Aurora Borealis in Cottage Grove
United States · 44.83°, -92.94° · geomagnetic 53.5° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Cottage Grove
1%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Cottage Grove needs Kp 7 to see anything at all, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 4.7. Short of the threshold, which is what most nights look like here.
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Updated 2026-09-08 10:36 UTC
Local aurora guide for Cottage Grove
Cottage Grove is located at 53.5° geomagnetic latitude. Auroras are typically visible at this latitude when the planetary geomagnetic activity reaches Kp 7.
On average, there are about 3.2 nights per year when conditions are suitable for aurora viewing in Cottage Grove. This is based on historical data spanning from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026.
The best months for aurora viewing in Cottage Grove are May, August, and September. These months offer a good balance of darkness and potential aurora activity.
Cottage Grove experiences a Bortle 7 sky, indicating significant light pollution. However, darker skies with Bortle 4 conditions can be found approximately 66 km east-southeast near the Town of Stockholm, Wisconsin.
Darker skies with Bortle 5 conditions are available about 36 km east-southeast near the Town of Trimbelle, Wisconsin.
Local areas such as Lincoln Park, Abdelia Park, Gables Lake, Bailey Lake, and Simley Island are situated within a few kilometers of Cottage Grove.
Nearby natural features and parks include Lincoln Park, located 3.2 km west-northwest of Cottage Grove. Abdelia Park is also situated 3.3 km west-northwest.
Further afield, Gables Lake is 5.0 km north-east, and Bailey Lake is 6.5 km north-north-east. Simley Island is located 7.7 km west of Cottage Grove.
Between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016, there were 177 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Cottage Grove.
Notable recent qualifying nights with high geomagnetic activity (Kp 7.0 or higher) include March 20, 2026, January 20, 2026, January 19, 2026, November 12, 2025, and November 11, 2025.
Sources: Revon analysis of NOAA planetary Kp · Falchi 2016 World Atlas of artificial night sky brightness · GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) · Aurorasaurus verified positive reports
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Cottage Grove forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Cottage Grove.