By month
Northern lights in March
March is one of the two most productive aurora months in the calendar, for reasons rooted in orbital geometry rather than season. Around the spring equinox - typically 20 March - Earth's magnetic field aligns with the incoming solar wind in a way that allows more efficient coupling. The result is a well-documented statistical increase in geomagnetic storms. More Kp 5 and above events occur in March and September than in any other months of the year.
For northern hemisphere observers, nights are still long enough for extended viewing windows at high and mid latitudes. High-latitude sites from Iceland and Norway through to Yellowknife and Whitehorse rate as good, with multiple hours of darkness and elevated storm probability. Mid-latitude northern locations - Scotland, Scandinavia's southern cities, and northern mainland Europe - rate as marginal: the nights are shortening as spring arrives, but the equinox effect compensates significantly.
In the southern hemisphere, March brings the same equinox boost alongside increasing darkness as autumn begins. High-latitude austral sites in Argentina and New Zealand's far south rate as good; mid-latitude locations in Tasmania, southern Australia, and New Zealand's central South Island are marginal but viable during storm conditions. March is the strongest month of the season for southern hemisphere aurora watchers.
Planning your trip in March
Weather
Transitional month. Northern Norway and Iceland see improving weather statistics compared to January and February as winter storm systems ease. Inland Scandinavia can still be very cold but often brings settled high-pressure periods. Temperatures in Lapland range from -10°C to -5°C. Snow cover persists at all high-latitude destinations.
Darkness
Nights are shortening but still substantial. At 70°N, roughly 12 hours of darkness by the equinox. Iceland and northern Finland have 10 to 12 hours. Scotland and the Baltic states have 8 to 10 hours around the equinox. The equinox effect means storm events are more frequent, partially compensating for the shorter windows.
Best regions
- Northern Norway — Tromsø, Senja, and Alta remain in good condition through March. The blue hour light at this time of year makes for spectacular photography even outside aurora events. Weather is often more settled than deep winter.
- Iceland — The equinox storm uptick is clearly visible in Iceland's aurora statistics for March. Accessible for European visitors with a well-developed aurora alert network. The south coast and Snæfellsnes give clear northern horizons.
- Scottish Highlands — The equinox effect pushes Kp above the 4-5 threshold needed for Scotland several times in March. Galloway Forest Park and the north Highlands offer the best dark sites. Viable for a domestic trip if conditions align.
- Patagonia — Ushuaia and Punta Arenas are entering the aurora australis season as autumn arrives. March is the strongest month for southern hemisphere aurora, with the same equinox effect applying to both hemispheres.
Crowds & cost
March sits in shoulder season for most Arctic destinations. Prices are lower than January and February. Norwegian fjord tours and Icelandic accommodation are more available and often cheaper than peak winter. Patagonia sees moderate tourism, with aurora specifically drawing visitors.
Practical tip
The equinox effect is concentrated around the 20th, but elevated activity often continues for two weeks either side. A trip from 10 to 31 March has good statistical backing. Monitor NOAA's 3-day geomagnetic forecast and book accommodation that allows flexible nights at different locations.
Current Kp level
Locations sorted by tonight's cloud cover within each group - clearest conditions first. Updated every 30 minutes.
Northern hemisphere
53 locations in good condition, 87 marginal.
