Aurora Borealis in Porthcawl
United Kingdom · 51.48°, -3.70° · geomagnetic 53.9° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Porthcawl
2%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Porthcawl needs Kp 7 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.
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Updated 2026-09-08 10:35 UTC
Local aurora guide for Porthcawl
Auroras are typically visible when the planetary Kp index reaches 7 or higher. At Porthcawl, this level of geomagnetic activity occurs on an average of 2.7 nights per year.
The geomagnetic latitude of Porthcawl is 53.9°.
The best months for aurora viewing in Porthcawl are September, August, and November. During these months, the nights are typically dark enough to observe the aurora.
June and July experience periods without full darkness, which can make aurora viewing difficult.
Porthcawl has a Bortle scale rating of 6, indicating moderate light pollution. Areas further away may offer darker skies.
For example, Bortle 4 skies can be found approximately 30 km north near Neath Port Talbot, and Bortle 5 skies are about 26 km south.
Notable features around Porthcawl include Sker Point to the north-west, Stormy Down to the north-east, and Swansea Bay further to the north-west.
Geographic features near Porthcawl include Sker Point, a headland located 4.1 km north-west. Stormy Down, a hill, is situated 4.8 km north-east.
Tycribwr Hill is another elevated area, 8.8 km north-east of Porthcawl. Swansea Bay lies 17.4 km north-west, and Baglan Bay is 17.9 km north-west.
Between 2015 and 2016, 48 verified aurora reports were made within 300 km of Porthcawl.
The historical record includes qualifying nights such as March 20, 2026 (Kp 7.0), January 20, 2026 (Kp 7.67), and January 19, 2026 (Kp 8.67).
Other notable historical dates include November 12, 2025 (Kp 7.33) and November 11, 2025 (Kp 8.67).
Sources: Revon analysis of NOAA planetary Kp · Revon location dataset · Solar declination and hour-angle calculation · Falchi 2016 World Atlas of artificial night sky brightness · GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) · Aurorasaurus verified positive reports
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Forecasts for places within reach of Porthcawl.