Aurora Borealis in Lapland
Finland · 66.03°, 24.81° · geomagnetic 63.3° · needs Kp 3
Tonight in Lapland
38%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Lapland needs Kp 3 before anything clears the northern horizon, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 5.7 — comfortably over the line.
Updated 2026-08-02 20:20 UTC
The next 30 nights in Lapland
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 38%. 4 of the seven reach the Kp 3 that Lapland needs, topping out at Kp 5.7. The 23 nights past the seven-day window move with the 27-day solar rotation and are updated daily in the app.
Nights 8–30 unlock in the Revon app
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Lapland
106.9 nights a year, averaged across 10.0 years of records
| Storm level | Nights / year |
|---|---|
| Kp 4 | 83.4 |
| Kp 5 | 28.7 |
| Kp 6 | 9.3 |
| Kp 7 | 3.2 |
| Kp 8 | 1.2 |
NOAA planetary Kp, 2016-04-02 to 2026-03-30
You are inside the auroral oval
Lapland sits far enough northern that quiet conditions are enough. What limits you here is cloud and moonlight, not geomagnetic activity.
Hours of true darkness, month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.4 | 10.0 | 6.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.4 | 9.0 | 11.8 | 13.1 |
Solar declination and hour angle at −18°
Nothing to see from April to August
Through those months the sun never falls more than 18° below the Lapland horizon, so the sky never darkens fully. Plan around the darker half of the year.
Getting clear of the light
The sky over Lapland reads Bortle 6. Getting clear of the built-up area makes a visible difference on a marginal night.
- 9 km east-south-east — around Tervola → Bortle 5
- 14 km west-south-west — around Tornio → Bortle 4
Falchi 2016 World Atlas (DOI: 10.5880/GFZ.1.4.2016.001)
The months that actually deliver
Counting only nights that were both stormy enough and dark enough, March, October and February came out ahead in Lapland. That is storm season and darkness overlapping — the equinoxes tend to be geomagnetically active, and the nights are already long by then.
Darkest nights of the coming year
A bright moon washes out a weak display as effectively as street lighting. These new moons fall inside the Lapland viewing season.
- 11 Sep 2026
- 11 Oct 2026
- 09 Nov 2026
- 09 Dec 2026
- 07 Jan 2027
- 06 Feb 2027
- 08 Mar 2027
Where it is close to a certainty
Rovaniemi is close enough to reach and return in a night — 66 km north-east — and needs only Kp 3.
| Lapland | Rovaniemi | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 3 | 3 |
| Nights per year | 106.9 | 171.4 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 63.3° | 63.6° |
Confirmed reports from this area
197 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Lapland between 2015-01-01 and 2016-12-31. Rare is not the same as impossible.
Aurorasaurus verified positive reports
Where the horizon opens up near Lapland
The display sits low on the northern horizon, so what beats a better forecast is open ground facing that way. Height gets you above the town glow; water gives you an unbroken skyline. These are within a short drive of Lapland.
- Ahosenvaara — hill3.1 km north-north-west
- Perävaara — hill3.2 km north-west
- Kaitaharju — ridge4.5 km north-north-east
- Kaissaari — island4.9 km north-north-west
- Revonlampi — lake5.4 km west-north-west
- Paakonniemi — headland7.8 km north
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
The last nights it was visible here
Nights in the last decade when the storm was strong enough for Lapland and the sky was dark enough to show it.
| Date | Peak |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-30 | Kp 3.0 |
| 2026-03-29 | Kp 3.33 |
| 2026-03-28 | Kp 3.67 |
| 2026-03-27 | Kp 3.33 |
| 2026-03-26 | Kp 3.0 |
NOAA planetary Kp
Aurora forecasts across Lapland
All 3 places in Lapland with a forecast page, and the Kp each one needs.
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Lapland forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Lapland
Can you see the aurora borealis from Lapland?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Lapland had about 106.9 nights a year when the storm was strong enough and the sky dark enough at the same time.
What Kp index do you need to see the aurora borealis in Lapland?
Kp 3. Lapland sits at geomagnetic latitude 63.3°, and the auroral oval only reaches that far from the pole once activity hits Kp 3.
When is the best time of year to see the aurora borealis in Lapland?
March, October and February. Those months scored highest once both conditions are counted together: geomagnetic activity and enough hours of real darkness. From April to August the sky over Lapland never gets fully dark, so nothing is visible however strong the storm.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Lapland?
The centre of Lapland reads Bortle 6. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 14 km west-south-west around Tornio. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Lapland with reliable aurora borealis?
Rovaniemi, Finland — 66 km north-east. It needs only Kp 3 and averages 171.4 viable nights a year against 106.9 in Lapland.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Lapland.
- 🇫🇮 Kemi - Finland34 km
- 🇫🇮 Tornio - Finland36 km
- 🇫🇮 Rovaniemi - Finland66 km
- 🇫🇮 Haukipudas - Finland98 km
- 🇫🇮 Oulu - Finland117 km
- 🇸🇪 Luleå - Sweden131 km
- 🇸🇪 Boden - Sweden143 km
- 🇫🇮 Raahe - Finland150 km