Lyrid meteor shower to peak tonight: Here’s how to watch
The Lyrid meteor shower is set to peak tonight, and while not one of the best of the year, you’ll be able to see up to a dozen meteors per hour.
Updated: 1:59 PM EDT Apr 22, 2025
THURSDAY. EVEN IN THE AFTERNOON HOURS. AND IT’S ALL THANKS TO SOME HIGH PRESSURE, WARMER AIR MOVING INTO THE AREA. SO WE’RE UNDER THAT SUNNY SKY TODAY. BUT AS WE CONTINUE THROUGH TOMORROW AND EVEN INTO THURSDAY, TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO CLIMB AND IT’S GOING TO FEEL A LOT WARMER FOR US AS WE GO THROUGH THE MID AND LATE PART OF THE WEEK. WE GET 72 FOR THE HIGH TODAY, SO WE’RE GOING TO WARM UP AROUND TEN DEGREES FROM WHERE WE’RE AT RIGHT NOW, AND IT ALREADY FEELS GREAT OUTSIDE. SUN SUN SUN. WELL, SUNSHINE THROUGH TODAY. THAT MEANS CLEAR SKIES TONIGHT. SKIES WILL STAY CLEAR THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. AND TEMPERATURES FALL TO THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S. SO WE’VE GOT THE LYRID METEOR SHOWER HAPPENING TONIGHT. NOT ONE OF THE VERY BEST ONES THAT HAPPENS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. YOU KNOW, WE SEE METEORS EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. WE CAN SEE THEM ANYWAY. BUT TONIGHT YOU COULD SEE UP TO 10 TO 12 PER HOUR. THAT BEST VIEWING TIME FRAME IS GOING TO BE SOMETIME BETWEEN 2 AND 4:00 IN THE MORNING. YOU NEED TO GET AWAY FROM THE CITY LIGHTS AND LOOK UP TOWARDS THE NORTHEAST SKY, TOWARDS THE CONSTELLATION LYRA THE HARP. SO THAT IS GOING TO BE HAPPENING TONIGHT AGAIN. BEST VIEWING BETWEEN 2 AND 4:00 IN THE MORNING. AND THEN TOMORROW, ABOUT 79 DEGREES. MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES. LOT WARMER THERE. FUTURECAST THROUGH TODAY IS GOING TO SHOW SUNSHINE AND THEN WE’LL ADVANCE THROUGH THURSDAY. AND YOU CAN SEE HERE BY 3:00 IN THE AFTERNOON, MAYBE A COUPLE OF ISOLATED SHOWERS. I REALLY THINK THE VAST MAJORITY OF THURSDAY LOOKS QUIET, BUT AS YOU HEAD INTO THURSDAY NIGHT, RAIN CHANCES ARE GOING TO START TO INCREASE, ESPECIALLY INTO FRIDAY. SO FRIDAY IS GOING TO BE OUR BIG RAIN DAY HERE. AGAIN, I THINK WE START THE MORNING OUT WITH SOME SCATTERED ACTIVITY BECOMES MORE WIDESPREAD THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING. MAYBE A FEW RUMBLES OF THUNDER IN THERE AS WELL, BUT THAT RAIN IS GOING TO CONTINUE OVERNIGHT FRIDAY AND INTO SATURDAY. SO I WOULD SAY BY SATURDAY MORNING WE’RE STILL LOOKING AT SOME SHOWERS HERE, MAYBE EVEN EVEN INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON. BUT A LOT OF THIS IS GOING TO START TO CLEAR OUT, AND WE’RE ACTUALLY GOING TO GET BACK TO SOME REALLY NICE WEATHER AS WE HEAD INTO THE SECOND HALF OF SATURDAY AND EVEN INTO SUNDAY AS WELL. BUT AGAIN, THINGS STARTING TO CHANGE A LITTLE BIT FOR US AS WE HEAD INTO THURSDAY, FRIDAY AND THAT SATURDAY TIME FRAME. I THINK BY THURSDAY, CLOUDS ARE GOING TO BE BUILDING. TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE 50S FOR THE MORNING, STRAY SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON, BUT BETTER CHANCES AS YOU HEAD TOWARDS THE EVENING HOURS. FRIDAY IS GOING TO BE OUR WEATHER IMPACT DAY. HIGH OF ABOUT 76 DEGREES. WE’LL HAVE THAT WIDESPREAD RAIN, SOME THUNDER AGAIN, THAT TIMING THAT I JUST SHOWED YOU IS A LITTLE BIT MORE BROAD, SO STAY TUNED FOR SPECIFICS. AND THEN IT LOOKS LIKE RAINFALL TOTALS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN MAYBE A HALF INCH UP TO AN INCH. AS WE HEAD INTO FRIDAY MORNING. AND THEN AGAIN AS YOU HEAD INTO SATURDAY, TEMPERATURES ARE GOING TO BE IN THE LOWER 70S. SHOWERS WILL START TO EXIT THE AREA. WE’RE GOING TO BE COOLER THROUGH THE DAY, GENERALLY IN THE 60S WITH THAT HIGH REACHING AROUND MAYBE 70 TO 71. SUNDAY LOOKS REALLY NICE. 72. WE’VE GOT CLOUDS AND SUNSHINE AND THEN NEAR 80 AGAIN. AS YOU HEAD INTO MONDAY WITH SOME SCATTERED RAIN. BUT THIS IS THE FIRST DAY OR FIRST WEEK, I SHOULD SA
Lyrid meteor shower to peak tonight: Here’s how to watch
The Lyrid meteor shower is set to peak tonight, and while not one of the best of the year, you’ll be able to see up to a dozen meteors per hour.
Updated: 1:59 PM EDT Apr 22, 2025
The Lyrid meteor shower is set to peak between April 22-23 this week. While you can catch meteors every night, Cincinnati Astronomer Dean Regas said you could catch up to a dozen per hour tonight. The best time to view this shower is between 2-4 a.m. in the northeast sky. Regas told us more about how the shower occurs, “Each year, the Earth plows into debris from an old comet named Thatcher. Tiny, icy pieces fall to Earth and ignite 50 miles up in our atmosphere causing streaking meteors.”Regas recommends getting as far from city lights as possible to see fainter meteors.The weather looks perfect for viewing this shower tonight. Skies will be clear and temperatures will fall to the upper 40s and low 50s.
The Lyrid meteor shower is set to peak between April 22-23 this week.
While you can catch meteors every night, Cincinnati Astronomer Dean Regas said you could catch up to a dozen per hour tonight. The best time to view this shower is between 2-4 a.m. in the northeast sky.
Regas told us more about how the shower occurs, “Each year, the Earth plows into debris from an old comet named Thatcher. Tiny, icy pieces fall to Earth and ignite 50 miles up in our atmosphere causing streaking meteors.”
Regas recommends getting as far from city lights as possible to see fainter meteors.
The weather looks perfect for viewing this shower tonight. Skies will be clear and temperatures will fall to the upper 40s and low 50s.