New Northern Lights alert for England on Sunday, May 12 - and how to get phone notifications

Chris Ballinger & Ben Hurst

12 May 2024 at 9:01 am·3-min read

WHITLEY BAY, ENGLAND - MAY 10: People visit St Mary's lighthouse in Whitley Bay to see the aurora borealis, commonly known as the northern lights, on May 10, 2024 in Whitley Bay, England. The UK met office said a strong solar storm may allow northern parts of the UK the chance to see displays of aurora. (Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images) -Credit:Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

Plenty of people stayed up late on Saturday night (May 11) in the hope of getting another glimpse of a stunning Northern Lights display, with many even making the effort to head out to local beauty spots or viewing areas to try and get the best display. While it was nowhere near as impressive as Friday night for the majority of us in London and the rest of the UK, there is still hope.

A weather expert has said that the UK could get a third night of Northern Lights as another geomagnetic storm erupted which could again fill the night sky with eerie green and pink bands of light. Channel 4 weather presenter Liam Dutton said on X “**LATEST NOAA SPACE PREDICTION** Further coronal mass ejections (CMEs) expected to arrive on Sunday. This means another strong or extreme geomagnetic storm is likely.

“Therefore, there may be another UK-wide showing of the aurora borealis on Sunday night - cloud permitting.” And he later added: “Geomagnetic activity will increase again today, however, as with last night, peak activity may not coincide with darkness. There’ll also be much more cloud around tonight, with clear spells limited. So, the chances of spotting the will be reduced somewhat.”

Scientist group AuroraWatch UK issued a yellow alert on Sunday morning (May 12) saying the phenomenon could be visible with the eye in some areas and with camera equipment more widely. This weekend The Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, appeared after the Met Office confirmed a rare severe geomagnetic storm warning for this weekend – the first in nearly 20 years.

Yellow alert issued on Sunday by AuroraWatch UK — Yellow alert issued on Sunday by science group AuroraWatch UK -Credit:AuroraWatch UK

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the earth was hit by a G5 geomagnetic storm on Thursday. A G5 rating is considered “extreme” and the strongest level of solar storm. The cause of this storm was a “large, complex” sunspot cluster, 17 times the diameter of Earth.

The last storm with a G5 rating hit Earth more than 20 years ago in October 2003 and caused power outages in Sweden. Every 11 years, the sun’s poles reverse, causing bursts of solar activity resulting in northern lights. Scientists predict the next solar maximum will occur at the end of 2024.

How to get alerts to your phone so you don't miss the Northern Lights

Friday’s Northern Lights display was especially intense around London. But many were left frustrated because they didn’t find out it was happening in time and missed the chance of a lifetime.

Afterwards, people said it was a ‘bucket list’ event - showing the importance of seeing the natural phenomenon. There is a way of making sure you don’t miss it in future - and that’s by downloading a free app on your phone.

AuroraWatch UK is a free service offering alerts of when the aurora might be visible from the UK. It is run by scientists in the Space and Planetary Physics group at Lancaster University’s Department of Physics.

You can find it in your phone’s App store called AuroraWatch UK Aurora Alerts. If you download it, you will get a message on your phone when there is activity likely to lead to the Northern Lights. On Saturday a red alert was sent out, which you can see in the picture above.

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How to get alerts to your phone so you don't miss the Northern Lights

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