Will you see the northern lights tonight?

1. 9.4/10Yellowknife🇨🇦18:0021:0000:0003:00Best around 21:00–24:00 tonight›
2. 7.7/10Rovaniemi🇫🇮18:0021:0000:0003:00Clouds are the problem›
3. 5.5/10Reykjavík🇮🇸18:0021:0000:0003:00Clouds are the problem›
4. 1.6/10Tromsø🇳🇴17:0020:0023:0002:00Clouds are the problem›
5. 1.2/10Fairbanks🇺🇸19:0022:0001:0004:00Clouds are the problem›

1. Mon 12 Oct: max Kp 4 (G0). Decent activity. Good displays under the auroral oval if skies cooperate.12
   OCT
2. Tue 13 Oct: max Kp 5 (G1). Storm watch: aurora likely stronger and further south. Re-check the 3-day forecast as this date nears.513
3. Wed 14 Oct: max Kp 3 (G0). Decent activity. Good displays under the auroral oval if skies cooperate.14
4. Thu 15 Oct: max Kp 3 (G0). Decent activity. Good displays under the auroral oval if skies cooperate.15
5. Fri 16 Oct: max Kp 2 (G0). Quiet sun. Arctic destinations under the oval can still deliver.16
6. Sat 17 Oct: max Kp 2 (G0). Quiet sun. Arctic destinations under the oval can still deliver.17
7. Sun 18 Oct: max Kp 2 (G0). Quiet sun. Arctic destinations under the oval can still deliver.18
8. Mon 19 Oct: max Kp 2 (G0). Quiet sun. Arctic destinations under the oval can still deliver.19
9. Tue 20 Oct: max Kp 2 (G0). Quiet sun. Arctic destinations under the oval can still deliver.20
10. Wed 21 Oct: max Kp 3 (G0). Decent activity. Good displays under the auroral oval if skies cooperate.21
11. Thu 22 Oct: max Kp 4 (G0). Decent activity. Good displays under the auroral oval if skies cooperate.22
12. Fri 23 Oct: max Kp 4 (G0). Decent activity. Good displays under the auroral oval if skies cooperate.23
13. Sat 24 Oct: max Kp 3 (G0). Decent activity. Good displays under the auroral oval if skies cooperate.24
14. Sun 25 Oct: max Kp 2 (G0). Quiet sun. Arctic destinations under the oval can still deliver.25
15. Mon 26 Oct: max Kp 2 (G0). Quiet sun. Arctic destinations under the oval can still deliver.26
16. Tue 27 Oct: max Kp 2 (G0). Quiet sun. Arctic destinations under the oval can still deliver.27
17. Wed 28 Oct: max Kp 2 (G0). Quiet sun. Arctic destinations under the oval can still deliver.28
18. Thu 29 Oct: max Kp 2 (G0). Quiet sun. Arctic destinations under the oval can still deliver.29
19. Fri 30 Oct: max Kp 2 (G0). Quiet sun. Arctic destinations under the oval can still deliver.30
20. Sat 31 Oct: max Kp 5 (G1). Storm watch: aurora likely stronger and further south. Re-check the 3-day forecast as this date nears.531
21. Sun 1 Nov: max Kp 5 (G1). Storm watch: aurora likely stronger and further south. Re-check the 3-day forecast as this date nears.51
    NOV
22. Mon 2 Nov: max Kp 3 (G0). Decent activity. Good displays under the auroral oval if skies cooperate.2
23. Tue 3 Nov: max Kp 2 (G0). Quiet sun. Arctic destinations under the oval can still deliver.3
24. Wed 4 Nov: max Kp 2 (G0). Quiet sun. Arctic destinations under the oval can still deliver.4
25. Thu 5 Nov: max Kp 2 (G0). Quiet sun. Arctic destinations under the oval can still deliver.5
26. Fri 6 Nov: max Kp 3 (G0). Decent activity. Good displays under the auroral oval if skies cooperate.6
27. Sat 7 Nov: max Kp 3 (G0). Decent activity. Good displays under the auroral oval if skies cooperate.7

What actually ruins most aurora trips?

Clouds, not quiet solar activity. A strong display above an overcast sky is worth nothing, which is why the score here multiplies cloud cover into the verdict and names it plainly when it is the problem. If you remember one thing: plan around the cloud forecast, chase gaps, and give yourself several nights.

What Kp index do I need to see the northern lights?

It depends entirely on where you stand. Yellowknife sits almost under the auroral oval and often needs only Kp 0-1; Tromsø typically needs Kp 1; Reykjavík more like Kp 2. That is why this site scores each destination against its own threshold instead of quoting one global number. A "low" Kp night can still be a great night in the right place.

Is this a good year to go?

Yes. The current solar cycle peaked recently and the declining phase that follows historically produces some of the strongest storms, with elevated activity typically lasting a few years past maximum. Within any year, the weeks around the equinoxes (March and September) run geomagnetically hottest; the records behind our monthly odds show it clearly.