Chance incredible Northern Lights could be repeated

METEOROLOGISTS say there is a slight chance the incredible Northern Lights display over Warrington and the rest of the UK could be repeated again tonight, Saturday.

Last night, Friday, skies over the UK, including Warrington, were turned various shades of pink and green as the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) produced incredible displays for skygazers.

The incredible Aurora Borealis, usually only visible from northern parts of the British Isles, was clearly visible across large parts of the UK overnight, including Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and, unusually, southern England.

Meteorologists say the display was caused after America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued its first severe solar storm warning since 2005 as a huge geomagnetic storm raced towards Earth. The NOAA said the G5 geomagnetic storm, which is considered extreme and is the strongest level of a geomagnetic storm, hit Earth on Thursday and brought with it the risk of affecting communications, GPS and power grids.
Aurora Borealis displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles.

Chris Snell, a meteorologist at the Met Office, told Sky News : “It is hard to fully predict what will happen in the Earth’s atmosphere, but there will still be enhanced solar activity tonight, so the lights could be visible again in northern parts of the UK, including Scotland, Northern Ireland and the far north of England.”