Abisko
Sweden's aurora capital, cloudless micro-climate
68° magnetic lat
Alta
Northern Norway, polar night
70° magnetic lat
Bodø
Above Arctic Circle, Lofoten gateway
67° magnetic lat
Churchill
Sub-Arctic Manitoba, auroral oval
69° magnetic lat
Dawson City
Yukon gold rush town inside the aurora oval
65° magnetic lat
Fairbanks
Alaska, auroral oval, Cleary Summit
68° magnetic lat
Finnsnes
Senja gateway, Gisund strait, 80 km south of Tromsø
69° magnetic lat
Gällivare
Dundret fell, less-visited Lapland
68° magnetic lat
Hammerfest
Northernmost town, 70°N, polar night, Barents Sea
70° magnetic lat
Harstad
Hinnøya island, Vesterålen gateway, Trondenes peninsula
69° magnetic lat
Honningsvåg
North Cape gateway, 71°N, Nordkapp plateau
71° magnetic lat
Ilulissat
UNESCO Icefjord, icebergs and aurora
72° magnetic lat
Ivalo
Finland's northernmost town at 69°N
69° magnetic lat
Jukkasjärvi
ICEHOTEL on the Torne River
68° magnetic lat
Kangerlussuaq
Clearest skies in Greenland, tundra dark sky
73° magnetic lat
Kirkenes
Russian border, east Finnmark, clear sky advantage
70° magnetic lat
Kiruna
ICEHOTEL and Swedish Lapland aurora
68° magnetic lat
Kittilä
Direct flights, gateway to Levi
68° magnetic lat
Kvaløya
Tromsø island, Kattfjordeidet headland
70° magnetic lat
Levi
Lapland ski resort, glass igloos
68° magnetic lat
Luosto
Purpose-built aurora resort
67° magnetic lat
Lyngen Alps
Alpine fjord scenery, 70°N
70° magnetic lat
Narvik
Arctic port city, Ofoten fjord, Narvikfjellet gondola
68° magnetic lat
Nuuk
Greenland capital, Nuup Kangerlua fjord
71° magnetic lat
Saariselkä
Finland's best dark-sky area
68° magnetic lat
Senja
Island of contrasts, dramatic coastline
69° magnetic lat
Svalbard
Inside the auroral oval year-round
78° magnetic lat
Tromsø
World's aurora capital
70° magnetic lat
Vardø
Norway's easternmost town, Barents Sea, Bortle Class 1
70° magnetic lat
Vesterålen
Island group north of Lofoten, Andøya, Bleik beach
69° magnetic lat
Yellowknife
Aurora capital of North America
69° magnetic lat
Ylläs
Finland's highest fell at 718 m
68° magnetic lat
Akureyri
North Iceland, Lake Mývatn
66° magnetic lat
Anchorage
Alaska, Kp 2 from the Chugach Range
65° magnetic lat
Borgarnes
75 minutes from Reykjavik, fjord views, Snæfellsnes gateway
65° magnetic lat
Dalvík
North Iceland, Eyjafjörður fjord, Grímsey Arctic Circle ferry
66° magnetic lat
Edmonton
Alberta, Elk Island Dark Sky Preserve, 62°N magnetic
62° magnetic lat
Egilsstaðir
East Iceland, Lagarfljót lake, clear skies
65° magnetic lat
Húsavík
North Iceland, Skjálfandi Bay
66° magnetic lat
Ísafjörður
Westfjords capital, deep fjord, Dynjandi waterfall
66° magnetic lat
Lofoten Islands
Dramatic coastline and dark skies
68° magnetic lat
Mývatn
Volcanic lake, pseudocraters, Dimmuborgir lava fields
65° magnetic lat
Reykjavik
Capital, Grótta lighthouse area
65° magnetic lat
Rovaniemi
Gateway to Finnish Lapland
66° magnetic lat
Scotland
Scotland aurora hub — Shetland to Galloway
57° magnetic lat
Shetland Islands
Scotland's northernmost islands
61° magnetic lat
Snæfellsbær
Kirkjufell mountain, Grundarfjörður
65° magnetic lat
Snæfellsnes
Glacier peninsula, Kirkjufell mountain
65° magnetic lat
Stykkishólmur
Snæfellsnes north coast, Breiðafjörður bay reflections
65° magnetic lat
Umeå
Northern Sweden, High Coast aurora
64° magnetic lat
Vopnafjörður
Northeast Iceland, Bortle Class 1 fjord
65° magnetic lat
Westfjords
Iceland's most remote, darkest region
66° magnetic lat
Whitehorse
Yukon, dark skies and wilderness lodges
67° magnetic lat
Marginal conditions
These locations can see aurora in March but the window is narrow - nights may be short, the Kp requirement is high, or the seasonal conditions are at the edge of viable. A clear, dark night with elevated activity gives the best chance.
