page has every town. These come from NOAA's rule of thumb (the oval's edge at about 66° geomagnetic latitude at Kp 0, 2° nearer the equator per Kp step) with 500 km of horizon, which NOAA calls approximate. (NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center)
When is it dark enough?
Not all year. Lerwick has no proper darkness in May, Jun, Jul; Kirkwall has no proper darkness in May, Jun, Jul; Thurso has no proper darkness in Jun, Jul: the Sun never gets 12° below the horizon. The months table on this page shows the hours of darkness each month. (NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center)
What time of night is best?
NOAA: "Best aurora is usually within an hour or two of midnight (between 10 PM and 2 AM local time)." In midwinter the darkest hours here are centred near 00:03 on Lerwick's clocks. (NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center)
Which way should I look?
North. NOAA: "Find a place where you can see to the north (or south if you are in the southern hemisphere)." Further from the oval it shows only low over that horizon, and a camera records more than the eye. (NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, Met Office)
How often does it happen?
NOAA counts about 900 days per 11-year solar cycle at G1 (Kp 5), 360 at G2 (Kp 6) and 130 at G3 (Kp 7). Towns that need no storm can see it on many clear, dark nights; NOAA notes "very nice auroral displays even with low geomagnetic activity (Kp = 3 or 4)" from the right place. (NOAA SWPC, NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center)
Sources
The Kp each town needs is NOAA's rule of thumb applied to its corrected geomagnetic latitude (AACGM-v2 at 110 km, 2026), with 500 km of horizon. The dark hours are worked out from the Sun's position. Quotes are from the pages below, read in October 2026.
- NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center: Tips on viewing the aurora
- NOAA SWPC: Space weather scales (G1 to G5)
- NOAA SWPC: Planetary Kp, observed and 3-day forecast (data feed)
- NOAA SWPC: Aurora, 30-minute forecast (the OVATION model)
- Shepherd, S. G. (2014): Altitude-adjusted corrected geomagnetic coordinates (AACGM-v2), J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics 119, 7501
- Met Office: Auroras
- Met Office blog: What are the Northern Lights and what causes them?
More places: Norway and Scandinavia · Iceland · Canada · Alaska and the northern US · Southern lights: New Zealand and Tasmania. Photography tips and the full forecast are on northern lights tonight.