Aurora Borealis in St Albans
United Kingdom · 51.75°, -0.33° · geomagnetic 53.6° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for St Albans
1%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. St Albans 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.
Get the full 30-night forecast in Revon
Updated 2026-09-08 10:35 UTC
Local aurora guide for St Albans
St Albans is located at 53.6° geomagnetic latitude. Auroras visible at this latitude require a geomagnetic activity level of Kp 7 or higher.
On average, there are 2.7 nights per year in St Albans where the aurora may be visible.
The period between 2016 and 2026 saw records of aurora visibility.
The best months for aurora viewing in St Albans are September, August, and November.
During June and July, there is no full darkness, which may impact viewing conditions.
St Albans has a Bortle scale rating of 7, indicating significant light pollution.
Areas with darker skies, such as Bortle 4, are located 96 km east-south-east, and Bortle 5 skies are found 64 km east-north-east near Braintree.
Local terrain features include Broad Water Island (14.5 km east-north-east), Burnham Green (14.7 km north-east), Blow's Down (18.5 km north-west), Dunstable Downs, Chilterns Gateway Centre and Whipsnade Estate (19.0 km north-west), and Sundon Hills Country Park (23.9 km north-north-west).
Nearby geographical features that may offer a different horizon include Broad Water Island, located 14.5 km east-north-east of St Albans.
Burnham Green, a hill situated 14.7 km north-east, and Blow's Down, a hill 18.5 km north-west, are also noted.
Further afield, the Dunstable Downs, Chilterns Gateway Centre and Whipsnade Estate park is 19.0 km north-west, and Sundon Hills Country Park is 23.9 km north-north-west.
There have been 59 verified aurora reports within 300 km of St Albans between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016.
The period from 2016 to 2026 includes several nights with high geomagnetic activity, such as March 20, 2026 (Kp 7.0), January 20, 2026 (Kp 7.67), and January 19, 2026 (Kp 8.67).
Other notable nights in this period include November 12, 2025 (Kp 7.33) and November 11, 2025 (Kp 8.67).
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 St Albans forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
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Forecasts for places within reach of St Albans.