Spectacle in the Swiss night sky Missed the Northern Lights? The chances are even better tonight
Due to an unusually strong solar storm, auroras became visible in Switzerland on Wednesday night. Experts in the USA warn of solar storms until November 13.
12.11.2025, 05:16
12.11.2025, 10:15
SDA
Webcams on Mount Rigi and Mount Säntis, for example, showed pink veils of light.
The US weather agency NOAA classified the geomagnetic storm at the second-highest warning level G4. The experts warn of solar storms until November 13. According to NOAA, such events can cause voltage fluctuations in power grids as well as disruptions to satellite, radio and GPS signals. Air traffic and pipelines may also be affected.
Intense solar storms caused auroras far to the south during the night. They were also visible in Switzerland in the early hours of the morning. Tonight, the chances of auroras in Switzerland are even better.
Higher KP values than the day before
According to forecasts by the US weather agency NOAA, the particles ejected by the strongest solar storm of the year so far on Tuesday are expected to penetrate the Earth's atmosphere on Wednesday evening. Auroras occur when such charged particles from space penetrate the Earth's atmosphere. The auroras early Wednesday morning were triggered by solar storms on Sunday and Monday.
The so-called KP index provides an indication of the probability of aurora sightings. Higher KP values are predicted for Wednesday evening than for last night. The highest values are expected by 10 pm.
Veil clouds obscure visibility
"So the chances are good that we will be able to observe auroras again after dark," the Federal Office of Climatology and Meteorology (MeteoSwiss) told the Keystone-SDA news agency on request. However, the sky will not be as clear next night: clouds could possibly restrict the view of the auroras.
