Aurora Borealis in Widnes
United Kingdom · 53.36°, -2.73° · geomagnetic 55.6° · needs Kp 7
Tonight in Widnes
16%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Widnes needs Kp 7 to see anything at all, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 5.7. Short of the threshold, which is what most nights look like here.
Updated 2026-08-02 20:20 UTC
The next 30 nights in Widnes
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 16%. Not one of the seven reaches the Kp 7 that Widnes needs, which is normal rather than unlucky — it averages 2.7 viable nights a year. 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
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Widnes
2.7 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
Wait for an alert; do not book a week
At Kp 7, Widnes needs a severe geomagnetic storm before anything shows above the northern horizon. Storms that size arrive a handful of times per solar cycle and announce themselves a day or two ahead. Watching for one beats picking dates and hoping.
Hours of true darkness, month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.7 | 10.3 | 8.4 | 5.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.1 | 7.4 | 9.7 | 11.4 | 12.1 |
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 Widnes horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
The sky over Widnes reads Bortle 8. Getting clear of the built-up area makes a visible difference on a marginal night.
- 53 km west-north-west → Bortle 5
- 69 km west-north-west → Bortle 4
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, August and November came out ahead in Widnes. 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 Widnes viewing season.
- 13 Aug 2026
- 11 Sep 2026
- 11 Oct 2026
- 09 Nov 2026
- 09 Dec 2026
- 07 Jan 2027
- 06 Feb 2027
Where it is close to a certainty
If you would rather plan a trip than wait for a storm, the nearest place with genuinely frequent aurora is Inverness, 467 km north in United Kingdom.
| Widnes | Inverness | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 7 | 5 |
| Nights per year | 2.7 | 28.7 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 55.6° | 59.8° |
Confirmed reports from this area
151 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Widnes 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 Widnes
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 Widnes.
- Woolton Hill — hill9.5 km west-north-west
- Hag Brow — hill10.5 km north-north-west
- Sefton Park — park13.4 km west
- Fazerkeley Hall Recreational Ground — park16.9 km north-west
- North Wall Light (historical) — lighthouse21.1 km west-north-west
- New Brighton Lighthouse — lighthouse22.4 km west-north-west
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
What to do with the daylight
Aurora watching is a night job, and in winter that leaves a short, bright day to fill. Widnes keeps its fortified past above ground, at Newton Le Willows Castle Hill, West Derby Castle and Liverpool.
Keep the daylight loose: the sky decides the evening, and the forecast can turn within a few hours.
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where to stay
Anywhere on the outskirts of Widnes will do; what matters is being able to step outside and check the sky without a drive first.
- Corus Hotel The Hillcrest 1.8 km from the centre
- Best Western Everglades Park Hotel 2.4 km from the centre
- Hillcrest Hotel 3.2 km from the centre
- Village Hotel and Leisure Club Liverpool 6.8 km from the centre
- Village Hotel and Leisure Club Warrington 9.5 km from the centre
- Travelodge Warrington 9.5 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 Widnes and the sky was dark enough to show it.
| Date | Peak |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-20 | Kp 7.0 |
| 2026-01-20 | Kp 7.67 |
| 2026-01-19 | Kp 8.67 |
| 2025-11-12 | Kp 7.33 |
| 2025-11-11 | Kp 8.67 |
NOAA planetary Kp
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Widnes forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Widnes
Can you see the aurora borealis from Widnes?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Widnes had about 2.7 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 Widnes?
Kp 7. Widnes sits at geomagnetic latitude 55.6°, and the auroral oval only reaches that far from the pole once activity hits Kp 7. Storms that size occur about 3.2 nights a year.
When is the best time of year to see the aurora borealis in Widnes?
September, August and November. 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 Widnes never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Widnes?
The centre of Widnes reads Bortle 8. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 69 km west-north-west. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Widnes with reliable aurora borealis?
Inverness, United Kingdom — 467 km north. It needs only Kp 5 and averages 28.7 viable nights a year against 2.7 in Widnes.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Widnes.