Aurora Borealis in Ontario
Canada · 43.91°, -79.58° · geomagnetic 53.2° · needs Kp 5
Tonight in Ontario
1%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Ontario needs Kp 5, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 5.1. That is on the threshold rather than over it, so cloud and moonlight will decide the night.
Updated 2026-08-02 20:20 UTC
The next 30 nights in Ontario
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 1%. One of the seven reaches the Kp 5 that Ontario needs: Sunday 2 Aug, at Kp 5.1. 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
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches Ontario
28.7 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
Worth watching through the dark half of the year
Kp 5 is a moderate storm — not an everyday event, but common enough that a patient observer in Ontario sees the aurora borealis most winters.
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 | 7.1 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 6.3 | 8.3 | 9.9 | 11.1 | 11.6 |
Solar declination and hour angle at −18°
Getting clear of the light
With 14,705,470 people around you, the sky over central Ontario is Bortle 7. The glow hides anything but the brightest display, so the drive out matters more here than the forecast does.
- 38 km north — around Georgina → Bortle 5
- 71 km north-north-east — around Ramara 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, September, March and May came out ahead in Ontario. 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 Ontario 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, 2,849 km north-north-east in Greenland.
| Ontario | Nuuk | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 5 | 3 |
| Nights per year | 28.7 | 171.4 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 53.2° | 72.6° |
Confirmed reports from this area
63 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of Ontario 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 Ontario
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 Ontario.
- Hackett Lake — lake3.7 km north
- Kelly Lake — lake4.9 km north-north-west
- Recreation Island — island6.8 km north-east
- Heise Hill — hill16.2 km east
- Mount Wolfe — mountain17.2 km west-north-west
- Rich Hill — hill17.7 km west-north-west
Places from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where to stay
Staying central in Ontario 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.
- The Kingbridge Centre 2.4 km from the centre
- Oak Inn 10.9 km from the centre
- Howard Johnson Toronto Aurora 13.8 km from the centre
- Leila 10.3 km from the centre
- Novotel Toronto Vaughan Centre Standard 10.6 km from the centre
- A Loft Vaughan Mills Standard 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 Ontario and the sky was dark enough to show it.
| Date | Peak |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-24 | Kp 5.0 |
| 2026-03-23 | Kp 5.0 |
| 2026-03-22 | Kp 6.67 |
| 2026-03-21 | Kp 6.0 |
| 2026-03-20 | Kp 7.0 |
NOAA planetary Kp
Aurora forecasts across Ontario
All 92 places in Ontario with a forecast page, and the Kp each one needs.
- Agincourt NorthKp 7
- Agincourt South-Malvern WestKp 7
- AjaxKp 7
- AllistonKp 7
- AuroraKp 7
- Banbury-Don MillsKp 7
- BarrieKp 7
- Bathurst ManorKp 7
- Bayview VillageKp 7
- Bedford Park-NortownKp 7
- BellevilleKp 7
- BendaleKp 7
- Black CreekKp 7
- BowmanvilleKp 7
- BracebridgeKp 7
- BrockvilleKp 7
- CaledonKp 7
- Clanton ParkKp 7
- Clarence-RocklandKp 7
- CobourgKp 7
- CollingwoodKp 7
- CornwallKp 7
- Don Valley VillageKp 7
- Dorset ParkKp 7
- Downsview-Roding-CFBKp 7
- East GwillimburyKp 7
- Eglinton EastKp 7
- FallingbrookKp 7
- Glenfield-Jane HeightsKp 7
- Greater NapaneeKp 7
- Greater SudburyKp 7
- Henry FarmKp 7
- Hillcrest VillageKp 7
- HumbermedeKp 7
- HuntsvilleKp 7
- InnisfilKp 7
- KanataKp 7
- KenoraKp 5
- KeswickKp 7
- KingstonKp 7
- L'AmoreauxKp 7
- Lansing-WestgateKp 7
- LindsayKp 7
- MalvernKp 7
- MarkhamKp 7
- MidlandKp 7
- MillikenKp 7
- MorningsideKp 7
- Mount Olive-Silverstone-JamestownKp 7
- NepeanKp 7
- NewmarketKp 7
- Newtonbrook EastKp 7
- Newtonbrook WestKp 7
- North BayKp 7
- OrangevilleKp 7
- OrilliaKp 7
- OshawaKp 7
- OttawaKp 7
- Owen SoundKp 7
- Parkwoods-DonaldaKp 7
- PetawawaKp 7
- PeterboroughKp 7
- PickeringKp 7
- Pleasant ViewKp 7
- Prince EdwardKp 7
- Quinte WestKp 7
- Richmond HillKp 7
- RougeKp 7
- Sault Ste. MarieKp 7
- Scarborough VillageKp 7
- St. Andrew-WindfieldsKp 7
- SteelesKp 7
- StouffvilleKp 7
- Tam O'Shanter-SullivanKp 7
- Thunder BayKp 7
- TimminsKp 7
- UxbridgeKp 7
- Valley EastKp 7
- VanierKp 7
- VaughanKp 7
- Victoria VillageKp 7
- Wasaga BeachKp 7
- West HillKp 7
- Westminster-BransonKp 7
- Wexford/MaryvaleKp 7
- WhitbyKp 7
- Whitchurch-StouffvilleKp 7
- WillowdaleKp 7
- Willowdale EastKp 7
- Willowdale WestKp 7
- WoburnKp 7
- York University HeightsKp 7
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the Ontario forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in Ontario
Can you see the aurora borealis from Ontario?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, Ontario had about 28.7 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 Ontario?
Kp 5. Ontario sits at geomagnetic latitude 53.2°, and the auroral oval only reaches that far from the pole once activity hits Kp 5. Storms that size occur about 28.7 nights a year.
When is the best time of year to see the aurora borealis in Ontario?
September, March and May. 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 Ontario?
The centre of Ontario reads Bortle 7. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 71 km north-north-east around Ramara Township. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to Ontario with reliable aurora borealis?
Nuuk, Greenland — 2,849 km north-north-east. It needs only Kp 3 and averages 171.4 viable nights a year against 28.7 in Ontario.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Ontario.