BRITS could catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights tonight after the UK recorded the hottest day of the year.
The Met Office has revealed which parts of the country could be treated to displays after a day when temperatures soared to 19.7°C.
GettyPeople in some parts of the UK may be able to spot the Northern Lights on Sunday night[/caption]
AlamyBrits flocked to Parliament Hill and other spots around the country to enjoy the sunshine on Sunday[/caption]
MET OfficeClear skies reigned over almost the whole of the UK on Sunday[/caption]
But the balmy weather won’t last with forecasters warning a cold snap will take hold next week.
Met Office meteorologist Stephen Dixon said people in northern parts of Scotland have a chance of catching the natural phenomena.
He said “further potential sightings” of flare-ups could be made overnight on Sunday with the lights sinking back to background levels on Monday and Tuesday.
Clear skies, which much of the UK have enjoyed this weekend, make the lights easier to spot.
Before the weekend, Dixon explained the lights are overhead “thanks to a solar wind connecting with Earth“.
He said: “There will be breaks in the cloud in the area, increasing the chances of a sighting for those in the area.
“There’s a possibility of further potential sightings on Sunday night in the north of Scotland, though there’s some uncertainty on this at the moment and further cloud could obscure viewing potential.”
Lights might be visible further south as well, the Met Office said, if skygazers use “long exposure photography”.
The hottest temperature of the year was recorded on Sunday when it hit 19.7°C in Crosby, Merseyside.
The heat surpassed the record set the previous day when it got to 19.1°C in Cumbria on Saturday.
Parts of the country have been hotter than popular holiday spots, such as Malaga and the Balearic Islands, according to the Met Office.
Craig Snell, a Met Office expert, said: “It’s been widely warm across the east and west, and it’s been pleasant in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
“It’s been fairly decent and Sunday was the warmest day of 2025 so far.”
But forecasters warned the sunny spell won’t last with temperatures set to plunge amid a band of rain through next week.
The Met Office said on Sunday: “As we welcome in the new week, we start to see a change in the very warm and dry conditions of late.
“A spell of rain will move south across the country on Monday, bringing a few wintry showers in the north/northeast.
“By Tuesday, we’ll start to see temperatures drop to below average across the UK.
“Rural spots in Scotland could see -4 degrees on Tuesday night, with a daytime maximum temperatures typically between 5 and 8 degrees.”
Some parts of the country could even see a flurry of snow next week.
Chris Bulmer, Deputy Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “A frontal zone will move south across the UK during Sunday night and Monday with much colder air following from the north.
“With these cold northeasterly winds, we are likely to see some wintry showers across the north and the east of the UK next week, but any accumulations of snow are likely to be largely restricted to hills.
“We’ll also see a return to overnight frosts in many areas.”
Northern Lights – what causes them?
Here’s the official explanation from Nasa…
The dancing lights of the auroras provide spectacular views on the ground, but also capture the imagination of scientists who study incoming energy and particles from the sun
Auroras are one effect of such energetic particles, which can speed out from the sun both in a steady stream called the solar wind and due to giant eruptions known as coronal mass ejections or CMEs
After a trip toward Earth that can last two to three days, the solar particles and magnetic fields cause the release of particles already trapped near Earth, which in turn trigger reactions in the upper atmosphere in which oxygen and nitrogen molecules release photons of light
The result: the Northern and Southern lights.
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