Aurora Borealis in Isle of Lewis
United Kingdom · 58.22°, -6.39° · geomagnetic 60.8° · needs Kp 5
Tonight in Isle of Lewis
44%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Isle of Lewis needs Kp 5, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 5.7. That is on the threshold rather than over it, so cloud and moonlight will decide the night.
Updated 2026-08-02 20:20 UTC
The next 30 nights in Isle of Lewis
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 44%. One of the seven reaches the Kp 5 that Isle of Lewis needs: Sunday 2 Aug, at Kp 5.7. The 23 nights past the seven-day window move with the 27-day solar rotation and are updated daily in the app.
Nights 8–30 unlock in the Revon app
See all 30 nights for Isle of Lewis
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Isle of Lewis
21.7 nights a year, averaged across 10.0 years of records
| Storm level | Nights / year |
|---|---|
| Kp 4 | 83.4 |
| Kp 5 | 28.7 |
| Kp 6 | 9.3 |
| Kp 7 | 3.2 |
| Kp 8 | 1.2 |
NOAA planetary Kp, 2016-04-02 to 2026-03-30
Worth watching through the dark half of the year
Kp 5 is a moderate storm — not an everyday event, but common enough that a patient observer in Isle of Lewis sees the aurora borealis most winters.
Hours of true darkness, month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.0 | 10.3 | 7.9 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 6.6 | 9.5 | 11.6 | 12.4 |
Solar declination and hour angle at −18°
Nothing to see from May to July
Through those months the sun never falls more than 18° below the Isle of Lewis horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
Isle of Lewis is small enough that its own lights are a minor problem — the centre reads Bortle 2. Walking to the edge of town is often escape enough.
- 7 km west-north-west → Bortle 2
- 7 km west-north-west → Bortle 2
Falchi 2016 World Atlas (DOI: 10.5880/GFZ.1.4.2016.001)
The months that actually deliver
Counting only nights that were both stormy enough and dark enough, September, March and October came out ahead in Isle of Lewis. That is storm season and darkness overlapping — the equinoxes tend to be geomagnetically active, and the nights are already long by then.
Darkest nights of the coming year
A bright moon washes out a weak display as effectively as street lighting. These new moons fall inside the Isle of Lewis viewing season.
- 11 Sep 2026
- 11 Oct 2026
- 09 Nov 2026
- 09 Dec 2026
- 07 Jan 2027
- 06 Feb 2027
- 08 Mar 2027
Where it is close to a certainty
Inverness is close enough to reach and return in a night — 152 km east-south-east — and needs only Kp 5.
| Isle of Lewis | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 5 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 21.7 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 60.8° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
139 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Isle of Lewis between 2015-01-01 and 2016-12-31. Rare is not the same as impossible.
Aurorasaurus verified positive reports
Where the horizon opens up near Isle of Lewis
The display sits low on the northern horizon, so what beats a better forecast is open ground facing that way. Height gets you above the town glow; water gives you an unbroken skyline. These are within a short drive of Isle of Lewis.
- Beinn Thulabaigh — hill5.8 km west
- Ben Barvas — mountain6.7 km west-north-west
- Beinn Bharabhais — hill7.7 km north-west
- Loch na Scaravat — lake8.4 km north-west
- Broad Bay — bay8.8 km east-north-east
- Sgeir Leathann — island10.5 km north-east
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where to stay
Anywhere on the outskirts of Isle of Lewis will do; what matters is being able to step outside and check the sky without a drive first.
- Cabarfeidh Hotel 0.0 km from the centre
- Royal Stornoway 0.9 km from the centre
- Caladh Inn 1.2 km from the centre
- Sandwick Bay 2.0 km from the centre
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — confirm before booking
The last nights it was visible here
Nights in the last decade when the storm was strong enough for Isle of Lewis and the sky was dark enough to show it.
| Date | Peak |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-24 | Kp 5.0 |
| 2026-03-23 | Kp 5.0 |
| 2026-03-22 | Kp 6.67 |
| 2026-03-21 | Kp 6.0 |
| 2026-03-20 | Kp 7.0 |
NOAA planetary Kp
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Isle of Lewis forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Isle of Lewis
Can you see the aurora borealis from Isle of Lewis?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Isle of Lewis had about 21.7 nights a year when the storm was strong enough and the sky dark enough at the same time.
What Kp index do you need to see the aurora borealis in Isle of Lewis?
Kp 5. Isle of Lewis sits at geomagnetic latitude 60.8°, and the auroral oval only reaches that far from the pole once activity hits Kp 5. Storms that size occur about 28.7 nights a year.
When is the best time of year to see the aurora borealis in Isle of Lewis?
September, March and October. Those months scored highest once both conditions are counted together: geomagnetic activity and enough hours of real darkness. From May to July the sky over Isle of Lewis never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Isle of Lewis?
The centre of Isle of Lewis reads Bortle 2. The nearest sky at Bortle 2 is about 7 km west-north-west. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Isle of Lewis with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 152 km east-south-east. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 21.7 in Isle of Lewis.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Isle of Lewis.