Aurora Borealis in Iceland
6 places with a forecast · Kp 3 · updated daily
Aurora borealis forecasts in Iceland
Every place in Iceland with a forecast page needs the same Kp 3 before the aurora borealis clears its northern horizon. What differs is how often that lines up with real darkness: Reykjavík averages 113.3 viable nights a year, Akureyri 108.1.
So this page is a directory rather than a forecast. Each of the 6 places below has its own page with tonight’s hourly odds, the next 30 nights, and the drive to darker sky that matters more than the forecast does.
Where the aurora borealis is visible on the most nights in Iceland
Counting only nights when the storm was strong enough for that location and the sky there was dark enough at the same time. That is why the far north of Iceland does not automatically top the list: the closer a place is to the pole, the more of its summer never gets dark at all.
| Place | Kp needed | Nights / year |
|---|---|---|
| Reykjavík | Kp 3 | 113.3 |
| Kópavogur | Kp 3 | 113.3 |
| Hafnarfjörður | Kp 3 | 113.3 |
| Reykjanesbær | Kp 3 | 113.3 |
| Keflavík | Kp 3 | 113.3 |
| Akureyri | Kp 3 | 108.1 |
NOAA planetary Kp, 2016-04-02 to 2026-03-30
Every place in Iceland with a forecast
All 6 of them, grouped by region, with the Kp each one needs before the aurora borealis clears its northern horizon. Lower is better.
Capital Region
- HafnarfjörðurKp 3
- KópavogurKp 3
- ReykjavíkKp 3
What the Kp number means
Kp grades the strength of a geomagnetic storm from 0 to 9. The higher it runs, the further from the pole the auroral oval spreads, so every place has a Kp at which the aurora borealis first reaches it — that is the number beside each link above. Everywhere we forecast in Iceland sits at Kp 3.
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the forecast for the exact spot you are standing in, anywhere in Iceland, and pushes an alert when tonight’s odds clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Iceland
Can you see the aurora borealis in Iceland?
Yes, in all 6 places in Iceland with a forecast page: each averages at least one viable night a year, and Reykjavík leads them at 113.3 nights.
Where in Iceland is the aurora borealis seen most often?
Reykjavík. It needs Kp 3 and averages 113.3 viable nights a year, more than anywhere else in Iceland we publish a forecast for. Further north is not automatically better: the closer a place is to the pole, the more of its summer never gets dark at all.
What Kp index do you need to see the aurora borealis in Iceland?
Kp 3, everywhere in Iceland we publish a forecast for. The country is narrow enough in geomagnetic latitude that the threshold does not change across it.
Is there one aurora borealis forecast for the whole of Iceland?
No. What you can see depends on the sky above the spot you are standing in — how dark the night gets there, the cloud and the moon — not on a national average. The forecast is published per place, so open the page for where you will actually be.