Aurora Borealis in Newfoundland and Labrador
Canada · 47.81°, -53.86° · geomagnetic 56.6° · needs Kp 7
Tonight in Newfoundland and Labrador
23%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Newfoundland and Labrador needs Kp 7 to see anything at all, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 5.0. Short of the threshold, which is what most nights look like here.
Get the full 30-night forecast in Revon
Updated 2026-09-08 10:35 UTC
How often the aurora borealis reaches Newfoundland and Labrador
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, Newfoundland and Labrador 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.5 | 10.3 | 8.8 | 6.6 | 4.0 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 5.6 | 8.0 | 9.9 | 11.2 | 11.8 |
Solar declination and hour angle at −18°
Getting clear of the light
With 192,382 people around you, the sky over central Newfoundland and Labrador is Bortle 2. The glow hides anything but the brightest display, so the drive out matters more here than the forecast does.
- 11 km south-east → Bortle 2
- 11 km south-east → Bortle 2
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 Newfoundland and Labrador. 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 Newfoundland and Labrador 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 Nuuk, 1,825 km north in Greenland.
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Nuuk | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 7 | 3 |
| Nights per year | 3.2 | 171.4 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 56.6° | 72.6° |
Where the horizon opens up near Newfoundland and Labrador
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 Newfoundland and Labrador.
- Net Point — headland3.2 km north-north-west
- Peas Cove Lookout — mountain3.6 km north-north-east
- Sandys Beach — beach3.8 km north-north-west
- Goose Cove Point — headland3.9 km north-west
- Jacks Lookout — mountain4.3 km east-north-east
- Big Hill — hill5.6 km north-north-west
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 Newfoundland and Labrador 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 Newfoundland and Labrador
All 5 places in Newfoundland and Labrador with a forecast page, and the Kp each one needs.
- Conception Bay SouthKp 7
- Corner BrookKp 7
- Mount PearlKp 7
- ParadiseKp 7
- St. John'sKp 7
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Newfoundland and Labrador forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Newfoundland and Labrador
Can you see the aurora borealis from Newfoundland and Labrador?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Newfoundland and Labrador 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 Newfoundland and Labrador?
Kp 7. Newfoundland and Labrador sits at geomagnetic latitude 56.6°, 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 Newfoundland and Labrador?
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 Newfoundland and Labrador?
The centre of Newfoundland and Labrador reads Bortle 2. The nearest sky at Bortle 2 is about 11 km south-east. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Newfoundland and Labrador with reliable aurora borealis?
Nuuk, Greenland — 1,825 km north. It needs only Kp 3 and averages 171.4 viable nights a year against 3.2 in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Newfoundland and Labrador.