Kp scale
Kp 5 aurora locations
Kp 5 marks the threshold of a G1 geomagnetic storm - the first level of official storm classification. At this level aurora becomes visible from northern England, southern Scotland, Ireland, and starts appearing across northern Europe including the Netherlands, northern Germany, and Denmark. During the current solar maximum, Kp 5 events are relatively common and represent some of the most photographed aurora events of recent years.
Kp 5 is a step up from Kp 4 and below Kp 6.
Kp 5+ aurora locations in Scandinavia
All of Scandinavia - Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, and the Faroe Islands - is within range at Kp 5. Copenhagen becomes viable at this level.
Kp 5+ aurora locations in the UK and Ireland
Kp 5 brings aurora to northern England including Northumberland, the Lake District, and the northeast coast. Donegal and Clare in Ireland can see aurora from dark, north-facing coastal positions.
Kp 5+ aurora locations in North America
Kp 5 extends coverage across the northern US tier - Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and the Pacific Northwest including Oregon and Washington. The aurora zone now reaches much of the populated northern United States.
Kp 5+ aurora locations in central Europe
Northern Germany - Flensburg, Hamburg, and the island of Rügen in the Baltic - is within range at Kp 5. Combined with the Baltic states, central Europe now has a growing list of viable locations.
Aurora australis at Kp 5+
Tasmania including Hobart comes into range at Kp 5. New Zealand's Christchurch and Argentina's El Calafate are also viable, adding southern Australia to the aurora australis map.
Kp 5+ aurora in Asia
Wakkanai in northern Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost city, is within range at Kp 5. Japan's aurora zone is small but increasingly well-documented.
Near solar maximum in 2025 and 2026, Kp 5 events are more frequent than in quieter years. See the solar maximum aurora guide for what this means for viewing chances.
Locations are sorted by tonight's cloud cover - clearest conditions first. Updated every 30 minutes.
Current Kp level
Abisko
Kp 1-2Sweden's aurora capital, cloudless micro-climate
68° magnetic lat
Alta
Kp 1-2Northern Norway, polar night
70° magnetic lat
Bodø
Kp 1-2Above Arctic Circle, Lofoten gateway
67° magnetic lat
Churchill
Kp 1-2Sub-Arctic Manitoba, auroral oval
69° magnetic lat
Dawson City
Kp 1-2Yukon gold rush town inside the aurora oval
65° magnetic lat
Fairbanks
Kp 1-2Alaska, auroral oval, Cleary Summit
68° magnetic lat
Gällivare
Kp 1-2Dundret fell, less-visited Lapland
68° magnetic lat
Ilulissat
Kp 1UNESCO Icefjord, icebergs and aurora
72° magnetic lat
Ivalo
Kp 1Finland's northernmost town at 69°N
69° magnetic lat
Jukkasjärvi
Kp 1-2ICEHOTEL on the Torne River
68° magnetic lat
Kangerlussuaq
Kp 1Clearest skies in Greenland, tundra dark sky
73° magnetic lat
Kiruna
Kp 1-2ICEHOTEL and Swedish Lapland aurora
68° magnetic lat
Kittilä
Kp 1-2Direct flights, gateway to Levi
68° magnetic lat
Kvaløya
