Aurora Borealis in the United States
167 places with a forecast · Kp 3 to 7 · updated daily
Aurora borealis forecasts in the United States
There is no single aurora borealis forecast for the United States, and any number offered as one would be wrong almost everywhere in it. The auroral oval reaches part of the country on a quiet night and the rest of it only during a storm: Fairbanks needs Kp 3, while Seattle needs Kp 7 — a storm level that arrives a fraction as often.
So this page is a directory rather than a forecast. Each of the 167 places below has its own page with tonight’s hourly odds, the next 30 nights, and the drive to darker sky that matters more than the forecast does.
Where the aurora borealis is visible on the most nights in the United States
Counting only nights when the storm was strong enough for that location and the sky there was dark enough at the same time. That is why the far north of the United States does not automatically top the list: the closer a place is to the pole, the more of its summer never gets dark at all.
| Place | Kp needed | Nights / year |
|---|---|---|
| Fairbanks | Kp 3 | 110.6 |
| Badger | Kp 3 | 110.6 |
| Juneau | Kp 5 | 21.7 |
| Anchorage | Kp 5 | 20.1 |
| Eagle River | Kp 5 | 20.1 |
| Seattle | Kp 7 | 3.2 |
| Minneapolis | Kp 7 | 3.2 |
| Saint Paul | Kp 7 | 3.2 |
NOAA planetary Kp, 2016-04-02 to 2026-03-30
Every place in the United States with a forecast
All 167 of them, grouped by region, with the Kp each one needs before the aurora borealis clears its northern horizon. Lower is better.
Idaho
- Coeur d'AleneKp 7
- Post FallsKp 7
Michigan
- MarquetteKp 7
- Traverse CityKp 7
Minnesota
- AndoverKp 7
- AnokaKp 7
- Apple ValleyKp 7
- BlaineKp 7
- BloomingtonKp 7
- Brooklyn CenterKp 7
- Brooklyn ParkKp 7
- BuffaloKp 7
- BurnsvilleKp 7
- ChamplinKp 7
- ChanhassenKp 7
- ChaskaKp 7
- Columbia HeightsKp 7
- Coon RapidsKp 7
- Cottage GroveKp 7
- CrystalKp 7
- DuluthKp 7
- EaganKp 7
- Eden PrairieKp 7
- EdinaKp 7
- Elk RiverKp 7
- FarmingtonKp 7
- Forest LakeKp 7
- FridleyKp 7
- Golden ValleyKp 7
- Ham LakeKp 7
- HastingsKp 7
- HibbingKp 7
- HopkinsKp 7
- Inver Grove HeightsKp 7
- LakevilleKp 7
- Lino LakesKp 7
- Maple GroveKp 7
- MaplewoodKp 7
- MinneapolisKp 7
- MinnetonkaKp 7
- Minnetonka MillsKp 7
- MoorheadKp 7
- New BrightonKp 7
- New HopeKp 7
- NorthfieldKp 7
- OakdaleKp 7
- OtsegoKp 7
- PlymouthKp 7
- Prior LakeKp 7
- RamseyKp 7
- Red WingKp 7
- RichfieldKp 7
- RosemountKp 7
- RosevilleKp 7
- Saint CloudKp 7
- Saint Louis ParkKp 7
- Saint MichaelKp 7
- Saint PaulKp 7
- SartellKp 7
- SavageKp 7
- ShakopeeKp 7
- ShoreviewKp 7
- South Saint PaulKp 7
- StillwaterKp 7
- West Coon RapidsKp 7
- West Saint PaulKp 7
- White Bear LakeKp 7
- WillmarKp 7
- WoodburyKp 7
New York
- PlattsburghKp 7
- WatertownKp 7
North Dakota
- BismarckKp 7
- DickinsonKp 7
- FargoKp 7
- Grand ForksKp 7
- JamestownKp 7
- MandanKp 7
- MinotKp 7
- West FargoKp 7
- WillistonKp 7
Vermont
- BurlingtonKp 7
- ColchesterKp 7
- South BurlingtonKp 7
Washington
- AnacortesKp 7
- ArlingtonKp 7
- Bainbridge IslandKp 7
- BellevueKp 7
- BellinghamKp 7
- BothellKp 7
- Bothell WestKp 7
- BremertonKp 7
- City of SammamishKp 7
- Cottage LakeKp 7
- EastmontKp 7
- EdmondsKp 7
- EverettKp 7
- Inglewood-Finn HillKp 7
- IssaquahKp 7
- KenmoreKp 7
- KirklandKp 7
- Lake StevensKp 7
- LynnwoodKp 7
- Martha LakeKp 7
- MarysvilleKp 7
- Mercer IslandKp 7
- Mill CreekKp 7
- Mill Creek EastKp 7
- MonroeKp 7
- Moses LakeKp 7
- Mount VernonKp 7
- Mountlake TerraceKp 7
- MukilteoKp 7
- North CreekKp 7
- Oak HarborKp 7
- OpportunityKp 7
- Picnic Point-North LynnwoodKp 7
- Port AngelesKp 7
- RedmondKp 7
- SammamishKp 7
- SeattleKp 7
- ShorelineKp 7
- Silver FirsKp 7
- SilverdaleKp 7
- SpokaneKp 7
- Spokane ValleyKp 7
- Union Hill-Novelty HillKp 7
- WenatcheeKp 7
- West Lake SammamishKp 7
- West Lake StevensKp 7
Wisconsin
- AppletonKp 7
- AshwaubenonKp 7
- BellevueKp 7
- De PereKp 7
- Eau ClaireKp 7
- Green BayKp 7
- HowardKp 7
- KaukaunaKp 7
- ManitowocKp 7
- MarshfieldKp 7
- MenashaKp 7
- MenomonieKp 7
- NeenahKp 7
- River FallsKp 7
- Stevens PointKp 7
- SuperiorKp 7
- WausauKp 7
- WestonKp 7
- Wisconsin RapidsKp 7
What the Kp number means
Kp grades the strength of a geomagnetic storm from 0 to 9. The higher it runs, the further from the pole the auroral oval spreads, so every place has a Kp at which the aurora borealis first reaches it — that is the number beside each link above. In the United States those thresholds run from Kp 3 to Kp 7. A place at Kp 3 is inside the oval on an ordinary quiet night; one at Kp 7 needs a severe storm, and those come a handful of times per solar cycle.
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the forecast for the exact spot you are standing in, anywhere in the United States, and pushes an alert when tonight’s odds clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in the United States
Can you see the aurora borealis in the United States?
Yes, in all 167 places in the United States with a forecast page: each averages at least one viable night a year, and Fairbanks leads them at 110.6 nights.
Where in the United States is the aurora borealis seen most often?
Fairbanks. It needs Kp 3 and averages 110.6 viable nights a year, more than anywhere else in the United States we publish a forecast for. Further north is not automatically better: the closer a place is to the pole, the more of its summer never gets dark at all.
What Kp index do you need to see the aurora borealis in the United States?
Between Kp 3 and Kp 7, depending where you stand. Fairbanks needs Kp 3; Seattle needs Kp 7, and storms that size are a small fraction as frequent.
Is there one aurora borealis forecast for the whole of the United States?
No. The auroral oval reaches some parts of the United States on a quiet night and others only in a severe storm, so a countrywide number would mislead more than it told you. The forecast is published per place, so open the page for where you will actually be.