is the aurora visible?

Northern lights in Tromsø in January

A solid choice — 32% of January nights offer a real viewing window.

32%of nights offer a window
12 hof darkness per night
95%of days with enough solar activity
34%of nights with a clear hour

The numbers behind it: January nights in Tromsø average about 12 dark hours, geomagnetic activity reaches local viewing levels on 95% of days, and 34% of nights offer at least one reasonably clear hour after dark.

The sky itself is the main obstacle in January — clouds spoil more nights than quiet solar activity does. Build in spare nights, and be ready to drive toward whatever gap the cloud forecast shows.

Numbers come from 1996–2025 Kp records (GFZ Potsdam) and 2015–2024 hourly cloud history for Tromsø itself — the full method is on the methodology page. Travelling soon? Check tonight's live Tromsø forecast.

January against the rest of the year

  1. Jan32% of nights
  2. Feb27% of nights
  3. Mar29% of nights
  4. Apr15% of nights
  5. Maymidnight sun
  6. Junmidnight sun
  7. Julmidnight sun
  8. Aug3% of nights
  9. Sep28% of nights
  10. Oct33% of nights
  11. Nov26% of nights
  12. Dec21% of nights

December in Tromsø · February in Tromsø · full year overview

January elsewhere under the oval