The Met Office has issued a rare severe geomagnetic storm warning for this weekend, marking the first G4 alert in nearly 20 years. The storm, caused by multiple coronal mass ejections from the sun, could trigger spectacular displays of the aurora borealis across parts of the UK.
According to the Met Office, the northern lights may be visible on Friday and Saturday nights across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and parts of northern England and Wales. Krista Hammond, the Met Office's space weather manager, noted that while short nights at this time of year limit the visibility window, conditions are favourable for sightings, particularly on Friday night.
Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesperson, added that clear skies and enhanced solar activity would improve viewing chances. He suggested that with the right equipment, aurora might even be visible further south. The vast majority of the UK is expected to see sunny and dry weather on Saturday, with highs of 26°C in the south-east.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also issued a G4 geomagnetic storm watch, the second highest level, for this weekend. The last such warning was in 2005. NOAA reported that the sun produced strong solar flares from Wednesday, resulting in five outbursts of plasma capable of disrupting satellites and power grids. An extreme G5 storm in 2003 caused power outages in Sweden and damaged transformers in South Africa.
