Aurora Borealis in Fort McMurray

Canada · 56.73°, -111.38° · geomagnetic 63.4° · needs Kp 3

Tonight's aurora forecast for Fort McMurray

47%

Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Fort McMurray needs Kp 3 before anything clears the northern horizon, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 4.7 — comfortably over the line.

Tonight Mon 07 Sep
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Updated 2026-09-08 10:35 UTC

Local aurora guide for Fort McMurray

Fort McMurray is located at 63.4° geomagnetic latitude. Auroras are often visible when the planetary Kp index reaches 3.

With 132.4 viable nights per year, patient observers have a good chance of seeing an aurora.

The record span for these observations is from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026.

The best months for aurora viewing in Fort McMurray are March, September, and October.

During May, June, and July, there is no full darkness, which can impact viewing conditions.

Fort McMurray has a Bortle rating of 7, indicating significant light pollution.

Areas with darker skies, such as Bortle 4, can be found 23 km east near Wood Buffalo. Bortle 5 skies are available 8 km east-north-east.

The horizon is relatively open, with features like Grant Island to the north-north-west and Poplar Island to the north.

Grant Island is located 4.5 km north-north-west of Fort McMurray.

Poplar Island is situated 10.1 km north of the city.

Magnussen Lake lies 21.2 km to the north, while Supertest Hill is a notable landmark 22.7 km north-north-west.

There have been 13 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Fort McMurray between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016.

The data indicates 132.4 viable nights per year for aurora viewing.

Recent qualifying nights include March 30, 2026 (Kp 3.0), March 29, 2026 (Kp 3.33), and March 28, 2026 (Kp 3.67).

Sources: Revon location dataset · Revon analysis of NOAA planetary Kp · 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 Fort McMurray forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.

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Nearby towns

Forecasts for places within reach of Fort McMurray.