Kp 1Tromsø island, Kattfjordeidet headland
70° magnetic lat
Levi
Kp 1-2Lapland ski resort, glass igloos
68° magnetic lat
Luosto
Kp 1-2Purpose-built aurora resort
67° magnetic lat
Lyngen Alps
Kp 1Alpine fjord scenery, 70°N
70° magnetic lat
Nuuk
Kp 1Greenland capital, Nuup Kangerlua fjord
71° magnetic lat
Saariselkä
Kp 1-2Finland's best dark-sky area
68° magnetic lat
Senja
Kp 1-2Island of contrasts, dramatic coastline
69° magnetic lat
Svalbard
Kp 1Inside the auroral oval year-round
78° magnetic lat
Tromsø
Kp 1-2World's aurora capital
70° magnetic lat
Yellowknife
Kp 1-2Aurora capital of North America
69° magnetic lat
Ylläs
Kp 1-2Finland's highest fell at 718 m
68° magnetic lat
Akureyri
Kp 2-3North Iceland, Lake Mývatn
66° magnetic lat
Anchorage
Kp 2-3Alaska, Kp 2 from the Chugach Range
65° magnetic lat
Húsavík
Kp 2North Iceland, Skjálfandi Bay
66° magnetic lat
Lofoten Islands
Kp 2-3Dramatic coastline and dark skies
68° magnetic lat
Reykjavik
Kp 2-3Capital, Grótta lighthouse area
65° magnetic lat
Rovaniemi
Kp 2-3Gateway to Finnish Lapland
66° magnetic lat
Scotland
Kp 2-4Scotland aurora hub — Shetland to Galloway
57° magnetic lat
Shetland Islands
Kp 2-3Scotland's northernmost islands
61° magnetic lat
Snæfellsbær
Kp 2-3Kirkjufell mountain, Grundarfjörður
65° magnetic lat
Snæfellsnes
Kp 2-3Glacier peninsula, Kirkjufell mountain
65° magnetic lat
Umeå
Kp 2-3Northern Sweden, High Coast aurora
64° magnetic lat
Vopnafjörður
Kp 2-3Northeast Iceland, Bortle Class 1 fjord
65° magnetic lat
Westfjords
Kp 2Iceland's most remote, darkest region
66° magnetic lat
Whitehorse
Kp 2-3Yukon, dark skies and wilderness lodges
67° magnetic lat
Aberdeen
Kp 3-4North-east Scotland, coastal dark sky
57° magnetic lat
Ålesund
Kp 3Art Nouveau coast, fjord archipelago
62° magnetic lat
Banff
Kp 3-4Rocky Mountains, high-altitude dark sky
58° magnetic lat
Bergen
Kp 3-4Gateway to the fjords
60° magnetic lat
Cairngorms
Kp 3-4Dark-sky plateau above 1 000 m
57° magnetic lat
Eiði
Kp 3Risin og Kellingin sea stacks
62° magnetic lat
Fort William
Kp 3-4Gateway to the Great Glen and Nevis range
57° magnetic lat
Gásadalur
Kp 3Múlafossur waterfall, clifftop village
62° magnetic lat
Golden Circle
Kp 3-4Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss
64° magnetic lat
Great Falls
Kp 3-4North-central Montana, Missouri River plains
56° magnetic lat
Helsinki
Kp 3-4Finnish capital
60° magnetic lat
Inverness
Kp 3-4Highland capital, dark-sky glens nearby
58° magnetic lat
Isle of Lewis
Kp 3-4Callanish Standing Stones, Butt of Lewis
58° magnetic lat
Isle of Skye
Kp 3-4Remote Highland island with clear north skies
57° magnetic lat
Jökulsárlón
Kp 3-4Glacial lagoon, south coast
64° magnetic lat
Kristiansund
Kp 3Atlantic coast, Grip island dark sky
63° magnetic lat
Lahemaa National Park
Kp 3Käsmu peninsula and Altja coast, Bortle Class 2, Gulf of Finland
60° magnetic lat
Landmannalaugar
Kp 3Rhyolite highland, Bortle Class 1
64° magnetic lat
Molde
Kp 3City of roses, Romsdal fjord aurora
63° magnetic lat
North Coast 500
Kp 3Durness, Strathy Point — north-coast dark sky circuit
