Aurora Borealis in South Dakota
United States · 44.34°, -98.39° · geomagnetic 52.6° · needs Kp 7
Tonight in South Dakota
1%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. South Dakota 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 South Dakota
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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches South Dakota
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, South Dakota 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 | 9.0 | 7.1 | 5.0 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 6.3 | 8.3 | 9.9 | 11.1 | 11.6 |
Solar declination and hour angle at −18°
Getting clear of the light
With 334,614 people around you, the sky over central South Dakota is Bortle 4. The glow hides anything but the brightest display, so the drive out matters more here than the forecast does.
- 13 km south-west — around Kellogg Township → Bortle 4
- 13 km south-west — around Kellogg 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, May, September and August came out ahead in South Dakota. 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 South Dakota 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, 2,262 km north-north-west in Canada.
| South Dakota | Yellowknife | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 7 | 3 |
| Nights per year | 3.2 | 171.4 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 52.6° | 68.6° |
Confirmed reports from this area
23 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of South Dakota 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 South Dakota
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 South Dakota.
- Beadle County Waterfowl Production Area — park4.3 km north-north-east
- Schwartz Slough — lake5.8 km east-north-east
- Norwegian Slough State Public Shooting Area — park8.9 km west-north-west
- Fox Lake — lake25.8 km north-north-west
- Wessington Hills — mountain32.4 km west
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 South Dakota you will find KIJV-AM (Huron), KURO-FM (Huron) and KOKK-AM (Huron).
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 South Dakota 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.
- Comfort Inn Huron 14.2 km from the centre
- Quality Inn 14.2 km from the centre
- Super 8 Huron Sd 14.3 km from the centre
- Best Western Of Huron 14.3 km from the centre
- Super 8 Motel - Huron 14.3 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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota
All 2 places in South Dakota with a forecast page, and the Kp each one needs.
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the South Dakota forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in South Dakota
Can you see the aurora borealis from South Dakota?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, South Dakota 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 South Dakota?
Kp 7. South Dakota sits at geomagnetic latitude 52.6°, 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 South Dakota?
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 South Dakota?
The centre of South Dakota reads Bortle 4. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 13 km south-west around Kellogg Township. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to South Dakota with reliable aurora borealis?
Yellowknife, Canada — 2,262 km north-north-west. It needs only Kp 3 and averages 171.4 viable nights a year against 3.2 in South Dakota.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of South Dakota.