Space Weather
Space weather describes changing environmental conditions in near-Earth space. Magnetic fields, radiation, particles and matter, which have been ejected from the Sun, can interact with the Earth’s upper atmosphere and surrounding magnetic field to produce a variety of effects.
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Aurora forecasts
Northern Hemisphere
No significant enhancements to the auroral oval are expected initially. On Friday (UTC), coronal hole fast winds are likely to arrive, alongside a possible Coronal Mass Ejection glancing blow. Aurora sightings become likely across northern Scotland, with a chance of sightings across other parts of Scotland and perhaps northern England and similar magnetic latitudes, where skies are clear.
Southern Hemisphere
No significant enhancements to the auroral oval are expected initially. On Friday (UTC), coronal hole fast winds are likely to arrive, alongside a possible Coronal Mass Ejection glancing blow. Aurora sightings become likely across southern New Zealand and similar magnetic latitudes.
Issued at: 14:23 (GMT) on Tue 27 Oct 2026
Forecast overview
Space Weather Forecast Headline: G1 Minor Storm likely day 3 or day 4 (30-31 Oct).
Analysis of Space Weather Activity over past 24 hours
Solar Activity: Low with just a single low Common-class flare observed from the northwest limb. There is only one very small sunspot on the disc, a unipolar spot in the southwest.
No Earth-directed Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) were observed in this period.
Solar Wind / Geomagnetic Activity: Solar winds showed a very weak enhancement from an unknown source, with speeds increasing from Background, around 380 km/s, to be Slightly Elevated at 400-430 km/s between 27/0730-1840 UTC, before easing again. Interplanetary Magnetic Field peaked Moderate, but then eased to be Weak from 27/0800 UTC. The north-south component also peaked Moderate and variable in direction, before easing to be mainly Weak from 27/0800 UTC. Geomagnetic activity was Quiet (Kp 1-2).
Energetic Particles / Solar Radiation: No solar radiation storms were observed with the count rate of energetic particles persisting at Background.
Four-Day Space Weather Forecast Summary
Solar Activity: Low to Very Low activity is expected, with no significant sunspot regions currently on the Earth-facing disc.
Solar Wind / Geomagnetic Activity: A CME which left the Sun late on 26 Oct could give a glancing impact early day 3 (30 Oct), although the timing is low confidence. This is likely to be followed by a connection to the fast winds from a coronal hole, with solar winds peaking on day 4 (31 Oct). Geomagnetic activity is expected to be Quiet days 1-2 (28-29 Oct), before increasing to be Active to G1 Minor Storm, with a slight chance of G2 Moderate storms, if there is any combined influence of the CME and fast winds.
Energetic Particles / Solar Radiation: No solar radiation storms are forecast with the count rate of energetic particles expected to persist at Background.
Issued at: 00:29 (GMT) on Wed 28 Oct 2026
Solar imagery
SDO AIA-193
This channel highlights the outer atmosphere of the Sun - called the corona - as well as hot flare plasma. Hot active regions, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections will appear bright here. The dark areas - called coronal holes - are places where very little radiation is emitted, yet are the main source of solar wind particles.
Issued at:
SDO AIA-304
This channel is especially good at showing areas where cooler dense plumes of plasma (filaments and prominences) are located above the visible surface of the Sun. Many of these features either can't be seen or appear as dark lines in the other channels. The bright areas show places where the plasma has a high density.
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