Aurora Borealis in Minot
United States · 48.23°, -101.30° · geomagnetic 56.2° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Minot
10%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Minot 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.
Get the full 30-night forecast in Revon
Updated 2026-09-08 10:36 UTC
Local aurora guide for Minot
Minot is located at 56.2° geomagnetic latitude. Auroras visible at this latitude require a Kp 7 or higher.
Based on historical data, there are approximately 3.2 nights per year where conditions might be favorable for aurora viewing in Minot.
The best months for aurora viewing in Minot are May, August, and September. These months offer a good balance of darkness and potential aurora activity.
Minot has a Bortle scale rating of 5, indicating moderate light pollution. Areas with darker skies, such as near McHenry County (Bortle 3), are located to the east.
The terrain around Minot includes parks, lakes, and hills. Dakota Bark Park is 3.1 km west, Den Lake is 8.4 km west-south-west, and Twin Buttes are 18.2 km south-west.
Dakota Bark Park is a park located 3.1 km west of Minot. Den Lake is a lake situated 8.4 km west-south-west of Minot.
Twin Buttes, a mountain area, is 18.2 km south-west of Minot. Skinner Hill, another mountain, is 22.8 km south-east of Minot.
Mork Lake is a lake located 23.6 km west-south-west of Minot.
Between 2016 and 2026, there were 3.2 nights per year with conditions suitable for aurora viewing in Minot.
Notable qualifying nights in recent history include March 20, 2026 (Kp 7.0), January 20, 2026 (Kp 7.67), and January 19, 2026 (Kp 8.67).
Sources: Revon analysis of NOAA planetary Kp · Falchi 2016 World Atlas of artificial night sky brightness · GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
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Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Minot.