Northern Lights tonight in Stoke-on-Trent

Tonight in Stoke-on-Trent

Stoke-on-Trent sits at a geomagnetic latitude of 55.1° N, so the aurora usually needs a Kp index of about 5 or higher before it rises above the northern horizon. Tonight's NOAA forecast peaks at Kp 3 (quiet) during the dark hours, 2.0 short of what Stoke-on-Trent needs.

The Moon is 100% illuminated (full moon), bright enough to wash out a faint aurora, so only a stronger display will stand out. For the best view look north, low on the horizon, from somewhere away from street lights.

Right now NOAA's OVATION model gives up to 2% chance of aurora in the part of the sky visible from Stoke-on-Trent. OVATION is a short-range nowcast (30 to 90 minutes ahead), useful for deciding whether to step outside now.

3-day Kp forecast

None of the next 3 days reaches the Kp 5 that Stoke-on-Trent needs. Kp is a global 0–9 index of geomagnetic activity, issued in 3-hour blocks (UTC); NOAA forecasts beyond 24 hours are uncertain, because storms are triggered by solar eruptions that take 1–3 days to arrive.

Why Stoke-on-Trent needs Kp 5

The aurora forms in an oval around the geomagnetic pole, which sits in the Canadian Arctic (about 80.8° N, 72.8° W), not at the geographic pole. That is why the Kp a city needs depends on its geomagnetic rather than its geographic latitude. At Kp 0 the oval's edge is near 66° geomagnetic; each step of Kp pushes it roughly 2° toward the equator.

At 55.1° geomagnetic, Stoke-on-Trent needs about Kp 5 for aurora low on the horizon, Kp 7 or more for a display high in the sky. Macclesfield, 29 km away, needs about Kp 4.

Aurora forecast for nearby cities

• Northern lights Newcastle under Lyme
• Northern lights Crewe
• Northern lights Stafford
• Northern lights Macclesfield
• Northern lights Winsford
• Northern lights Northwich
• Northern lights Cannock
• Northern lights Wellington, England

More sky and weather

• Aurora forecast (all cities)
• Northern Taurids meteor shower
• Meteor showers
• Weather warnings