Aurora Borealis in Ireland
39 places with a forecast · Kp 7 · updated daily
Aurora borealis forecasts in Ireland
Every place in Ireland with a forecast page needs the same Kp 7 before the aurora borealis clears its northern horizon. What differs is how often that lines up with real darkness: Dublin averages 2.7 viable nights a year, Sligo 2.6.
So this page is a directory rather than a forecast. Each of the 39 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 Ireland
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 Ireland 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Dublin | Kp 7 | 2.7 |
| South Dublin | Kp 7 | 2.7 |
| Cork | Kp 7 | 2.7 |
| Limerick | Kp 7 | 2.7 |
| Galway | Kp 7 | 2.7 |
| Tallaght | Kp 7 | 2.7 |
| Waterford | Kp 7 | 2.7 |
| Swords | Kp 7 | 2.7 |
NOAA planetary Kp, 2016-04-02 to 2026-03-30
Every place in Ireland with a forecast
All 39 of them, grouped by region, with the Kp each one needs before the aurora borealis clears its northern horizon. Lower is better.
Leinster
- An Muileann gCearrKp 7
- AthloneKp 7
- BalbrigganKp 7
- BlanchardstownKp 7
- BrayKp 7
- CarlowKp 7
- CelbridgeKp 7
- DonaghmedeKp 7
- DroghedaKp 7
- Droichead NuaKp 7
- DublinKp 7
- DundalkKp 7
- Dún LaoghaireKp 7
- FinglasKp 7
- GreystonesKp 7
- KilkennyKp 7
- LeixlipKp 7
- LucanKp 7
- MalahideKp 7
- NaasKp 7
- NavanKp 7
- RathfarnhamKp 7
- SandyfordKp 7
- South DublinKp 7
- SwordsKp 7
- TallaghtKp 7
- WexfordKp 7
Munster
- BallincolligKp 7
- CarrigalineKp 7
- Cluain MealaKp 7
- CorkKp 7
- DouglasKp 7
- EnnisKp 7
- LimerickKp 7
- TraleeKp 7
- WaterfordKp 7
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 Ireland sits at Kp 7.
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the forecast for the exact spot you are standing in, anywhere in Ireland, and pushes an alert when tonight’s odds clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Ireland
Can you see the aurora borealis in Ireland?
Yes, in all 39 places in Ireland with a forecast page: each averages at least one viable night a year, and Dublin leads them at 2.7 nights.
Where in Ireland is the aurora borealis seen most often?
Dublin. It needs Kp 7 and averages 2.7 viable nights a year, more than anywhere else in Ireland 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 Ireland?
Kp 7, everywhere in Ireland 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 Ireland?
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.