Aurora Borealis in Traverse City
United States · 44.76°, -85.62° · geomagnetic 53.8° · needs Kp 7
Tonight's aurora forecast for Traverse City
2%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. Traverse City 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 10:36 UTC
Local aurora guide for Traverse City
Traverse City is located at 53.8° geomagnetic latitude. Auroras visible at this latitude typically require a Kp of 7 or higher.
On average, there are 3.2 nights per year in Traverse City where conditions are suitable for aurora viewing.
The historical record for aurora viewing in this region spans from April 2, 2016, to March 30, 2026.
The best months for aurora viewing in Traverse City are May, September, and August.
These months align with periods of darker skies, increasing the potential for aurora visibility.
Traverse City has a Bortle rating of 4, indicating a dark sky location.
Areas with similar dark sky conditions, such as near Acme Township, are located about 10 km east.
Notable features with clear horizons include Highland Park, Indian Woods Park, Hickory Hill, Carpenter Hill, and Cedar Lake.
Highland Park, a park located 3.2 km east-north-east of Traverse City, offers a potential viewing location.
Indian Woods Park, also a park, is situated 3.2 km east of Traverse City.
For elevated views, Hickory Hill and Carpenter Hill are mountains located west-north-west and north-east of Traverse City, respectively. Cedar Lake, a lake 5.0 km north-north-west of Traverse City, may also provide viewing opportunities.
There have been 68 verified aurora reports within 300 km of Traverse City between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2016.
The historical record indicates an average of 3.2 potentially viable aurora nights per year.
Notable qualifying nights in the historical record 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 · 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 Traverse City forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of Traverse City.