Aurora destinations · Scotland
Northern lights in Lerwick
Shetland, Scotland · 60.15°N, 1.15°W
Lerwick sits near the auroral oval: aurora shows on most moderately active nights (magnetic latitude 58°). Light pollution: the sky here is fairly dark.
Open the live forecast for Lerwick
At a glance
- Good odds: from Kp 2.3 at a dark site
- Best months: April, September and October
- Best weeks in the coming year: 31 Mar – 13 Apr · 21 Apr – 11 May · 1–7 Sept
- Too light for aurora: 26 May – 13 Jul (bright nights)
Month by month
A typical night: real darkness and moon, average aurora activity (Kp 2014–2025) and satellite cloud cover (NASA, 2001–2025). Long-range odds, not a forecast.
| Month | Typical night | Clear sky | Dark hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3% | 14% | 14 h |
| February | 3% | 15% | 12 h |
| March | 4% | 17% | 10 h |
| April | 5% | 20% | 6 h |
| May | 3% | 21% | 2 h |
| June | Too light | 14% | – |
| July | 2% | 14% | 2 h |
| August | 4% | 18% | 6 h |
| September | 4% | 17% | 9 h |
| October | 4% | 18% | 12 h |
| November | 4% | 16% | 14 h |
| December | 3% | 14% | 15 h |
Tips for Lerwick
- Clouds decide most nights: check the hour-by-hour forecast, and the “Clearer skies nearby” card for a spot within a drive.
- Aurora is usually best between about 22:00 and 02:00 local time; give your eyes 15 minutes in the dark.
- The sky is already dark here: find an open view to the north.