Aurora Borealis in North Cowichan
Canada · 48.84°, -123.69° · geomagnetic 54.1° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for North Cowichan
1%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. North Cowichan 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 10:35 UTC
Local aurora guide for North Cowichan
Auroras are typically visible in North Cowichan when the geomagnetic activity reaches Kp 7 or higher. Your location in British Columbia, Canada, is at a geomagnetic latitude of 54.1°.
On average, there are about 3.1 nights per year in this region where conditions are suitable for aurora viewing. These opportunities have been recorded between April 2, 2016, and March 30, 2026.
The best months for aurora viewing in North Cowichan are May, September, and August. During these months, the nights are typically dark enough to observe the aurora.
June is the only month where there is no full darkness. This means that during June, the sky does not get completely dark, which can impact aurora visibility.
North Cowichan experiences a Bortle scale rating of 6, indicating significant light pollution. However, areas with darker skies can be found nearby.
A Bortle 4 sky is located 25 km west-south-west near Area F (Cowichan Lake South / Skutz Falls). Additionally, a Bortle 5 sky is situated 17 km south-east near Salt Spring Island Electoral Area.
The horizon in North Cowichan is relatively clear, with notable features including Eves Park to the north-north-west, Little Sicker Mountain to the west-north-west, Osborn Bay to the north-east, Sherard Point to the east-north-east, and Big Sicker Mountain to the west-north-west.
In the vicinity of North Cowichan, Eves Park is situated 3.0 km to the north-north-west. Little Sicker Mountain, a mountain, is located 3.8 km west-north-west.
Osborn Bay lies 4.6 km north-east of North Cowichan. Sherard Point, a headland, is found 5.3 km east-north-east.
Big Sicker Mountain, another mountain, is approximately 5.8 km west-north-west of North Cowichan.
Between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016, there were 53 verified aurora reports within a 300 km radius of North Cowichan. The period of record for viable aurora nights spans from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026.
Notable qualifying nights with high geomagnetic activity (Kp 7.0 or greater) include March 20, 2026 (Kp 7.0), January 20, 2026 (Kp 7.67), January 19, 2026 (Kp 8.67), November 12, 2025 (Kp 7.33), and November 11, 2025 (Kp 8.67).
Sources: Revon location dataset · Revon analysis of NOAA planetary Kp · Solar declination and hour-angle calculation · Falchi 2016 World Atlas of artificial night sky brightness · GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) · Aurorasaurus verified positive reports
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the North Cowichan forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
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