Kp index guide › Kp 4 locations

Kp scale

Kp 4 aurora locations

At Kp 4 the auroral oval expands to cover central Scotland, most of Iceland comfortably, and the southern parts of Scandinavia. For UK observers, Kp 4 is the threshold where aurora becomes visible from dark sky sites in Scotland and occasionally northern England. During the current solar maximum, Kp 4 events occur multiple times per month.

Kp 4 is a step up from Kp 3 and below Kp 5.

Kp 4+ aurora locations in Scandinavia

Oslo and Stockholm come into range at Kp 4. The Kp 4 oval now covers all of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark's northernmost coast.

Kp 4+ aurora locations in the UK and Ireland

Central Scotland, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Galloway Forest, and northern England's Yorkshire Dales reach the threshold at Kp 4. Western Ireland including Sligo and Mayo also comes into range.

Kp 4+ aurora locations in North America

Duluth, Seattle, and the northern US cities join Jasper and Prince George in British Columbia at Kp 4. The aurora zone now covers the full breadth of central Canada.

Kp 4+ aurora locations in central Europe

Latvia - Cape Kolka and Riga - joins Estonia in range at Kp 4. The Baltic coast offers flat, north-facing horizons that suit low-angle aurora viewing.

Aurora australis at Kp 4+

Queenstown, Dunedin, and Wānaka in New Zealand come into range at Kp 4, adding some of the southern hemisphere's most-visited aurora destinations.

Locations are sorted by tonight's cloud cover - clearest conditions first. Updated every 30 minutes.

Current Kp level

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Quiet G1 storm G3 Extreme

Current Kp 1 is below the Kp 4+ threshold. The locations on this page are not currently active.