58° magnetic lat
Orkney Islands
Kp 3-4Dark-sky archipelago north of mainland Scotland
59° magnetic lat
Outer Hebrides
Kp 3-4Callanish, Luskentyre, Bortle Class 1-2
57° magnetic lat
Scottish Highlands
Kp 3-4Glen Affric, Torridon, Assynt — remote Bortle 2 glens
58° magnetic lat
Selfoss
Kp 3South Iceland, Golden Circle gateway
64° magnetic lat
Skagen
Kp 3-4Denmark's northernmost tip, Grenen headland
58° magnetic lat
Sognefjord
Kp 3-4Norway's longest fjord, Flåm and Balestrand
61° magnetic lat
Sudbury
Kp 3Northern Ontario, 58°N magnetic, Killarney Provincial Park
58° magnetic lat
Tallinn
Kp 3-4Lahemaa coast and Paldiski Peninsula
60° magnetic lat
Thunder Bay
Kp 3-4Northwestern Ontario, Lake Superior north shore
57° magnetic lat
Tórshavn
Kp 3Capital on Streymoy, Sornfelli summit
62° magnetic lat
Vík
Kp 3Reynisfjara black sand beach
64° magnetic lat
Winnipeg
Kp 3Manitoba prairie capital, Lake Winnipeg dark sky
58° magnetic lat
Þórsmörk
Kp 3Highland valley, seasonal access only
64° magnetic lat
Argyll
Kp 4Kilmartin Glen, Loch Awe, Sound of Jura
56° magnetic lat
Bozeman
Kp 4Gallatin Valley, Yellowstone gateway, Montana
54° magnetic lat
Burlington
Kp 4-5Lake Champlain, Vermont's largest city
53° magnetic lat
Cape Kolka
Kp 4Northernmost Latvia, Slītere National Park, Bortle Class 2
58° magnetic lat
Duluth
Kp 4Lake Superior north shore, Hawk Ridge
55° magnetic lat
Dumfries & Galloway
Kp 4-5Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park
55° magnetic lat
Dundee
Kp 4-5Angus coast, north-facing dark sky
56° magnetic lat
Edinburgh
Kp 4-5Pentland Hills and East Lothian dark sky
56° magnetic lat
Galloway Forest
Kp 4-5UK's first Dark Sky Park, IDA Gold Tier
55° magnetic lat
Glasgow
Kp 4-5Loch Lomond dark sky 30 minutes north
55° magnetic lat
Isle of Man
Kp 4-5Point of Ayre and Maughold Head, Irish Sea dark sky
54° magnetic lat
Jasper
Kp 4-5Dark Sky Preserve, Alberta Rockies
53° magnetic lat
Marquette
Kp 4Upper Peninsula, Presque Isle on Lake Superior
55° magnetic lat
Mayo
Kp 4-5Achill Island, Mullet Peninsula, Wild Atlantic Way
54° magnetic lat
Michigan
Kp 4-5Upper Peninsula, dark sky on Lake Superior
55° magnetic lat
Minneapolis
Kp 4Twin Cities, Boundary Waters 4 hrs north
55° magnetic lat
Minnesota
Kp 4-5Boundary Waters, best dark sky in the northern lower 48
56° magnetic lat
Montana
Kp 4-5Glacier NP, Rocky Mountain aurora
55° magnetic lat
North Dakota
Kp 4-5Theodore Roosevelt NP, flat prairie horizon
58° magnetic lat
Oslo
Kp 4-5Norwegian capital
59° magnetic lat
Portland
Kp 4-5Maine, Cape Elizabeth coast, Acadia 3 hrs north
53° magnetic lat
Prince George
Kp 4Northern BC, dark boreal forest
55° magnetic lat
Riga
Kp 4-5Cape Kolka and Gauja National Park
58° magnetic lat
Seattle
Kp 4-5Pacific Northwest, Hurricane Ridge and Cascades
54° magnetic lat
Sligo
Kp 4-5Mullaghmore Head, Ben Bulben, Atlantic coast
54° magnetic lat
Stirling
Kp 4-5Loch Lomond and Trossachs on the doorstep
56° magnetic lat
Stockholm
Kp 4-5Swedish capital, strong storms only
59° magnetic lat
Whitefish
