{"id":45,"date":"2023-11-18T08:31:08","date_gmt":"2023-11-18T08:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mm0zif.radio\/current\/?page_id=45"},"modified":"2026-11-11T07:15:24","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T07:15:24","slug":"uk-aurora-watch","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mm0zif.radio\/current\/uk-aurora-watch\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Aurora Watch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The aurora is never guaranteed, but the planetary K index (Kp) is the best short-range guide we have. This page pulls the current Kp, the solar wind and the NOAA three-hourly forecast, so you can judge whether it is worth standing outside at midnight.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"aurora-watch\"><div class=\"aurora-panel\"><div class=\"aw-head\"><div><p class=\"aw-eyebrow\">Live space weather<\/p><h2 class=\"aw-title\">Aurora chance from Stornoway<\/h2><p class=\"aw-sub\">Planetary K index, solar wind and the three-hourly forecast from NOAA SWPC, refreshed every few minutes.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"aw-kp\"><span class=\"aw-kp-num\">1.3<\/span><span class=\"aw-kp-label\">Kp now, period ending 21:00 UTC<\/span><\/div><\/div><p class=\"aw-outlook\"><strong>Quiet.<\/strong> Very low. The auroral oval sits too far north for Lewis at this level.<\/p><dl class=\"aw-stats\"><div><dt>Next 24 h peak<\/dt><dd>3.3 at 00:00<\/dd><\/div><div><dt>Solar wind<\/dt><dd>401 km\/s<\/dd><\/div><div><dt>Bz<\/dt><dd>-2.0 nT<\/dd><\/div><div><dt>Bt<\/dt><dd>4.0 nT<\/dd><\/div><div><dt>Updated<\/dt><dd>00:20 UTC<\/dd><\/div><\/dl><div class=\"aw-forecast\"><h3>Kp forecast for the next three days<\/h3><p class=\"aw-note\">Each bar is one three-hour slot in UTC. The height and colour show the forecast Kp, so you can see which nights are worth watching.<\/p><div class=\"aw-day\"><p class=\"aw-day-name\"><span>Mon 16 Nov<\/span><span class=\"aw-day-max\">Max Kp 3.3<\/span><\/p><ul class=\"aw-bars\"><li class=\"aw-bar\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"--kp:3.33\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">3.3<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">00:00<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"--kp:2\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">2.0<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">03:00<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"--kp:2\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">2.0<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">06:00<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"--kp:3\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">3.0<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">09:00<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"--kp:3\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">3.0<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">12:00<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"--kp:3.33\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">3.3<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">15:00<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"--kp:3.33\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">3.3<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">18:00<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"--kp:3.33\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">3.3<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">21:00<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"aw-day\"><p class=\"aw-day-name\"><span>Tue 17 Nov<\/span><span class=\"aw-day-max\">Max Kp 4.7<\/span><\/p><ul class=\"aw-bars\"><li class=\"aw-bar\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"--kp:3.67\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">3.7<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">00:00<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar aw-a\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"--kp:4.67\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">4.7<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">03:00<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"--kp:3.67\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">3.7<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">06:00<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"--kp:3.67\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">3.7<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">09:00<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"--kp:3.33\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">3.3<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">12:00<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"--kp:3.33\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">3.3<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">15:00<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"--kp:2.67\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">2.7<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">18:00<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"--kp:2\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">2.0<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">21:00<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"aw-day\"><p class=\"aw-day-name\"><span>Wed 18 Nov<\/span><span class=\"aw-day-max\">Max Kp 2.7<\/span><\/p><ul class=\"aw-bars\"><li class=\"aw-bar\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><i