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Northern Lights Forecast

G1 (Minor) storm watch: stronger aurora expected in the next 3 days Where to look tonight

Where to See the Northern Lights Tonight

Every place we forecast, ranked by tonight’s aurora chance.

  1. 1 Levi, Finland Kp needed 1 · clouds now 3% · best 06:00 local · Finland 91%High
  2. 2 Fairbanks, Alaska Kp needed 1 · clouds now 79% · best 21:00 local · United States 90%High
  3. 3 Chena Hot Springs, Alaska Kp needed 1 · clouds now 96% · best 00:00 local · United States 83%High
  4. 4 Denali, Alaska Kp needed 2 · clouds now – · best 21:00 local · United States 43%Moderate
  5. 5 Rovaniemi, Finland Kp needed 2 · clouds now 52% · best 05:00 local · Finland 43%Moderate
  6. 6 Anchorage, Alaska Kp needed 3 · clouds now 68% · best 05:00 local · United States 39%Low
  7. 7 Edmonton, Alberta Kp needed 4 · clouds now 0% · best 00:00 local · Canada 29%Low
  8. 8 Tromsø, Norway Kp needed 0 · clouds now 96% · best 05:00 local · Norway 13%Unlikely
  9. 9 Banff, Alberta Kp needed 5 · clouds now 2% · best 00:00 local · Canada 8%Unlikely
  10. 10 Calgary, Alberta Kp needed 5 · clouds now 0% · best 00:00 local · Canada 8%Unlikely
  11. 11 Lofoten, Norway Kp needed 0 · clouds now 99% · best 05:00 local · Norway 6%Unlikely
  12. 12 Canmore, Alberta Kp needed 5 · clouds now – · best 00:00 local · Canada 4%Unlikely
  13. 13 Inverness, Scotland Kp needed 4 · clouds now 84% · best 03:00 local · United Kingdom 4%Unlikely
  14. 14 Yellowknife, Northwest Territories Kp needed 0 · clouds now 96% · best 20:00 local · Canada 4%Unlikely
  15. 15 Bismarck, North Dakota Kp needed 6 · clouds now 80% · best 00:00 local · United States 2%Unlikely
  16. 16 Great Falls, Montana Kp needed 6 · clouds now 16% · best 23:00 local · United States 2%Unlikely
  17. 17 Marquette, Michigan Kp needed 6 · clouds now 9% · best 21:00 local · United States 1%Unlikely
  18. 18 Bangor, Maine Kp needed 7 · clouds now 34% · United States 0%Unlikely
  19. 19 Burlington, Vermont Kp needed 7 · clouds now 2% · United States 0%Unlikely
  20. 20 Cherry Springs State Park, Pennsylvania Kp needed 8 · clouds now – · United States 0%Unlikely
  21. 21 Chicago, Illinois Kp needed 8 · clouds now 100% · United States 0%Unlikely
  22. 22 Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Kp needed 7 · clouds now 0% · United States 0%Unlikely
  23. 23 Duluth, Minnesota Kp needed 6 · clouds now 100% · United States 0%Unlikely
  24. 24 Fort Collins, Colorado Kp needed 9 · clouds now 100% · United States 0%Unlikely
  25. 25 Green Bay, Wisconsin Kp needed 7 · clouds now 100% · United States 0%Unlikely
  26. 26 Lake Placid, New York Kp needed 7 · clouds now 9% · United States 0%Unlikely
  27. 27 London, England Kp needed 7 · clouds now – · United Kingdom 0%Unlikely
  28. 28 Portland, Oregon Kp needed 8 · clouds now 100% · United States 0%Unlikely
  29. 29 Reykjavík, Iceland Kp needed 0 · clouds now 100% · Iceland 0%Unlikely
  30. 30 Seattle, Washington Kp needed 7 · clouds now 100% · United States 0%Unlikely
  31. 31 Sudbury, Ontario Kp needed 6 · clouds now 100% · Canada 0%Unlikely
  32. 32 Toledo, Ohio Kp needed 8 · clouds now 100% · United States 0%Unlikely

Updated 02:20 · Source: NOAA SWPC

This list ranks every place in our forecast by its best hourly aurora chance tonight, combining Kp, the Kp each place needs, cloud cover, and darkness. Tap any place to see its hour-by-hour forecast.

How to Read Tonight’s List

Places are sorted from the highest chance to the lowest. The coloured label shows the level: High, Moderate, Low, or Unlikely. The small text shows the Kp each place needs and its cloud cover now.

Times are the best hour at that place, in that place’s local time. Places in daylight now are still ranked by their coming night.

Filter by country to compare nearby options. If a place an hour’s drive away shows clearer skies, it is often worth the trip.

Why Chances Differ So Much Between Places

Three things decide where the aurora is visible: geomagnetic latitude (closeness to the magnetic pole), clouds, and darkness. Arctic places like Tromsø, Fairbanks, and Yellowknife sit under the aurora oval even on quiet nights, so clouds usually decide. Places further south need a geomagnetic storm.

North America has an advantage: the magnetic pole lies over the Canadian Arctic, so Minnesota or Montana are geomagnetically as far north as southern Scandinavia. That is why a Kp 6 storm can be visible in the northern US while London needs Kp 8 or more.

In summer, the far north never gets dark enough, so even a big storm is invisible there in June and July.

Tips for Tonight

Pick the place with the best mix of chance and travel time, then check its hourly cloud forecast. A clear sky with a Moderate chance often beats a High chance with incoming cloud.

Head out before the best hour. Displays come and go; being in a dark spot early means you will not miss a short burst.

Set an alert for your nearest place so you do not have to check this list every night.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I see the northern lights tonight?

The top of this list shows the places with the best chance tonight. In the auroral zone (Alaska, northern Canada, Iceland, northern Scandinavia) it mostly depends on clouds.

Can I see the northern lights near me tonight?

Use “Use my location” on the main forecast to get the chance at the nearest forecast point, with hourly cloud cover.

Can you see the northern lights in the UK tonight?

Check Inverness and London in the list. Scotland needs about Kp 4–5 and southern England about Kp 7–8, plus clear dark skies.

What is the best place to see the northern lights?

Places under the auroral oval with dry, clear winters: Fairbanks and Yellowknife in North America; Tromsø, Abisko, and Finnish Lapland in Europe; and Iceland.

How often is this list updated?

The data behind it updates every five minutes. Cloud forecasts refresh roughly hourly.

Why does a place show 0% during a storm?

Usually heavy cloud, or it is not dark there yet. Daylight places are ranked by their coming night.

Related

Data: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center and MET Norway. Updated every 5 minutes. Data sources