Abisko

Kp 1-2

Sweden's aurora capital, cloudless micro-climate

68° magnetic lat

Alta

Kp 1-2

Northern Norway, polar night

70° magnetic lat

Bodø

Kp 1-2

Above Arctic Circle, Lofoten gateway

67° magnetic lat

Churchill

Kp 1-2

Sub-Arctic Manitoba, auroral oval

69° magnetic lat

Dawson City

Kp 1-2

Yukon gold rush town inside the aurora oval

65° magnetic lat

Fairbanks

Kp 1-2

Alaska, auroral oval, Cleary Summit

68° magnetic lat

Gällivare

Kp 1-2

Dundret fell, less-visited Lapland

68° magnetic lat

Ilulissat

Kp 1

UNESCO Icefjord, icebergs and aurora

72° magnetic lat

Ivalo

Kp 1

Finland's northernmost town at 69°N

69° magnetic lat

Jukkasjärvi

Kp 1-2

ICEHOTEL on the Torne River

68° magnetic lat

Kangerlussuaq

Kp 1

Clearest skies in Greenland, tundra dark sky

73° magnetic lat

Kiruna

Kp 1-2

ICEHOTEL and Swedish Lapland aurora

68° magnetic lat

Kittilä

Kp 1-2

Direct flights, gateway to Levi

68° magnetic lat

Kvaløya

Kp 1

Tromsø island, Kattfjordeidet headland

70° magnetic lat

Levi

Kp 1-2

Lapland ski resort, glass igloos

68° magnetic lat

Luosto

Kp 1-2

Purpose-built aurora resort

67° magnetic lat

Lyngen Alps

Kp 1

Alpine fjord scenery, 70°N

70° magnetic lat

Nuuk

Kp 1

Greenland capital, Nuup Kangerlua fjord

71° magnetic lat

Saariselkä

Kp 1-2

Finland's best dark-sky area

68° magnetic lat

Senja

Kp 1-2

Island of contrasts, dramatic coastline

69° magnetic lat

Svalbard

Kp 1

Inside the auroral oval year-round

78° magnetic lat

Tromsø

Kp 1-2

World's aurora capital

70° magnetic lat

Yellowknife

Kp 1-2

Aurora capital of North America

69° magnetic lat

Ylläs

Kp 1-2

Finland's highest fell at 718 m

68° magnetic lat

Akureyri

Kp 2-3

North Iceland, Lake Mývatn

66° magnetic lat

Anchorage

Kp 2-3

Alaska, Kp 2 from the Chugach Range

65° magnetic lat

Húsavík

Kp 2

North Iceland, Skjálfandi Bay

66° magnetic lat

Lofoten Islands

Kp 2-3

Dramatic coastline and dark skies

68° magnetic lat

Reykjavik

Kp 2-3

Capital, Grótta lighthouse area

65° magnetic lat

Rovaniemi

Kp 2-3

Gateway to Finnish Lapland

66° magnetic lat

Scotland

Kp 2-4

Scotland aurora hub — Shetland to Galloway

57° magnetic lat

Shetland Islands

Kp 2-3

Scotland's northernmost islands

61° magnetic lat

Snæfellsbær

Kp 2-3

Kirkjufell mountain, Grundarfjörður

65° magnetic lat

Snæfellsnes

Kp 2-3

Glacier peninsula, Kirkjufell mountain

65° magnetic lat

Umeå

Kp 2-3

Northern Sweden, High Coast aurora

64° magnetic lat

Vopnafjörður

Kp 2-3

Northeast Iceland, Bortle Class 1 fjord

65° magnetic lat

Westfjords

Kp 2

Iceland's most remote, darkest region

66° magnetic lat

Whitehorse

Kp 2-3

Yukon, dark skies and wilderness lodges

67° magnetic lat

Aberdeen

Kp 3-4

North-east Scotland, coastal dark sky

57° magnetic lat

Ålesund

Kp 3

Art Nouveau coast, fjord archipelago

62° magnetic lat

Banff

Kp 3-4

Rocky Mountains, high-altitude dark sky

58° magnetic lat

Bergen

Kp 3-4

Gateway to the fjords

60° magnetic lat

Cairngorms

Kp 3-4

Dark-sky plateau above 1 000 m

57° magnetic lat

Eiði

Kp 3

Risin og Kellingin sea stacks

62° magnetic lat

Fort William

Kp 3-4

Gateway to the Great Glen and Nevis range

57° magnetic lat

Gásadalur

Kp 3

Múlafossur waterfall, clifftop village

62° magnetic lat

Golden Circle

Kp 3-4

Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss

64° magnetic lat

Great Falls

Kp 3-4

North-central Montana, Missouri River plains

56° magnetic lat

Helsinki

Kp 3-4

Finnish capital

60° magnetic lat

Inverness

Kp 3-4

Highland capital, dark-sky glens nearby

58° magnetic lat

Isle of Lewis

Kp 3-4

Callanish Standing Stones, Butt of Lewis

58° magnetic lat

Isle of Skye

Kp 3-4

Remote Highland island with clear north skies

57° magnetic lat

Jökulsárlón

Kp 3-4

Glacial lagoon, south coast

64° magnetic lat

Kristiansund

Kp 3

Atlantic coast, Grip island dark sky

63° magnetic lat

Lahemaa National Park

Kp 3

Käsmu peninsula and Altja coast, Bortle Class 2, Gulf of Finland

60° magnetic lat

Landmannalaugar

Kp 3

Rhyolite highland, Bortle Class 1

64° magnetic lat

Molde

Kp 3

City of roses, Romsdal fjord aurora

63° magnetic lat

North Coast 500

Kp 3

Durness, Strathy Point — north-coast dark sky circuit

58° magnetic lat

Orkney Islands

Kp 3-4

Dark-sky archipelago north of mainland Scotland

59° magnetic lat

Outer Hebrides

Kp 3-4

Callanish, Luskentyre, Bortle Class 1-2

57° magnetic lat

Scottish Highlands

Kp 3-4

Glen Affric, Torridon, Assynt — remote Bortle 2 glens

58° magnetic lat

Selfoss

Kp 3

South Iceland, Golden Circle gateway

64° magnetic lat

Skagen

Kp 3-4

Denmark's northernmost tip, Grenen headland

58° magnetic lat

Sognefjord

Kp 3-4

Norway's longest fjord, Flåm and Balestrand

61° magnetic lat

Sudbury

Kp 3

Northern Ontario, 58°N magnetic, Killarney Provincial Park

58° magnetic lat

Tallinn

Kp 3-4

Lahemaa coast and Paldiski Peninsula

60° magnetic lat

Thunder Bay

Kp 3-4

Northwestern Ontario, Lake Superior north shore

57° magnetic lat

Tórshavn

Kp 3

Capital on Streymoy, Sornfelli summit

