London, UK · magnetic latitude 47.7°
Northern lights in London: tonight’s chance
London sees the aurora only in the great storms, as a red glow low in the north, from outside the city’s light.
Tonight at London, UK
…
Reading the SWPC Kp forecast and the cloud forecast…
| Kp forecast during the dark hours | not yet forecast |
|---|---|
| Kp needed here | 7.5 (G3 strong) |
| Cloud cover in the dark hours | loading |
| Dark sky (Sun 18° down) | 8:02 PM to 5:31 AM GMT+1 |
| Moon | 11% lit |
| Right now, OVATION (30 to 90 min) | loading or unavailable |
| Magnetic latitude (AACGM) | 47.7° |
Hour by hour, GMT+1
7 PM
Kp –
– ☁
No
8 PM
Kp –
– ☁
No
9 PM
Kp –
– ☁
No
10 PM
Kp –
– ☁
No
11 PM
Kp –
– ☁
No
12 AM
Kp –
– ☁
No
1 AM
Kp –
– ☁
No
2 AM
Kp –
– ☁
No
3 AM
Kp –
– ☁
No
4 AM
Kp –
– ☁
No
5 AM
Kp –
– ☁
No
6 AM
Kp –
– ☁
No
Rules checked · Built by Radif Partners · How the answer works
- Kp to see it from London
- 7.5
- Storm level needed
- G3 (Strong)
- Kp for aurora overhead
- beyond 9
- Most clear dark hours
- December
London needs a planetary Kp of about 7.5 to see the northern lights, a G3 (Strong) storm on the NOAA scale and close to G4. The city lies at 47.7 degrees magnetic latitude in the AACGM model, among the lowest of the places on this site, so far south of the oval that the aurora never reaches overhead even at Kp 9. NOAA counts about 100 G4 storms per eleven-year solar cycle, and many of them peak in daylight in Britain or under cloud. When one arrives at night, what London sees is the top of a distant aurora, a red glow low in the north, best caught on a phone camera from somewhere dark. The South Downs, an International Dark Sky Reserve, are the nearest large dark area. London has no full darkness in June and July; its NASA POWER cloud amount ranges from 68% in September to 76% in December.
The great storms only
From London the aurora is a rare event, tied to the strongest storms of a solar cycle. The city's threshold of Kp 7.5 places it with Denver and Philadelphia among the hardest places on this site, and its light dome is among the largest in Europe. The practical sign to watch is a G4 watch or warning, followed on the night by the current Kp estimate climbing past 7 and an OVATION band on the live map that has moved over Scotland and the North Sea. The Met Office runs a space weather service for the United Kingdom, which issues its own aurora guidance during such events.
What Kp does this town need?
Kp to see aurora from here
7.5
| Magnetic latitude (AACGM) | 47.7° |
| Kp for aurora overhead | beyond 9 |
| Storm level | G3 Strong |
| How often that level comes | about 130 days per 11-year cycle |
View line: the more southern of the SWPC oval rule and the NOAA G scale latitudes at each Kp.
Where the dark begins
Greater London's glow reaches tens of kilometres into the countryside. The South Downs National Park, south of the capital, has been an International Dark Sky Reserve for ten years in 2026, according to the park authority, and its open downland gives very dark skies. For the aurora the direction matters, though: from the Downs, the northern horizon lies over the lights of the Home Counties and London. North of the city, the Chiltern escarpment and the farmland of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire look north over darker land, which is often the better choice for a storm.
Seeing it in the suburbs
During the storms of 2024, many Londoners caught the aurora on their phones from gardens and parks while seeing little with their eyes. A long exposure records a faint red glow that the eye, in a sky brightened by streetlights, cannot separate from the background. If a G4 storm is under way and you cannot travel, a phone pointed north from the darkest corner of a park is still worth a try.
Light, cloud and timing
London keeps a short astronomical night even in early summer, but in June and July there is none, and the dark season effectively runs from August to May. On December 15 full darkness lasts 12.0 hours, from 5:55 PM to 5:56 AM. Cloud is frequent all year, with December, January and November leading by clear dark hours. The SWPC blocks are in Universal Time, which matches Greenwich Mean Time in winter: the block from 21 to 24 UT is 9 pm to midnight in London. For Scotland's better odds, see the UK page and the Edinburgh page.
Kp needed around London
| Town | Magnetic latitude | Kp to see it | Kp overhead | Storm level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lerwick | 57.9° | 4.1 | 4.1 | no storm |
| Kirkwall | 56.6° | 4.7 | 4.7 | G1 (Minor) |
| Thurso | 56.2° | 4.9 | 4.9 | G1 (Minor) |
| Inverness | 55.0° | 5.5 | 5.5 | G1 (Minor) |
| Aberdeen | 54.5° | 5.8 | 5.8 | G2 (Moderate) |
| Edinburgh | 53.1° | 6.4 | 6.4 | G2 (Moderate) |
| Glasgow | 53.1° | 6.4 | 6.5 | G2 (Moderate) |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 51.9° | 6.6 | 7.0 | G2 (Moderate) |
| Belfast | 51.7° | 6.7 | 7.2 | G2 (Moderate) |
| Manchester | 50.2° | 7.0 | 7.9 | G3 (Strong) |
| Cardiff | 47.8° | 7.4 | beyond 9 | G3 (Strong) |
| London | 47.7° | 7.5 | beyond 9 | G3 (Strong) |
Darkness and clouds by month in London
| Month | Dark hours | Dark sky, 15th | Mean cloud | Clear dark hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11.6 h | 6:20 PM to 5:58 AM | 75% | 2.9 h |
| February | 10.2 h | 7:07 PM to 5:21 AM | 75% | 2.6 h |
| March | 8.4 h | 7:57 PM to 4:20 AM | 73% | 2.3 h |
| April | 5.8 h | 10:06 PM to 3:54 AM | 68% | 1.9 h |
| May | 2.2 h | 11:50 PM to 2:03 AM | 71% | 0.6 h |
| June | none | – | 72% | 0.0 h |
| July | none | – | 69% | 0.0 h |
| August | 4.6 h | 10:46 PM to 3:24 AM | 72% | 1.3 h |
| September | 7.5 h | 9:11 PM to 4:40 AM | 68% | 2.4 h |
| October | 9.6 h | 7:58 PM to 5:34 AM | 73% | 2.6 h |
| November | 11.2 h | 6:08 PM to 5:22 AM | 76% | 2.8 h |
| December | 12.0 h | 5:55 PM to 5:56 AM | 76% | 2.9 h |