Aurora Borealis in Minnesota
United States · 44.98°, -93.32° · geomagnetic 53.6° · needs Kp 7
Tonight in Minnesota
1%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Minnesota needs Kp 7 to see anything at all, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 4.7. Short of the threshold, which is what most nights look like here.
Updated 2026-08-02 20:20 UTC
The next 30 nights in Minnesota
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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Minnesota
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, Minnesota 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.4 | 10.3 | 8.9 | 7.0 | 4.9 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 6.2 | 8.2 | 9.9 | 11.1 | 11.7 |
Solar declination and hour angle at −18°
Getting clear of the light
With 3,282,162 people around you, the sky over central Minnesota is Bortle 8. The glow hides anything but the brightest display, so the drive out matters more here than the forecast does.
- 58 km north — around Isanti → Bortle 5
- 86 km north-east — around Town of Milltown → 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 Minnesota. 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 Minnesota 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, 2,363 km north-north-west in Canada.
| Minnesota | Yellowknife | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 7 | 3 |
| Nights per year | 3.2 | 171.4 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 53.6° | 68.6° |
Confirmed reports from this area
173 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Minnesota 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 Minnesota
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 Minnesota.
- Glen Gale Park — park3.0 km north-north-east
- Scheids Park — park3.0 km north-west
- Rice Lake — lake3.2 km north-north-west
- Hall Island — island3.9 km east-north-east
- Boom Island — island4.1 km east-north-east
- Crystal Lake — lake5.4 km north
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 Minnesota you will find KMOJ-FM (Minneapolis), KQRS-AM (Golden Valley) and KQRS-FM (Golden Valley), and for a day when the cloud sits low, Minneapolis Air and Space Museum and Minneapolis Institute of Arts 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 Minnesota 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.
- Graves 601 Hotel Wyndham Grand 3.3 km from the centre
- Holiday Inn Metrodome 3.3 km from the centre
- Graves 601 Hotel 3.4 km from the centre
- The Hotel Minneapolis - A Doubletree Hotel 3.4 km from the centre
- TownePlace Suites Minneapolis Downtown by Marriott 3.5 km from the centre
- Twnpl Sts Msp Dwntn 3.5 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota
All 65 places in Minnesota with a forecast page, and the Kp each one needs.
- AndoverKp 7
- AnokaKp 7
- Apple ValleyKp 7
- BlaineKp 7
- BloomingtonKp 7
- Brooklyn CenterKp 7
- Brooklyn ParkKp 7
- BuffaloKp 7
- BurnsvilleKp 7
- ChamplinKp 7
- ChanhassenKp 7
- ChaskaKp 7
- Columbia HeightsKp 7
- Coon RapidsKp 7
- Cottage GroveKp 7
- CrystalKp 7
- DuluthKp 7
- EaganKp 7
- Eden PrairieKp 7
- EdinaKp 7
- Elk RiverKp 7
- FarmingtonKp 7
- Forest LakeKp 7
- FridleyKp 7
- Golden ValleyKp 7
- Ham LakeKp 7
- HastingsKp 7
- HibbingKp 7
- HopkinsKp 7
- Inver Grove HeightsKp 7
- LakevilleKp 7
- Lino LakesKp 7
- Maple GroveKp 7
- MaplewoodKp 7
- MinneapolisKp 7
- MinnetonkaKp 7
- Minnetonka MillsKp 7
- MoorheadKp 7
- New BrightonKp 7
- New HopeKp 7
- NorthfieldKp 7
- OakdaleKp 7
- OtsegoKp 7
- PlymouthKp 7
- Prior LakeKp 7
- RamseyKp 7
- Red WingKp 7
- RichfieldKp 7
- RosemountKp 7
- RosevilleKp 7
- Saint CloudKp 7
- Saint Louis ParkKp 7
- Saint MichaelKp 7
- Saint PaulKp 7
- SartellKp 7
- SavageKp 7
- ShakopeeKp 7
- ShoreviewKp 7
- South Saint PaulKp 7
- StillwaterKp 7
- West Coon RapidsKp 7
- West Saint PaulKp 7
- White Bear LakeKp 7
- WillmarKp 7
- WoodburyKp 7
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Minnesota forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Minnesota
Can you see the aurora borealis from Minnesota?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Minnesota 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 Minnesota?
Kp 7. Minnesota sits at geomagnetic latitude 53.6°, 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 Minnesota?
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 Minnesota?
The centre of Minnesota reads Bortle 8. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 86 km north-east around Town of Milltown. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Minnesota with reliable aurora borealis?
Yellowknife, Canada — 2,363 km north-north-west. It needs only Kp 3 and averages 171.4 viable nights a year against 3.2 in Minnesota.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Minnesota.