Aurora Borealis in United States
United States · 41.95°, -84.26° · geomagnetic 51.1° · needs Kp 3
Tonight in United States
1%
Peak chance of a visible display tonight, from the same model the Revon app runs. United States needs Kp 3 before anything clears the northern horizon, and tonight the forecast peaks at Kp 5.1 — comfortably over the line.
Updated 2026-08-02 20:20 UTC
The next 30 nights in United States
Every night to come, scored the same way as tonight. The best of the open week is Sunday 2 Aug at 1%. 4 of the seven reach the Kp 3 that United States needs, topping out 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
See all 30 nights for United States
Revon aurora model over the NOAA Kp forecast and 27-day outlook
How often the aurora borealis reaches United States
171.4 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
You are inside the auroral oval
United States sits far enough northern that quiet conditions are enough. What limits you here is cloud and moonlight, not geomagnetic activity.
Hours of true darkness, month by month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11.3 | 10.3 | 9.1 | 7.3 | 5.6 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 6.6 | 8.4 | 9.9 | 11.0 | 11.5 |
Solar declination and hour angle at −18°
Getting clear of the light
United States is small enough that its own lights are a minor problem — the centre reads Bortle 5. Walking to the edge of town is often escape enough.
- 5 km north — around Woodstock Township → Bortle 5
- 166 km north-north-west — around Montcalm 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, March, September and October came out ahead in United States. 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 United States 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, 3,013 km north-north-west in Canada.
| United States | Yellowknife | |
|---|---|---|
| Kp needed | 3 | 3 |
| Nights per year | 171.4 | 171.4 |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 51.1° | 68.6° |
Confirmed reports from this area
56 verified sightings were logged within 300 km of United States 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 United States
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 United States.
- Jack Tibbs Park — park4.4 km west-north-west
- Binnes Lake — lake6.6 km west-north-west
- Irish Hill — mountain6.9 km north
- Wooden Stone School Historical Marker — park7.2 km north-north-east
- Lime Lake — lake7.9 km north
- Prospect Hill — mountain8.7 km north
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 United States you will find WVAC-FM (Adrian) and WPCJ-FM (Pittsford), and for a day when the cloud sits low, Hudson Museum are indoors and near by.
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)
The last nights it was visible here
Nights in the last decade when the storm was strong enough for United States and the sky was dark enough to show it.
| Date | Peak |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-30 | Kp 3.0 |
| 2026-03-29 | Kp 3.33 |
| 2026-03-28 | Kp 3.67 |
| 2026-03-27 | Kp 3.33 |
| 2026-03-26 | Kp 3.0 |
NOAA planetary Kp
Aurora forecasts across United States
All 12 regions in United States with a forecast page, and the Kp each one needs.
- AlaskaKp 3
- IdahoKp 7
- MaineKp 7
- MichiganKp 7
- MinnesotaKp 7
- MontanaKp 7
- New YorkKp 7
- North DakotaKp 7
- South DakotaKp 7
- VermontKp 7
- WashingtonKp 7
- WisconsinKp 7
Know when it is worth going outside
Revon watches the United States forecast and pushes an alert when the odds for tonight clear your threshold — no checking, no guessing.
Common questions about the aurora borealis in United States
Can you see the aurora borealis from United States?
Yes. On the last 10.0 years of NOAA Kp records, United States had about 171.4 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 United States?
Kp 3. United States sits at geomagnetic latitude 51.1°, and the auroral oval only reaches that far from the pole once activity hits Kp 3.
When is the best time of year to see the aurora borealis in United States?
March, September and October. 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 United States?
The centre of United States reads Bortle 5. The nearest sky at Bortle 4 is about 166 km north-north-west around Montcalm Township. On a marginal night that drive matters more than the forecast does.
Where is the nearest place to United States with reliable aurora borealis?
Yellowknife, Canada — 3,013 km north-north-west. It needs only Kp 3 and averages 171.4 viable nights a year against 171.4 in United States.
Nearby towns
Forecasts for places within reach of United States.