Aurora Borealis in Barrhead
United Kingdom · 55.80°, -4.39° · geomagnetic 58.2° · needs Kp 5
Tonight's aurora forecast for Barrhead
48%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Barrhead needs Kp 5 to see anything at all, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 4.9. Short of the threshold, which is what most nights look like here.
Get the full 30-night forecast in Revon
Updated 2026-09-08 10:35 UTC
Local aurora guide for Barrhead
Barrhead is at a geomagnetic latitude of 58.2 degrees. Auroras are typically visible when the planetary Kp index reaches 5 or higher.
With an average of 22.6 viable nights per year, patience may be required for aurora viewing.
Records span from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026.
The best months for aurora viewing in Barrhead are September, March, and October.
During May, June, and July, there is no full darkness, which can impact viewing conditions.
Barrhead experiences a Bortle 9 sky, indicating significant light pollution.
Darker skies, rated Bortle 3, can be found approximately 51 km north near Stirling. Bortle 5 skies are available about 23 km north-north-west near West Dunbartonshire.
Local terrain includes hills such as Thornliemuir (3.6 km west) and Byres Hill (6.0 km north), along with parks like Bellahouston Park (6.7 km north-east) and Maxwell Park (7.9 km north-east).
Thornliemuir, a hill located 3.6 km west of Barrhead, offers elevated terrain.
Byres Hill, situated 6.0 km north of Barrhead, is another notable hill.
Bellahouston Park lies 6.7 km north-east, and Maxwell Park is 7.9 km north-east of Barrhead.
There have been 254 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Barrhead between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016.
The period from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026, includes several nights with Kp values of 5.0 or higher, such as March 24, 2026 (Kp 5.0), March 23, 2026 (Kp 5.0), March 22, 2026 (Kp 6.67), March 21, 2026 (Kp 6.0), and March 20, 2026 (Kp 7.0).
Sources: Revon location dataset · Revon analysis of NOAA planetary Kp · Solar declination and hour-angle calculation · Falchi 2016 World Atlas of artificial night sky brightness · GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) · Aurorasaurus verified positive reports
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Barrhead forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Barrhead.