The Northern Lights are likely to be visible over Penrith and across Cumbria tonight (Monday 19th January) through into the early hours of Tuesday .

A substantial aurora is forecast across much of the northern hemisphere with the arrival of a massive coronal mass ejection (CME) and elevated solar wind speeds after a sun spot fired material out into space towards earth on the 18th January, according to forecasts issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the UK Met Office.

Both agencies have said that geomagnetic activity is expected to increase significantly over the next few hours, with the CME expected to impact Earth around midnight. The event is likely to trigger G4 (Severe) geomagnetic storm.

Given current atmospheric conditions if you can find a gap in the clouds as rain moves across the north of England, there will be a good opportunity for spotting the aurora activity locally tonight.

The optimal viewing window is expected from approximately 11pm through until 1am tomorrow morning.

The geomagnetic storm is also expected to cause significant radio interference over the next few hours and could see mobile signals impacted.