Aurora Borealis in Michigan
United States · 42.68°, -83.94° · geomagnetic 51.8° · needs Kp 7
Tonight in Michigan
1%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Michigan needs Kp 7 to see anything at all, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 5.1. Short of the threshold, which is what most nights look like here.
Updated 2026-08-02 20:20 UTC
The next 30 nights in Michigan
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 1%. Not one of the seven reaches the Kp 7 that Michigan needs, which is normal rather than unlucky — it averages 3.2 viable nights a year. 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
See all 30 nights for Michigan
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Michigan
3.2 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
Wait for an alert; do not book a week
At Kp 7, Michigan needs a severe geomagnetic storm before anything shows above the northern horizon. Storms that size arrive a handful of times per solar cycle and announce themselves a day or two ahead. Watching for one beats picking dates and hoping.
Hours of true darkness, month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.3 | 10.3 | 9.0 | 7.3 | 5.4 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 6.5 | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.1 | 11.5 |
Solar declination and hour angle at −18°
Getting clear of the light
With 4,344,725 people around you, the sky over central Michigan is Bortle 7. The glow hides anything but the brightest display, so the drive out matters more here than the forecast does.
- 43 km north-west — around Owosso Charter Township → Bortle 5
- 98 km north-north-east — around Fairgrove Township → 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, May, September and August came out ahead in Michigan. 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 Michigan viewing season.
- 13 Aug 2026
- 11 Sep 2026
- 11 Oct 2026
- 09 Nov 2026
- 09 Dec 2026
- 07 Jan 2027
- 06 Feb 2027
Where it is close to a certainty
If you would rather plan a trip than wait for a storm, the nearest place with genuinely frequent aurora is Yellowknife, 2,957 km north-north-west in Canada.
| Michigan | Yellowknife | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 7 | 3 |
| Nights per year | 3.2 | 171.4 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 51.8° | 68.6° |
Confirmed reports from this area
68 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Michigan 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 Michigan
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 Michigan.
- Cook Lake — lake5.0 km west
- Lake Cohoctah — lake5.2 km west-north-west
- Oak Grove State Game Area — park7.3 km north-north-east
- Tom Walker's Grist Mill Historical Marker — park13.2 km east
- Stage Island — island14.7 km north-east
- Blue Gill Island — island14.9 km north-east
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
What to do with the daylight
Aurora watching is a night job, and in winter that leaves a short, bright day to fill. Close to Michigan you will find WHMI-FM (Howell), WHMI-AM (Howell) and WACY-AM (Fenton), and for a day when the cloud sits low, Howell Depot Museum and Livingston Centre Historical Museum are indoors and near by.
Keep the daylight loose: the sky decides the evening, and the forecast can turn within a few hours.
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where to stay
Staying central in Michigan is fine for everything except the aurora itself — you will still need to drive out. If seeing it matters more than convenience, base yourself on the edge of town facing your dark spot.
- Baymont Inn And Suites Howell/Brighton 7.7 km from the centre
- Amerihost Suites Howell Mi 8.0 km from the centre
- Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Howell 8.0 km from the centre
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites H 8.0 km from the centre
- Kensington Inn 9.7 km from the centre
- Best Western Of Howell 10.6 km from the centre
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — confirm before booking
The last nights it was visible here
Nights in the last decade when the storm was strong enough for Michigan and the sky was dark enough to show it.
| Date | Peak |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-20 | Kp 7.0 |
| 2026-01-20 | Kp 7.67 |
| 2026-01-19 | Kp 8.67 |
| 2025-11-12 | Kp 7.33 |
| 2025-11-11 | Kp 8.67 |
NOAA planetary Kp
Aurora forecasts across Michigan
All 2 places in Michigan with a forecast page, and the Kp each one needs.
- MarquetteKp 7
- Traverse CityKp 7
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Michigan forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Michigan
Can you see the aurora borealis from Michigan?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Michigan had about 3.2 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 Michigan?
Kp 7. Michigan sits at geomagnetic latitude 51.8°, and the auroral oval only reaches that far from the pole once activity hits Kp 7. Storms that size occur about 3.2 nights a year.
When is the best time of year to see the aurora borealis in Michigan?
May, September and August. Those months scored highest once both conditions are counted together: geomagnetic activity and enough hours of real darkness.
Where can you escape the light pollution near Michigan?
The centre of Michigan reads Bortle 7. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 98 km north-north-east around Fairgrove Township. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Michigan with reliable aurora borealis?
Yellowknife, Canada — 2,957 km north-north-west. It needs only Kp 3 and averages 171.4 viable nights a year against 3.2 in Michigan.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Michigan.