Kp 4Glacier National Park gateway, NW Montana
55° magnetic lat
Wisconsin
Kp 4-5Apostle Islands, Lake Superior north shore
56° magnetic lat
Yorkshire Dales
Kp 4-5Ribblehead Viaduct, Malham Cove Dark Sky Discovery Site
54° magnetic lat
Antrim
Kp 5-6North Antrim coast and Dark Hedges
55° magnetic lat
Belfast
Kp 5-6North Antrim coast 1 hour away
54° magnetic lat
Carlisle
Kp 5-6Solway Firth and Eden Valley
55° magnetic lat
Clare
Kp 5Loop Head Peninsula, Cliffs of Moher, Burren Dark Sky
53° magnetic lat
Copenhagen
Kp 5-6North Zealand coast and Odsherred Peninsula
56° magnetic lat
Derry
Kp 5-6Inishowen Peninsula dark sky
54° magnetic lat
Donegal
Kp 5Northernmost county, Malin Head dark sky
55° magnetic lat
Durham
Kp 5-6North Pennines AONB dark sky
54° magnetic lat
Flensburg
Kp 5Germany's northernmost city, Flensburg Fjord and Holnis peninsula
56° magnetic lat
Hamburg
Kp 5-6North Sea and Baltic coast access
56° magnetic lat
Idaho
Kp 5-6Craters of the Moon Dark Sky Park
55° magnetic lat
Kerry
Kp 5Iveragh Peninsula, Valentia Island, Atlantic coast
52° magnetic lat
Lancaster
Kp 5-6Forest of Bowland dark sky
54° magnetic lat
Maine
Kp 5-6Acadia NP, dark-sky New England coast
54° magnetic lat
New Hampshire
Kp 5-6Coos County, Connecticut Lakes area
55° magnetic lat
Newcastle
Kp 5-6Northumberland dark sky 40 minutes west
54° magnetic lat
Northern Ireland
Kp 5-6All Northern Ireland locations
54° magnetic lat
Northumberland
Kp 5-6Kielder Dark Sky Observatory
55° magnetic lat
Oregon
Kp 5-6Alvord Desert Bortle 1-2, Crater Lake
54° magnetic lat
Rügen
Kp 5-6Kap Arkona lighthouse and Königsstuhl chalk cliffs
55° magnetic lat
Sunderland
Kp 5-6Northumberland coast and fells
54° magnetic lat
Vermont
Kp 5-6Northeast Kingdom, Bortle 2-3 near Quebec
55° magnetic lat
Wakkanai
Kp 5-6Japan's northernmost city, Cape Soya, best aurora position
45° magnetic lat
Washington
Kp 5-6Okanogan Highlands and North Cascades
54° magnetic lat
Wicklow
Kp 5Wicklow Mountains, closest dark sky to Dublin
53° magnetic lat
Wyoming
Kp 5-6Yellowstone and Grand Teton at 2 000 m
55° magnetic lat
Fiordland
Kp 3Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, Te Anau
58° magnetic lat
Lake Tekapo
Kp 3-4Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve
56° magnetic lat
Stewart Island
Kp 3-4Rakiura, NZ's southernmost inhabited island
59° magnetic lat
Ushuaia
Kp 3-4World's southernmost city, Beagle Channel
55° magnetic lat
Dunedin
Kp 4-5Otago Peninsula south coast
56° magnetic lat
Queenstown
Kp 4-5Remarkables range, dark sky south of town
56° magnetic lat
Wānaka
Kp 4Lone willow tree, Lake Wānaka
56° magnetic lat
Christchurch
Kp 5-6Lake Tekapo Dark Sky Reserve nearby
55° magnetic lat
Cradle Mountain
Kp 5Dove Lake, Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area
54° magnetic lat
El Calafate
Kp 5-6Perito Moreno Glacier, Lake Argentino
50° magnetic lat
Hobart
Kp 5-6Tasmania, Australia's lowest aurora threshold
54° magnetic lat
Launceston
Kp 5-6Northern Tasmania, Ben Lomond alpine dark sky
52° magnetic lat
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