Northern Lights dazzle as temperatures soar
STARGAZERS enjoyed a treat over the weekend as a rare solar storm brought the Northern Lights to the Welsh skies as the whole of the UK saw the hottest temperatures of the year so far.
The Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, appeared after the Met Office confirmed a rare severe geomagnetic storm warning for this weekend – the first in nearly 20 years.
The stunning phenomenon was captured in large parts of Wales overnight on Friday and Saturday, with people catching a glimpse of the rare skies across the country – with a chance of a further gimpse of it last nighr.
In some areas, dozens of people gathered to catch a glimpse of the lights.
Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles.
The bands of pink and green light were seen across the UK and in parts of Europe after an “extreme” geomagnetic storm caused them to be more visible, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The G5 geomagnetic storm, which is considered extreme and the strongest level of solar storm, hit Earth on Thursday.
The cause of this storm was a “large, complex” sunspot cluster, 17 times the diameter of the Earth, according to the NOAA.
Meanwhile, crowds flocked to beaches and beauty spots to make the most of the warm weather on what was the hottest day of the year for the country so far, with Gogerddan in Ceredigion recording a temperature of 25.1°C on Saturday.
Temperatures are expected to fall considerably after the weekend highs and a weather warning has been issued for South Wales with heavy rain expected. There could be flooding as a result of the showers, forecasters have said.
The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning between 8am and 11.59pm today which includes Powys Neath Port Talbot, Swansea, and Carmarthenshire.
A spokesman from the Met Office said: “Heavy rain likely to bring some transport disruption and possible flooding in a few places. Flooding of a few homes and businesses is possible, spray and flooding on roads probably making journey times longer, bus and train services probably affected with journey times taking longer.”
The outlook for the rest of the week will see longer spells of rain tomorrow followed by sunny spells and showers on Wednesday.