62° magnetic lat

Vík

Kp 3

Reynisfjara black sand beach

64° magnetic lat

Winnipeg

Kp 3

Manitoba prairie capital, Lake Winnipeg dark sky

58° magnetic lat

Þórsmörk

Kp 3

Highland valley, seasonal access only

64° magnetic lat

Argyll

Kp 4

Kilmartin Glen, Loch Awe, Sound of Jura

56° magnetic lat

Bozeman

Kp 4

Gallatin Valley, Yellowstone gateway, Montana

54° magnetic lat

Burlington

Kp 4-5

Lake Champlain, Vermont's largest city

53° magnetic lat

Cape Kolka

Kp 4

Northernmost Latvia, Slītere National Park, Bortle Class 2

58° magnetic lat

Duluth

Kp 4

Lake Superior north shore, Hawk Ridge

55° magnetic lat

Dumfries & Galloway

Kp 4-5

Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park

55° magnetic lat

Dundee

Kp 4-5

Angus coast, north-facing dark sky

56° magnetic lat

Edinburgh

Kp 4-5

Pentland Hills and East Lothian dark sky

56° magnetic lat

Galloway Forest

Kp 4-5

UK's first Dark Sky Park, IDA Gold Tier

55° magnetic lat

Glasgow

Kp 4-5

Loch Lomond dark sky 30 minutes north

55° magnetic lat

Isle of Man

Kp 4-5

Point of Ayre and Maughold Head, Irish Sea dark sky

54° magnetic lat

Jasper

Kp 4-5

Dark Sky Preserve, Alberta Rockies

53° magnetic lat

Marquette

Kp 4

Upper Peninsula, Presque Isle on Lake Superior

55° magnetic lat

Mayo

Kp 4-5

Achill Island, Mullet Peninsula, Wild Atlantic Way

54° magnetic lat

Michigan

Kp 4-5

Upper Peninsula, dark sky on Lake Superior

55° magnetic lat

Minneapolis

Kp 4

Twin Cities, Boundary Waters 4 hrs north

55° magnetic lat

Minnesota

Kp 4-5

Boundary Waters, best dark sky in the northern lower 48

56° magnetic lat

Montana

Kp 4-5

Glacier NP, Rocky Mountain aurora

55° magnetic lat

North Dakota

Kp 4-5

Theodore Roosevelt NP, flat prairie horizon

58° magnetic lat

Oslo

Kp 4-5

Norwegian capital

59° magnetic lat

Portland

Kp 4-5

Maine, Cape Elizabeth coast, Acadia 3 hrs north

53° magnetic lat

Prince George

Kp 4

Northern BC, dark boreal forest

55° magnetic lat

Riga

Kp 4-5

Cape Kolka and Gauja National Park

58° magnetic lat

Seattle

Kp 4-5

Pacific Northwest, Hurricane Ridge and Cascades

54° magnetic lat

Sligo

Kp 4-5

Mullaghmore Head, Ben Bulben, Atlantic coast

54° magnetic lat

Stirling

Kp 4-5

Loch Lomond and Trossachs on the doorstep

56° magnetic lat

Stockholm

Kp 4-5

Swedish capital, strong storms only

59° magnetic lat

Whitefish

Kp 4

Glacier National Park gateway, NW Montana

55° magnetic lat

Wisconsin

Kp 4-5

Apostle Islands, Lake Superior north shore

56° magnetic lat

Yorkshire Dales

Kp 4-5

Ribblehead Viaduct, Malham Cove Dark Sky Discovery Site

54° magnetic lat

Fiordland

Kp 3

Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, Te Anau

58° magnetic lat

Lake Tekapo

Kp 3-4

Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve

56° magnetic lat

Stewart Island

Kp 3-4

Rakiura, NZ's southernmost inhabited island

59° magnetic lat

Ushuaia

Kp 3-4

World's southernmost city, Beagle Channel

55° magnetic lat

Dunedin

Kp 4-5

Otago Peninsula south coast

56° magnetic lat

Queenstown

Kp 4-5

Remarkables range, dark sky south of town

56° magnetic lat

Wānaka

Kp 4

Lone willow tree, Lake Wānaka

56° magnetic lat

Common questions

Can you see aurora in Scotland at Kp 4?
Yes. At Kp 4 aurora is visible from dark sky sites across central Scotland - the Cairngorms, the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park, and remote highland locations. Edinburgh and Glasgow are too light-polluted to see the aurora easily at Kp 4, but driving 30-40 minutes to darker countryside makes a significant difference.
Can you see aurora in northern England at Kp 4?
Possibly, from dark sites. Northumberland National Park, the North Pennines, and the Yorkshire Dales can produce Kp 4 aurora sightings. It is not guaranteed - you need a clear night, no moon, and a genuinely dark horizon to the north. Kp 5+ is more reliable for northern England.
How common is Kp 4?
Kp 4 occurs on the order of 10-20 nights per month during the current solar maximum. It sits just below the geomagnetic storm threshold (Kp 5). Many Kp 4 events go unnoticed in cities but produce clear aurora from dark countryside locations at the right latitudes.
What dark sky sites work best for Kp 4 aurora in the UK?
Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park in southwest Scotland is one of the best - IDA Gold Tier designation with low artificial light. The Cairngorms and Glen Affric in the Highlands are strong options. In northern England, Kielder Dark Sky Observatory and the North Pennines AONB are good starting points.
Is Galloway Forest good for aurora at Kp 4?
Yes. Galloway Forest is one of the best aurora spots at Kp 4 - its dark sky status, flat southern Galloway horizon, and latitude of around 55°N magnetic put it near the boundary of Kp 4 visibility. On a clear, dark night with Kp 4, aurora is regularly photographed from Loch Trool and the nearby hills.

Other Kp levels

Kp 1 Kp 2 Kp 3 Kp 5 Kp 6 Kp 7 Kp 8 Kp 9

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