style=\"--kp:2.67\"><\/i><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">2.7<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">00:00<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar aw-empty\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\"><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">&ndash;<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">&ndash;<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar aw-empty\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\"><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">&ndash;<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">&ndash;<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar aw-empty\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\"><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">&ndash;<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">&ndash;<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar aw-empty\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\"><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">&ndash;<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">&ndash;<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar aw-empty\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\"><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">&ndash;<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">&ndash;<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar aw-empty\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\"><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">&ndash;<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">&ndash;<\/span><\/li><li class=\"aw-bar aw-empty\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span class=\"aw-bar-track\"><\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-kp\">&ndash;<\/span><span class=\"aw-bar-time\">&ndash;<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div><p class=\"aw-legend\"><span class=\"aw-chip\">Quiet to unsettled<\/span><span class=\"aw-chip aw-a\">Active<\/span><span class=\"aw-chip aw-s\">Storm, Kp 5 or more<\/span><span class=\"aw-legend-note\">Overhead aurora becomes likely from Lewis at Kp 6 and above; Kp 5 usually means a glow low to the north.<\/span><\/p><\/div><p class=\"aw-links\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.swpc.noaa.gov\/products\/planetary-k-index\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NOAA SWPC Kp data<span class=\"sr-only\"> (opens in a new tab)<\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">AuroraWatch UK alerts<span class=\"sr-only\"> (opens in a new tab)<\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/mm0zif.radio\/current\/weather-webcam\/\">Check the sky on the webcam<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div><section class=\"aw-tonight\" aria-labelledby=\"aw-tonight-title\"><h2 id=\"aw-tonight-title\">Will the aurora be visible in Scotland tonight?<\/h2><p class=\"aw-tonight-now\"><strong>Tonight&#039;s forecast peak is Kp 3.3 at 00:00 UTC.<\/strong> Only when the Kp index is high enough and the sky is clear. From Stornoway, Kp 5 usually means a glow low on the northern horizon, while Kp 6 or more can put the aurora overhead. The live panel above shows tonight&#039;s forecast peak, and the three-day bars show which nights are worth watching.<\/p><dl class=\"aw-faq\"><dt>What Kp index do you need to see the northern lights in Scotland?<\/dt><dd>Kp 5 is the usual threshold for a chance from northern Scotland, and even then it is often a faint arc low to the north. Kp 6 and above is when overhead displays become likely from the Isle of Lewis. The Kp scale runs from 0 to 9, and each step is a real change in geomagnetic activity.<\/dd><dt>What time of night is best for aurora in Scotland?<\/dt><dd>The hours around local midnight, roughly 22:00 to 02:00, are darkest and usually best. Aurora can appear at any time after dark when the Kp is elevated, so check the live panel and the webcam rather than waiting for a particular forecast hour.<\/dd><dt>Where is the best place to see the aurora on the Isle of Lewis?<\/dt><dd>Any dark spot with an open northern horizon. From Stornoway, the coast north of the town and the darker roads towards Ness work well; give your eyes ten minutes to adapt and keep away from street lights. The station webcam looks north from Marybank and shows whether the sky is clear.<\/dd><\/dl><\/section>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Lewis is a good place to look<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marybank sits at 58\u00b0N, roughly level with southern Greenland. That is far enough north that a modest geomagnetic disturbance puts the aurora on the northern horizon, and a proper storm can bring it overhead. The bigger problem is usually cloud, not latitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to watch from the island<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Get away from lights.<\/strong> The west side of Lewis is darkest: Gallan Head, Uig and the moor above Carloway all have a clear northern horizon.<\/li><li><strong>Give your eyes 20 minutes.<\/strong> No phone screens, no torches. Faint arcs only appear once your eyes have adapted.<\/li><li><strong>Look north, low down.<\/strong> From 58\u00b0N the aurora often sits just above the horizon as a pale green glow, not overhead curtains.<\/li><li><strong>Check the cloud first.<\/strong> A clear sky matters more than another point of Kp. The <a href=\"\/current\/weather\/\">live weather page<\/a> has the webcam and the short forecast.<\/li><li><strong>Mind the moon.