Northern Lights Tonight
Tonight (19–20 Oct) the highest predicted Kp is 1.3 — unlikely beyond the far north. In the UK: Shetland and Orkney on a very dark night at most. In the US: Alaska and the far north of Minnesota, Michigan and Maine (Kp 2.3).
1.3
Kp now (01:00 BST)
1.3
Night of Mon 19 Oct · max Kp
4.7
Night of Tue 20 Oct · max Kp
3.3
Night of Wed 21 Oct · max Kp
How far south at each Kp — a rough guide
| Kp | UK and Ireland | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 | Shetland and Orkney on a very dark night at most | Alaska and the far north of Minnesota, Michigan and Maine |
| 4 | Northern Scotland on a dark, clear night | Northern Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana and Maine |
| 5 | Scotland, and possibly the north of England and Northern Ireland | Northern states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Montana and Washington |
| 6 | Northern England, Northern Ireland and north Wales | Down to New York, Iowa and Oregon |
| 7 | Much of the UK, including the Midlands, on the northern horizon | Down to Illinois, Pennsylvania and Colorado |
| 8–9 | The whole of the UK and Ireland | Much of the US, as far south as Alabama and northern California |
Approximate, from NOAA's Kp maps. A phone camera often shows aurora the eye cannot.
Best chance of seeing it
- Dark and clear: away from street lights, with a clear view of the northern horizon. Cloud ends the show whatever the Kp.
- Around midnight: the hours either side of local midnight are usually best.
- Give your eyes 20 minutes to adjust, and try a phone's night mode.
- Forecasts shift: the timing of a solar storm's arrival can be off by hours. Check again in the evening.
What this page shows, and what it misses
The Kp index from NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center: observed values and the 3-day forecast, in 3-hour blocks. "Tonight" means 18:00 to 06:00 UK time for the UK answer and US Central time for the US answer. Kp is a global average; the aurora can surprise in both directions. Strong solar storms are also recorded in our space weather tracker.