Home
Weather London
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Career
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    Bathed in colour: Aurora shines over the UK and Ireland

14:00
27 February 2023

Bathed in colour
Aurora shines over the UK and Ireland

Aurora borealis
Sunday night's aurora snapped in Talmine, Scotland. - © Dawn Gibson-Hylands

The Northern Lights were spotted across the UK and Ireland on Sunday, and could appear again tonight!

Intense sightings of the aurora borealis were reported across the two countries yesterday thanks to the arrival of a strong solar flare from the Sun.

The natural phenomenon is typically found around the Earth’s poles, however stronger periods of solar activity can result in auroras descending to more southerly latitudes.

Aurora Borealis
Aurora over bridge
Aurora
Aurora
1/4
The display was also captured in Dunkeld, Perthshire last night. - © Keith Morris

In the UK, the aurora can be seen in the far north of Scotland at times of moderate activity in the right conditions.

For the display to be visible as far south as Cornwall is rare and only occurs at times of high solar activity.

In addition to reports in the UK and Ireland, the lights were also spotted in Europe with Weather & Radar users on the continent sending in their views of the lights.

We can expect more auroras in the coming years as the Sun approaches the solar maximum in 2025. This is the point in its 11-year solar cycle at which activity is at its highest.

Further sightings of the Northern Lights are expected tonight however thick cloud cover obscures the night sky for almost all areas of the UK and Ireland.

Check out the WeatherRadar for conditions in your area tonight and to find out exactly how auroras form take a look at our Weather Explained video below.

Aurora events
Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
Wind forecast map of the UK and northern Europe showing strong orange wind zones around a low-pressure system marked with a white “L,” alongside a black-and-white windsock warning icon.
Tuesday, 12 May 2026

Gusty conditions ahead

Low pressure brings windy days
Radar image showing a thunderstorm cell over northern Italy, near Brescia and Bergamo. Next to it, several large white hailstones in a hand.
Tuesday, 12 May 2026

Severe storms in Italy

Damage caused by large hailstones
Split satellite weather map of the UK showing cloud and rain moving northeast in the morning on the left, followed by brighter afternoon conditions with sunny intervals on the right.
Thursday, 14 May 2026

Dry start, then showers

Rain builds again through the day
All weather news
This might also interest you
plit image showing a double rainbow over a rocky shoreline on the left and sheep grazing in a green field under stormy clouds on the right.
Sunday, 2 November 2025

Your weather - Your shots

Mixed conditions on an unsettled week
Split image showing strong winds over the UK on a forecast map and widespread rain and snow on a weather radar map.
Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Severe gales & heavy rain

Storm Chandra makes impact
Illustration of white and yellow fireworks on a blue background.
Wednesday, 31 December 2025

Hello 2026

Happy New Year
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwittertikToklinkList