is the aurora visible?

Yellowknife tonight: Good chance

Clouds are the problem

7.5/10

Tonight, hour by hour (local time)

  1. 18:00Kp 6
  2. 21:00Kp 5
  3. 00:00Kp 4
  4. 03:00Kp 4
  • Dark skyDark sky: 100%
    How dark the sky gets at the best moment tonight — the sun must sit well below the horizon. Midnight sun drags this to zero, polar night keeps it at 100%.
  • Solar activitySolar activity: 100%
    Forecast geomagnetic activity (Kp) measured against what this location needs for overhead aurora. Full bar means the oval should reach you.
  • Clear skyClear sky: 75% — tonight’s weak spot
    How much sky the clouds leave open. Low cloud blocks the view completely; thin, high cirrus only softens it.
  • MoonlightMoonlight: 100%
    A bright moon above the horizon washes out faint detail. It dims a display, but never hides a strong one.

Forecast assembled 16:18 UTC. Refreshes every 30 minutes.

The next seven nights

  1. Tonight7.5 
  2. Sun 11 Oct6.4 
  3. Mon 12 Oct9.9rough estimate
  4. Tue 13 Oct9.8rough estimate
  5. Wed 14 Oct7.8rough estimate
  6. Thu 15 Oct6.2rough estimate

The first three nights use NOAA's detailed Kp forecast. Beyond that, scores lean on the rougher 27-day outlook — treat them as a tendency, not a promise. Planning further ahead? See the best time of year for Yellowknife.

Conditions right now

2°CAir temperature
1 km/hWind
84%Cloud cover now

The highest aurora odds in North America

Yellowknife’s geomagnetic latitude is the highest of any easily reached aurora city — the oval sits overhead almost every night. Add the flat, dry subarctic interior of Canada’s Northwest Territories and you get legendary sighting rates.

Where to watch from

Check the sky yourself

Live cameras near Yellowknife:

Common questions

How often is the aurora visible in Yellowknife?

Local operators cite sightings on 90%+ of clear winter nights across a 3-night stay — the oval is essentially overhead, so even Kp 0-1 produces displays.

Why does Yellowknife beat places further north?

The auroral oval is a ring around the geomagnetic pole, not the geographic one — Yellowknife sits almost directly beneath it, while much of the high Arctic is actually too far north.

Autumn or winter?

Two seasons: late August-September (milder, lakes unfrozen) and mid-November-early April (cold, driest skies). October is cloudier during freeze-up.