Tonight
Oct 28 - Oct 29
- 9 °C
97 percent cloud cover - 9 °C98 percent cloud cover
- 9 °C
67 percent cloud cover
Northern Lights Forecast for Glasgow
Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
55°51′51.1″N ⋅ 4°15′6.5″W
Aurora data last updated at
Current local time:
Can you see the Northern Lights in Glasgow tonight?
No significant aurora activity is expected in Glasgow over the next 24 hours. Sky will be dark from 18:06 to 05:54 local time. Cloud cover around that time looks overcast at around 95%.
Aurora Forecast for Glasgow
Today at 18:00
No activity
Cloud Cover:96%
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Hourly aurora forecast for Glasgow
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3-Night Weather Forecast for Glasgow
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Tomorrow night
Oct 29 - Oct 30
- 10 °C98 percent cloud cover
- 10 °C63 percent cloud cover
- 10 °C81 percent cloud cover
Friday night
Oct 30 - Oct 31
- 9 °C95 percent cloud cover
- 8 °C98 percent cloud cover
- 8 °C91 percent cloud cover
Sun & Moon
Sunset
Sunrise
Dark from 18:06 to 05:54 (11 h 48 min)
Current Moon
Waning Gibbous
91% illumination
Refresh to load today's sun path.
Long-Term Aurora Forecast for Glasgow
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wednesday, October 28, 2026. Today. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 92% illumination | Thursday, October 29, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 85% illumination | Friday, October 30, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 76% illumination | Saturday, October 31, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 2 out of 10. Last quarter, 65% illumination | Sunday, November 1, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Last quarter, 54% illumination | ||
Monday, November 2, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Last quarter, 43% illumination | Tuesday, November 3, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Last quarter, 32% illumination | Wednesday, November 4, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning crescent, 23% illumination | Thursday, November 5, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning crescent, 14% illumination | Friday, November 6, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning crescent, 8% illumination | Saturday, November 7, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. New moon, 3% illumination | Sunday, November 8, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. New moon, 1% illumination |
Monday, November 9, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. New moon, 0% illumination | Tuesday, November 10, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. New moon, 2% illumination | Wednesday, November 11, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 5% illumination | Thursday, November 12, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 10% illumination | Friday, November 13, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 16% illumination | Saturday, November 14, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 23% illumination | Sunday, November 15, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 32% illumination |
Monday, November 16, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 41% illumination | Tuesday, November 17, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. First quarter, 50% illumination | Wednesday, November 18, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. First quarter, 60% illumination | Thursday, November 19, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 70% illumination | Friday, November 20, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 79% illumination | Saturday, November 21, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 87% illumination | Sunday, November 22, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 94% illumination |
Monday, November 23, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Full moon, 98% illumination | Tuesday, November 24, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Full moon, 100% illumination |
LowAurora ActivityHigh
Best Time to See the Northern Lights in Glasgow
The aurora season in Glasgow runs from early July to early June, when the nights get dark. The aurora is rare in Glasgow: your best chances are in October.
- Dark hours
- Chance of aurora
Long-term averages for clear nights, since 1985. Geomagnetic data: GFZ, CC BY 4.0
Every night of 2026 in Glasgow, January at the top: how long it's dark, and the chance of aurora on a clear night.
Northern Lights in Glasgow
Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city, on the Clyde, with over a million people in its urban area. Unlike Edinburgh, it has no shore facing north, so when an alert goes out the city drives uphill. On an active night a faint arc or a red tint can show on the northern horizon from the hills; a display you will clearly see with your eyes needs a G1 minor storm or stronger. Only the biggest storms, once or twice a decade, make it visible from the city itself, and then it has been seen from Glasgow streets and from the M80.
The Crow Road car park in the Campsies
The Campsie Fells begin about 8 miles north of the centre. The Crow Road climbs from Lennoxtown over the ridge towards Fintry, and the car park near the top is where Glaswegians go, with a wide view north. On a big storm night it is full before it is properly dark and cars line the lay-bys. The Tak Me Doon Road above Kilsyth, in the same hills, has been gridlocked on those nights too.
Phone cameras in night mode show colour your eyes miss, so check the photo before you give up; the site’s guide to photographing the aurora with an iPhone explains the settings.
Mugdock Country Park and Balmaha on Loch Lomond
Mugdock Country Park is 260 hectares of woodland and moor next to Milngavie, about 10 miles north of the city. The south end of Loch Lomond is about 14 miles north-west of the centre. From Balmaha on the east shore the loch runs north for about 20 miles between Highland hills, so there is water rather than city in your view.
Galloway Forest Park puts the city in the north
Galloway Forest Park became the UK’s first International Dark Sky Park in 2009. It is very dark, but it is a couple of hours south of Glasgow, so the city glow sits on the northern horizon when you get there. For more regular chances you need the north of Scotland.
FAQ
How often are the northern lights visible from Glasgow?
Rarely, and only during geomagnetic storms. A display strong enough to see from streets in the city and from the M80 comes once or twice a decade. More often, if anything shows at all, it is a faint glow on the northern horizon that only a camera picks up, and you need to be on the Campsies or by Loch Lomond to find it.
Where do people in Glasgow go to see the northern lights?
The Crow Road car park on the Campsie Fells above Lennoxtown, about 10 miles north of the city, is the usual spot and fills up fast on an alert night, with cars in every lay-by. The Tak Me Doon Road in the same hills is the other hill road. Mugdock Country Park next to Milngavie is also about 10 miles north, and Balmaha on the east shore of Loch Lomond is roughly 45 minutes away.
Is Loch Lomond a good place to see the northern lights?
The east shore is, on a strong night. From Balmaha the loch runs north for about 20 miles with the Highland hills on either side, so there is water rather than city in your view. The south end of the loch is about 14 miles north-west of Glasgow city centre, inside Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
Is Galloway Forest Park worth the drive from Glasgow for the aurora?
For stars, yes. It was the UK's first International Dark Sky Park, with gold-tier status since 2009, and it is a couple of hours south of the city. For the aurora it has a drawback: Glasgow and the Central Belt lie to its north, so the glow you are trying to escape sits on the horizon you need to watch. The Campsies or Loch Lomond put the city behind you instead.
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Glasgow?
The aurora season in Glasgow runs from early July to early June, when the nights get dark. The aurora is rare in Glasgow: your best chances are in October. The longest nights, around 21 December, have about 14 hours of darkness.
Can you see the northern lights in Glasgow in summer?
Only a bright one. After early June the sky doesn't get fully dark again until early July. The nights still reach twilight, so a strong aurora can show around midnight.
What Kp index do I need to see the northern lights in Glasgow?
In Glasgow, you usually need at least Kp 4 to have a reasonable chance of seeing the northern lights. Lower Kp can still bring a faint aurora display low on the northern horizon, but it is less common.
This is based on magnetic latitude, and Kp index is a global geomagnetic index, so treat it as a rule of thumb, not a location-specific guarantee.
Tonight, the NOAA Kp index forecast is 1.3 to 1.7. That is below the usual Kp index threshold for Glasgow, so seeing the aurora is unlikely.