Aberdeen
North-east Scotland, coastal dark sky
57° magnetic lat
Akranes
45 min from Reykjavik, peninsula lighthouse, Faxaflói bay
64° magnetic lat
Ålesund
Art Nouveau coast, fjord archipelago
62° magnetic lat
Aviemore
Cairngorm plateau at 635m, Loch Morlich, Rothiemurchus
57° magnetic lat
Banff
Rocky Mountains, high-altitude dark sky
58° magnetic lat
Bergen
Gateway to the fjords
60° magnetic lat
Cairngorms
Dark-sky plateau above 1 000 m
57° magnetic lat
Calgary
Alberta, Ghost Reservoir and Kananaskis foothills
60° magnetic lat
Eiði
Risin og Kellingin sea stacks
62° magnetic lat
Fort Augustus
South end of Loch Ness, Great Glen dark sky
57° magnetic lat
Fort William
Gateway to the Great Glen and Nevis range
57° magnetic lat
Gásadalur
Múlafossur waterfall, clifftop village
62° magnetic lat
Golden Circle
Þingvellir, Geysir, Gullfoss
64° magnetic lat
Great Falls
North-central Montana, Missouri River plains
56° magnetic lat
Helsinki
Finnish capital
60° magnetic lat
Höfn
Southeast Iceland, glacier gateway, Vestrahorn mountain
64° magnetic lat
Inverness
Highland capital, dark-sky glens nearby
58° magnetic lat
Isle of Lewis
Callanish Standing Stones, Butt of Lewis
58° magnetic lat
Isle of Skye
Remote Highland island with clear north skies
57° magnetic lat
Jökulsárlón
Glacial lagoon, south coast
64° magnetic lat
Kristiansund
Atlantic coast, Grip island dark sky
63° magnetic lat
Lahemaa National Park
Käsmu peninsula and Altja coast, Bortle Class 2, Gulf of Finland
60° magnetic lat
Landmannalaugar
Rhyolite highland, Bortle Class 1
64° magnetic lat
Molde
City of roses, Romsdal fjord aurora
63° magnetic lat
Narva
Estonian-Russian border, twin castles, Narva-Jõesuu beach
59° magnetic lat
North Bay
Northern Ontario, Marten River dark sky, Lake Nipissing
58° magnetic lat
North Coast 500
Durness, Strathy Point — north-coast dark sky circuit
58° magnetic lat
Nova Scotia
Atlantic Canada, Kejimkujik Gold Tier Dark Sky Preserve
57° magnetic lat
Orkney Islands
Dark-sky archipelago north of mainland Scotland
59° magnetic lat
Outer Hebrides
Callanish, Luskentyre, Bortle Class 1-2
57° magnetic lat
Pärnu
Gulf of Riga resort, north beach dark sky, Kihnu island ferry
59° magnetic lat
Pitlochry
Highland Perthshire, Loch Tummel, Ben Vrackie moorland
57° magnetic lat
Quebec City
Quebec, Charlevoix biosphere and Laurentides reserve
57° magnetic lat
Saaremaa
Estonia's largest island, Harilaid Bortle Class 2, Angla windmills
58° magnetic lat
Saint John
New Brunswick, Fundy Trail Parkway and Fundy National Park
57° magnetic lat
Scottish Highlands
Glen Affric, Torridon, Assynt — remote Bortle 2 glens
58° magnetic lat
Selfoss
South Iceland, Golden Circle gateway
64° magnetic lat
Skagen
Denmark's northernmost tip, Grenen headland
58° magnetic lat
Sognefjord
Norway's longest fjord, Flåm and Balestrand
61° magnetic lat
Sudbury
Northern Ontario, 58°N magnetic, Killarney Provincial Park
58° magnetic lat
Tallinn
Lahemaa coast and Paldiski Peninsula
60° magnetic lat
Thunder Bay
Northwestern Ontario, Lake Superior north shore
57° magnetic lat
Tórshavn
Capital on Streymoy, Sornfelli summit
62° magnetic lat
Ullapool
Loch Broom, Achnahaird Bay, Assynt moorland dark sky
58° magnetic lat
Vancouver
BC coast, Golden Ears and Manning Provincial Park
58° magnetic lat
Vík
Reynisfjara black sand beach
64° magnetic lat
Winnipeg
Manitoba prairie capital, Lake Winnipeg dark sky
58° magnetic lat
Þórsmörk
Highland valley, seasonal access only
64° magnetic lat
Aalborg
North Jutland, Jammerbugten coast, Rebild National Park
57° magnetic lat
Argyll
Kilmartin Glen, Loch Awe, Sound of Jura
