Birmingham's pink sky: Rare Northern Lights or just 'football' trick?
Graham Madge of the Met Office explained that the snowfall scattered blue wavelengths of light, allowing longer wavelengths like red and orange to dominate
Birmingham, UK, was treated to a breathtaking sight on Thursday evening as the night sky turned a vibrant pink hue. However, to everyone's surprise, the unusual display was in fact caused by the LED floodlights at St Andrew's Stadium, home of Birmingham City Football Club, reflecting off heavy snowfall and low-hanging cloud cover.
Pink sky at night, Blues delight. 🩷 pic.twitter.com/OA8Ywbnreo
— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) January 9, 2026
View this post on Instagram
The pink glow was so striking that residents initially thought it was the Northern Lights, but meteorologists quickly dispelled the myth. Graham Madge of the Met Office explained that the snowfall scattered blue wavelengths of light, allowing longer wavelengths like red and orange to dominate, creating the pink effect.
"Caused quite a stir didn’t they," an Instagram user commented. Another reacted, "you had the whole of the town fooled.. So funny." A third wrote, "I wonder what the local residents around the stadium think about this light pollution."
Birmingham City FC got in on the action, tweeting "Pink sky at night, Blues delight" alongside a stunning image of the neon-soaked clouds. The phenomenon was a result of Storm Goretti, which brought sub-zero temperatures and travel disruption to the UK. The storm has since moved to continental Europe.
