Will I see the Northern Lights tonight?
Five things decide it, and most tools only quote you the first: the Kp number. A real forecast also weighs your cloud cover, your exact dark window, the Bz direction of the solar wind, and the part almost everyone skips: how much activity your latitude actually needs. We weigh all five, calibrated to each location's magnetic latitude.
And we check the results against real skies. Our team has guided northern lights guests from all over the world at our resort near Whitehorse for 15 years, and this forecast is the one we use ourselves.
Geomagnetic activity
The Kp index (0–9) sizes the auroral oval. But the Kp you need depends on your magnetic latitude, which is why we calibrate every location individually instead of using a one-size map table.
Clear skies
Cloud is the number-one Aurora killer. Even a Kp 7 storm is invisible through overcast. We pull hourly cloud cover for your exact coordinates and fold it straight into the probability.
Darkness & moon
Aurora needs real darkness, not just an absence of sunlight. We calculate the actual twilight-angle boundaries for your exact date and place, astronomical twilight needs stronger activity to punch through, true night doesn't, and account for moonlight washing out fainter displays too.
Aurora probability, right now
Best places to see the Northern Lights
Twenty destinations, each calibrated to its own magnetic latitude. The lower the minimum Kp, the more reliably the Aurora appears.
How Aurora forecasting actually works
Solar wind
The sun throws charged particles at Earth. NOAA's SOLAR-1 spacecraft at the L1 point measures that wind ~1.5 million km out, giving 15–60 minutes of warning before it hits, the current source, since DSCOVR was retired on June 30, 2026.
The Bz flip
When the solar wind's magnetic field turns south (negative Bz), Earth's field opens and the Aurora ignites. It's the single best real-time signal, and the earliest. Most apps don't surface it. We do.
Magnetic latitude
The oval follows Earth's magnetic field, which doesn't match the map. Whitehorse is 60.7°N on paper but ~63°N magnetic, so it needs far less Kp than a map-based table claims. That gap is our whole edge.
The Kp index scale
What each Kp level means for visibility, measured in magnetic latitude rather than the latitude on your map.
Each bar reaches down to the magnetic latitude where the aurora sits on the horizon at that Kp. Anywhere at or north of that line can see it, given a dark and clear sky. Whitehorse is 60.7°N geographically but 63° magnetically, which is why it needs far less Kp than a map-based table claims.
Aurora questions, answered
Can I see the northern lights tonight?
It depends on four things at your exact location: geomagnetic activity, how dark the sky gets, cloud cover, and the moon. We combine all four into one probability for tonight and show which of them is holding the number down, so you know whether to wait for the sky to clear or to give up on the night.
What is the Kp index?
The Kp index is a 0 to 9 measure of global geomagnetic activity, and it sizes the auroral oval: the higher it goes, the further from the poles the aurora reaches. Kp 5 and above is a geomagnetic storm. On its own it does not tell you whether you will see anything, because what matters is the Kp you need where you are standing.
What Kp index do I need to see the aurora?
It depends on your magnetic latitude, not the latitude on your map. At about 67° magnetic the oval is overhead at Kp 0; at 55° magnetic you need a Kp 5 storm. The two latitudes can differ by several degrees, which is why we calibrate a required Kp for each destination individually instead of publishing one table for everyone.
Why does your Kp index differ from other aurora sites?
We show a live estimate, smoothed over the last fifteen one-minute readings. Most sites show NOAA's official Kp, which is published once every three hours. Ours moves sooner when conditions change, which is the point, but it will not always match the official figure for the block you are in.
What is Bz and why does it matter?
Bz is the north-south direction of the magnetic field carried by the solar wind. When it turns south (a negative value), Earth's field opens up and solar wind particles pour into the atmosphere. It is the earliest real-time signal that a display is coming, often ahead of any rise in Kp, and most consumer aurora apps do not show it.
Is the forecast free?
Tonight's forecast is free, for every location, with no account. Pro adds hour-by-hour timing, moon wash-out, solar flare early warning and calibrated push alerts, at $19.99/year or $34.99 lifetime.
Built by Aurora operators, not aggregators
Most forecast sites are anonymous affiliate pages. This one is run by the team behind Northern Lights Resort & Spa, a TripAdvisor Best-of-the-Best property near Whitehorse, Yukon, watching this sky across many seasons. That first-hand experience is why our calibration reflects what actually appears overhead, not just a textbook table.
Never miss a storm
Free gets you a push alert for one place you choose, anywhere on Earth, at a Kp threshold you set. Pro adds the alerts that know your sky: calibrated probability, Bz turning south, your clouds breaking, and an evening heads-up with tonight's peak hours before it even gets dark. No email, no account: alerts go straight to this device.