Lyrids Meteor Shower 2022 Birmingham: when is it, what time can I see shooting stars - and weather forecast

Meteor showers are one of the most spectacular sights around, and they are something that don’t come around all too often.

Some of us might get lucky over the coming days and catch a glimpse of the April Lyrids Meteor Shower, which returns to our skies on a yearly basis.

Here’s all you need to know about the meteor shower, including what the weather will be like in Birmingham and when it is expected to peak.

What is the Lyrids Meteor Shower?

The April Lyrids Meteor Shower is a shower which lasts roughly from 16 to 25 April each year.

The April shower comes after somewhat of a drought for ‘shooting stars’, as there have been no visible meteor showers since January.

The Lyrid Shower has been noticed since 687BC when it was first documented in Chinese chronicles and manuscripts.

One of the major surprise events of a Lyrids Meteor Shower took place in 1922 when an outburst of 100 meteors per hour was reported.

Over half a century later, in 1982, a staggering 180 to 300 per hour rate was registered for a few minutes.

This year, we are set to reach the peak of the meteor shower on 21 April.

When is the peak of the Lyrid Meteor Shower?

According to AccuWeather, the first meteor shower in 15 weeks reaches its peak tonight (21 April).

The shower is set to peak from tonight into tomorrow morning.

At its peak, the shower will produce 15-20 meteors an hour.

Lyrids are usually best seen in the second half of the night, but the moon could be a disruption to this in 2022.

If you fail to spot any tonight or tomorrow, you might not be completely out of luck.

There is a chance that they will be visible throughout the weekend, but the rate will be far less than what we could see tonight.

What will the weather be like in Birmingham?

One of the major factors of meteor shower spotting, like with most outdoor activities is the weather.

A cloudy evening and night could stop any plans to see ‘shooting stars’ undone before you’ve even started.

So what is the all important forecast for 21/22 April?

Clouds from today are set to clear as we head into the evening, and the night looks set to be relatively clear.

This bodes well for those on the lookout for meteors, as tonight and the early hours of tomorrow morning are set to be the peak.

Tonight will be dry but, if you are planning an all-nighter to try and see some meteors, you might want to wrap up warm.

The ‘feels like’ temperature in Birmingham could drop to as low as 4°C at 4am on Friday morning and won’t start to rise until at least 8am.

Friday night looks set to be much cloudier, with visibility set to be much worse and conditions for meteor spotting could be far from ideal.

The clouds may put you off any overnight attempts to see the shower, and unfortunately this cloud is set to remain over Birmingham until well into Saturday evening.

Here’s the Met Office summary for tonight and tomorrow:

Tonight:

Remaining fine through this evening and into the overnight period. Patchy low cloud may develop through the early hours, but staying largely dry. Becoming chilly, with patchy grass frost possible. Minimum temperature 2 °C.

Friday:

Many areas beginning the day cloudy, with possibly a few light showers developing during the morning. Occasional sunny intervals are likely but generally feeling cooler with a brisk easterly wind. Maximum temperature 15 °C.