Met Office Northern Lights update as red alert issued for Friday

Chris Ballinger & Chris Ballinger
·3-min read
The Northern Lights above Castle Hill in Huddersfield -Credit:James Wilson
The Northern Lights above Castle Hill in Huddersfield -Credit:James Wilson


The Met Office has given a glimmer of hope to stargazers, stating there's a 'slight chance' the Northern Lights could be visible in parts of the UK on Friday night (May 17). This comes after last Friday's (May 10) spectacular display left many households hoping for another opportunity to witness the awe-inspiring aurora.

Weather experts have said "there remains a slight chance of glancing Coronal Mass Ejection impacts overnight on Friday, May 17 into Saturday, May 18". A spokesperson further explained: "These may bring some limited enhancement to the aurora, with the slight potential of allowing for some visibility as far south as northern Scotland or similar latitudes."

Coronal mass ejections are large explosions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun's outermost atmosphere. The Met Office noted it observed two strong flares, as reported by The Mirror.

READ MORE: UK to get five days of hot weather with 30c temperatures

This forecast coincides with an red alert issued by AuroraWatchUK, run by scientists at the Planetary Physics group at Lancaster University, indicating a 'possible chance' for geomagnetic activity in the UK skies.

Why it is so rare for the Northern Lights to be seen across UK

The natural aurora belt typically occurs around Norway, Iceland and Greenland, reports MyLondon.. This means that it requires a severe or extreme geomagnetic storm to bring the belt southwards directly over the UK, making it an incredibly rare occurrence.

Moderate to strong geomagnetic storms can cause the Aurora borealis to move southwards across southern Iceland or towards the Faeroes, but these auroras can only be faintly visible from the UK under ideal conditions.

If you're hoping to catch a glimpse of the aurora in the UK during a severe or extreme storm, there are a few things you'll need. Firstly, it needs to be a clear night with no cloud cover.

Secondly, you'll need to find a dark location free from light pollution. Finally, look towards the northern horizon.

The distance to the aurora belt means it can be difficult to see clearly with the naked eye, and it often appears much brighter in photographs.

Last Friday's (May 10) Northern Lights display was particularly intense around London and the rest of England. This is an incredibly rare event - it's referred to as 'once in a lifetime' for a reason - so perfect conditions are necessary to have a chance of seeing the Northern Lights.

To ensure you don't miss out on this spectacular display, consider downloading a free app on your phone. The image above is a notification from the app on May 10, indicating the 'disturbance level' required for the aurora to be visible across England.

Despite amber notifications since Friday, sightings have been sparse.

AuroraWatch UK is a complimentary service that provides alerts when the Northern Lights may be visible from the UK. Operated by scientists from the Space and Planetary Physics group at Lancaster University's Department of Physics, the app can be found in your phone's App store under the name AuroraWatch UK Aurora Alerts.

By downloading it, you'll receive a notification on your phone whenever there's activity likely to result in the Northern Lights.

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