Aurora Borealis in Elk River
United States · 45.30°, -93.57° · geomagnetic 53.9° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Elk River
1%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Elk River 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 Elk River
Aurora activity is measured by the Kp index. A Kp of 7 is considered the minimum for viewing aurora in Elk River.
Elk River is located at 53.9° geomagnetic latitude. This latitude is favorable for aurora viewing.
On average, there are 3.2 nights per year with sufficient aurora activity for viewing in Elk River. The record span for this data is from 2016 to 2026.
The best months for aurora viewing in Elk River are May, September, and August. These months offer a good overlap between dark skies and potential aurora activity.
Elk River experiences a Bortle 7 sky, indicating significant light pollution. Areas with darker skies, such as near Milaca Township (Bortle 4) 52 km north-north-west or Spencer Brook Township (Bortle 5) 22 km north-north-east, may offer better viewing.
Local terrain features include Highland East Park 3.0 km north-east, Big Tooth Ridge Park 3.1 km north-north-west, Twin Lakes 6.1 km east-north-east, Eagle Lake 6.3 km north-north-east, and Blue Hill 24.5 km north-north-west.
Consider areas like Highland East Park, located 3.0 km north-east of Elk River. Big Tooth Ridge Park is situated 3.1 km north-north-west.
Other locations include Twin Lakes, 6.1 km east-north-east, and Eagle Lake, 6.3 km north-north-east. Blue Hill, a mountain, is 24.5 km north-north-west of Elk River.
There have been 173 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Elk River between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016.
Historically, qualifying nights for aurora viewing in Elk River, based on Kp index, include March 20, 2026 (Kp 7.0), January 20, 2026 (Kp 7.67), January 19, 2026 (Kp 8.67), November 12, 2025 (Kp 7.33), and November 11, 2025 (Kp 8.67).
Sources: Revon analysis of NOAA planetary Kp · Revon location dataset · Falchi 2016 World Atlas of artificial night sky brightness · GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) · Aurorasaurus verified positive reports
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Forecasts for places within reach of Elk River.