56° magnetic lat
Bozeman
Gallatin Valley, Yellowstone gateway, Montana
54° magnetic lat
Burlington
Lake Champlain, Vermont's largest city
53° magnetic lat
Cape Kolka
Northernmost Latvia, Slītere National Park, Bortle Class 2
58° magnetic lat
Duluth
Lake Superior north shore, Hawk Ridge
55° magnetic lat
Dumfries & Galloway
Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park
55° magnetic lat
Dundee
Angus coast, north-facing dark sky
56° magnetic lat
Edinburgh
Pentland Hills and East Lothian dark sky
56° magnetic lat
Galloway Forest
UK's first Dark Sky Park, IDA Gold Tier
55° magnetic lat
Glasgow
Loch Lomond dark sky 30 minutes north
55° magnetic lat
Isle of Man
Point of Ayre and Maughold Head, Irish Sea dark sky
54° magnetic lat
Jasper
Dark Sky Preserve, Alberta Rockies
53° magnetic lat
Jūrmala
Gulf of Riga beach resort, 20 minutes from Riga by train
57° magnetic lat
Marquette
Upper Peninsula, Presque Isle on Lake Superior
55° magnetic lat
Mayo
Achill Island, Mullet Peninsula, Wild Atlantic Way
54° magnetic lat
Michigan
Upper Peninsula, dark sky on Lake Superior
55° magnetic lat
Minneapolis
Twin Cities, Boundary Waters 4 hrs north
55° magnetic lat
Minnesota
Boundary Waters, best dark sky in the northern lower 48
56° magnetic lat
Montana
Glacier NP, Rocky Mountain aurora
55° magnetic lat
North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt NP, flat prairie horizon
58° magnetic lat
Oban
Argyll coast, Ganavan Sands, Loch Etive dark sky
56° magnetic lat
Ontario
Canada's most populous province - Killarney and Algonquin dark sky
56° magnetic lat
Oslo
Norwegian capital
59° magnetic lat
Perth
Kinnoull Hill, Loch Tummel, Glen Lyon dark sky
56° magnetic lat
Portland
Maine, Cape Elizabeth coast, Acadia 3 hrs north
53° magnetic lat
Prince George
Northern BC, dark boreal forest
55° magnetic lat
Riga
Cape Kolka and Gauja National Park
58° magnetic lat
Scottish Borders
Moorfoot Hills, Cheviot Hills, St Mary's Loch dark sky
55° magnetic lat
Seattle
Pacific Northwest, Hurricane Ridge and Cascades
54° magnetic lat
Šiauliai
Hill of Crosses foreground, northern Lithuania dark sky
56° magnetic lat
Sigulda
Gauja National Park, Turaida Castle, sandstone valley dark sky
57° magnetic lat
Sligo
Mullaghmore Head, Ben Bulben, Atlantic coast
54° magnetic lat
Stirling
Loch Lomond and Trossachs on the doorstep
56° magnetic lat
Stockholm
Swedish capital, strong storms only
59° magnetic lat
Tofino
Vancouver Island outer coast, Long Beach, Pacific Rim NP
54° magnetic lat
Whitefish
Glacier National Park gateway, NW Montana
55° magnetic lat
Wisconsin
Apostle Islands, Lake Superior north shore
56° magnetic lat
Yorkshire Dales
Ribblehead Viaduct, Malham Cove Dark Sky Discovery Site
54° magnetic lat
Southern hemisphere
Aurora australis locations visible in March. 7 in marginal condition.
Marginal conditions
Aurora australis is possible from these locations in March but not reliable. Nights are at the edge of sufficient darkness, and a clear sky with elevated Kp is required.
Fiordland
Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, Te Anau
58° magnetic lat
Lake Tekapo
Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve
56° magnetic lat
Stewart Island
Rakiura, NZ's southernmost inhabited island
59° magnetic lat
Ushuaia
World's southernmost city, Beagle Channel
55° magnetic lat
Dunedin
Otago Peninsula south coast
56° magnetic lat
Queenstown
Remarkables range, dark sky south of town
56° magnetic lat
Wānaka
Lone willow tree, Lake Wānaka
56° magnetic lat
No locations match your search.
Common questions
Northern lights viewing in March.
