Aurora Borealis in Courtenay
Canada · 49.69°, -124.99° · geomagnetic 54.8° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Courtenay
2%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Courtenay 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.
Get the full 30-night forecast in Revon
Updated 2026-09-08 10:35 UTC
Local aurora guide for Courtenay
Courtenay is located at 54.8° geomagnetic latitude. Auroras are typically visible at this latitude when the planetary geomagnetic activity reaches Kp 7.
On average, there are about 3.1 nights per year in Courtenay where conditions are suitable for aurora viewing.
The historical record spans from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026.
The best months for aurora viewing in Courtenay are May, September, and August.
June is the only month with no full darkness, meaning twilight conditions may persist throughout the night.
Courtenay has a Bortle scale rating of 2, indicating exceptionally dark skies.
Areas 7 km north near Area B (Lazo North) also have a Bortle 2 rating.
Notable locations with clear horizons include Little River Beach, Kin Beach Provincial Park, Little River Bay, Kye Bay, and Cape Lazo.
Little River Beach, located 7.7 km north-east of Courtenay, offers beach access with a clear horizon.
Kin Beach Provincial Park, situated 8.2 km north-east of Courtenay, is a park area with open views.
Little River Bay, 8.4 km north-east of Courtenay, provides bay access with unobstructed sightlines. Kye Bay is 9.2 km east-north-east, and Cape Lazo is 9.7 km east.
There have been 27 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Courtenay between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016.
Notable qualifying nights with high geomagnetic activity include March 20, 2026 (Kp 7.0), January 20, 2026 (Kp 7.67), and January 19, 2026 (Kp 8.67).
Additional qualifying nights occurred on November 12, 2025 (Kp 7.33) and November 11, 2025 (Kp 8.67).
Sources: Revon analysis of NOAA planetary Kp · Revon location dataset · Solar declination and hour-angle calculation · 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 Courtenay 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 Courtenay.