<\/strong> A bright moon washes out faint arcs; the <a href=\"\/current\/sunrise-sunset-moon-rise-and-set-and-moon-period-isle-of-lewis\/\">sun and moon almanac<\/a> shows moonrise, phase and illumination.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reading the numbers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kp runs from 0 to 9 in three-hour steps. At this latitude Kp 3 is worth a look, Kp 4 often gives a visible glow, and Kp 5 or more is a genuine storm with a chance of overhead structure. A strongly negative Bz (southward interplanetary magnetic field) helps: it lets the solar wind couple to the magnetosphere more efficiently, so the same Kp can look better than expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Forecasts beyond about an hour are probabilities, not promises. The panel above mixes observed values with NOAA predictions, so treat the later bars as a guide. For alerts to your phone, use <a href=\"https:\/\/aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AuroraWatch UK<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The aurora is never guaranteed, but the planetary K index (Kp) is the best short-range guide we have. This page pulls the current Kp,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":22,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-45","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 5.0.5.1 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Live aurora forecast for the UK and Scotland from NOAA space-weather data, with the Kp index, solar wind, Bz and viewing advice for the Isle of Lewis.\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-image-preview:large\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"google-site-verification\" content=\"E5YKFSPDeqR4z12kIeiiX37arWOJBWhs0RvbFaeNv9Y\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"p:domain_verify\" content=\"fd40bed63592b176b6f93639932ce77e\" \/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mm0zif.radio\/current\/uk-aurora-watch\/\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO (AIOSEO) 5.0.5.1\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MM0ZIF\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UK Aurora Watch | Northern Lights Forecast for Scotland\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Live aurora forecast for the UK and Scotland from NOAA space-weather data, with the Kp index, solar wind, Bz and viewing advice for the Isle of Lewis.\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mm0zif.radio\/current\/uk-aurora-watch\/\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mm0zif.radio\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/mm0zif-social-card-1200x630.jpg\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:secure_url\" content=\"https:\/\/mm0zif.radio\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/mm0zif-social-card-1200x630.jpg\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-11-18T08:31:08+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-11-11T07:15:24+00:00\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/marcushmcgown\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:image:alt\" content=\"MM0ZIF weather station at Marybank, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@MM0ZIF_WX\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"UK Aurora Watch | Northern Lights Forecast for Scotland\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Live aurora forecast for the UK and Scotland from NOAA space-weather data, with the Kp index, solar wind, Bz and viewing advice for the Isle of Lewis.\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@MM0ZIF_WX\" \/>\n\t\t<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mm0zif.radio\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/mm0zif-social-card-1200x630.jpg\" \/>\n\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"aioseo-schema\">\n\t\t\t{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mm0zif.radio\\\/current\\\/uk-aurora-watch\\\/#breadcrumblist\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mm0zif.radio\\\/current\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mm0zif.radio\\\/current\\\/\",\"nextItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mm0zif.radio\\\/current\\\/uk-aurora-watch\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"UK Aurora Watch\"}},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mm0zif.radio\\\/current\\\/uk-aurora-watch\\\/#listItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"UK Aurora Watch\",\"previousItem\":{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mm0zif.radio\\\/current\\\/#listItem\",\"name\":\"Home\"}}]},{\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mm0zif.radio\\\/current\\\/uk-aurora-watch\\\/#faq\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mm0zif.radio\\\/current\\\/uk-aurora-watch\\\/\",\"name\":\"Aurora tonight in Scotland\",\"description\":\"Whether the northern lights may be visible from Scotland tonight, what Kp index is needed, the best time to look and where to watch from the Isle of Lewis.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mm0zif.radio\\\/current\\\/uk-aurora-watch\\\/#webpage\"},\"about\":[{\"@type\":\"Thing\",\"name\":\"Aurora\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mm0zif.radio\\\/current\\\/#organization\"}],\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Will the aurora be visible in Scotland tonight?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Only when the Kp index is high enough and the sky is clear. 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