Can you see the northern lights from where you are?
Almost everywhere can, given a strong enough storm. What changes from place to place is how often, how high in the sky, and what Kp index it takes. These pages answer that for the places people ask about most.
Europe
Iceland
The whole island sits under the oval.
Kp 0 · most clear nights
Norway
Northern Norway from Bodo upward is inside the oval.
Kp 2 · very often
Finland
Finnish Lapland north of Rovaniemi, and the fells around Kilpisjarvi.
Kp 3 · often
Sweden
Swedish Lapland, and Abisko in particular, which sits in a rain shadow that keeps its skies clear.
Kp 3 · often
Scotland
Shetland and Orkney are the best of it, then Caithness and the north Sutherland coast.
Kp 4 · 40 to 80 nights a year
Denmark
The north Jutland coast around Skagen, looking out over the sea.
Kp 6 · 5 to 20 nights a year
England
Northumberland, the North York Moors and the Lake District, all Dark Sky areas facing north.
Kp 6 · 5 to 20 nights a year
Ireland
Malin Head in Donegal and the north Antrim coast face open water with almost no light behind them.
Kp 6 · 5 to 20 nights a year
Germany
The Baltic coast and the northern plains, and only during severe storms.
Kp 8 · once every year or two
Switzerland
High Alpine passes with a northern view, during major storms only.
Kp 9 · a few times a solar cycle
United States
Fairbanks
Murphy Dome, Cleary Summit and Ester Dome all sit above the town lights.
Kp 1 · most clear nights
Anchorage
Point Woronzof and Glen Alps look away from the city glow.
Kp 3 · often
Minnesota
The Boundary Waters and the North Shore of Lake Superior are among the darkest skies in the lower 48.
Kp 5 · 20 to 40 nights a year
Maine
Aroostook County, Baxter State Park and the Moosehead Lake region sit far enough north and dark enough to catch moderate storms.
Kp 6 · 5 to 20 nights a year
Michigan
The Keweenaw Peninsula and the Lake Superior shore, plus the Headlands Dark Sky Park near Mackinaw City.
Kp 6 · 5 to 20 nights a year
North Dakota
Open prairie in every direction and very little light pollution, particularly around Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Kp 6 · 5 to 20 nights a year
Bozeman
The Bridger and Gallatin valleys north of town, and Hyalite Canyon once you are past the ridgeline.
Kp 7 · 1 to 5 nights a year
Montana
Glacier National Park is an International Dark Sky Park, and the Hi-Line prairie along the Canadian border is darker still.
Kp 7 · 1 to 5 nights a year
New York
The Adirondacks and the Tug Hill plateau, not the city.
Kp 7 · 1 to 5 nights a year
Rochester, NY
The Lake Ontario shore north of the city, looking out over open water with the light dome behind you.
Kp 7 · 1 to 5 nights a year
Seattle
You will need to leave the city.
Kp 7 · 1 to 5 nights a year
Spokane
North of the city toward Mount Spokane, away from the valley light.
Kp 7 · 1 to 5 nights a year
Vermont
The Northeast Kingdom, especially around Lake Willoughby and the Canadian border.
Kp 7 · 1 to 5 nights a year
Washington
The Methow Valley and the eastern side of the Cascades, away from the coastal cloud.
Kp 7 · 1 to 5 nights a year
Wisconsin
The Northwoods and the Lake Superior shore around Bayfield and the Apostle Islands.
Kp 7 · 1 to 5 nights a year
Chicago
The lakefront looking north, or better, north into Wisconsin away from the light dome.
Kp 8 · once every year or two
Idaho
The Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve is one of the darkest certified areas in North America.
Kp 8 · once every year or two
Rhode Island
The southern coast at Point Judith and Block Island, looking north over water and away from the Providence glow.
Kp 8 · once every year or two
South Dakota
The Black Hills and Badlands National Park, both of which hold genuinely dark skies with an open northern horizon.
Kp 8 · once every year or two
Arizona
The Colorado Plateau and the dark skies around Flagstaff, during severe storms only.
Kp 9 · a few times a solar cycle
Indiana
Northern Indiana toward the Michigan line, and the Indiana Dunes on Lake Michigan.
Kp 9 · a few times a solar cycle
Maryland
Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore, looking north across open water.
Kp 9 · a few times a solar cycle
Missouri
Northern Missouri farmland, though this is close to the practical southern limit.
Kp 9 · a few times a solar cycle
Nebraska
The Sandhills in the north of the state hold genuinely dark skies.
Kp 9 · a few times a solar cycle
Ohio
The Lake Erie shoreline north of Cleveland and Toledo gives the only genuinely open northern horizon in the state.
Kp 9 · a few times a solar cycle
Oregon
Central and eastern Oregon, well away from the Willamette Valley glow.
Kp 9 · a few times a solar cycle
Utah
Northern Utah and the Bear Lake area, though Utah is far enough south that this needs a major storm.
Kp 9 · a few times a solar cycle
Virginia
Shenandoah and the western ridges, and only during severe storms.
Kp 9 · a few times a solar cycle
Wyoming
The Bighorn Basin and the plains north of Casper, with an unbroken northern horizon.
Kp 9 · a few times a solar cycle
Canada
Canada
Most of the country sits under or near the oval.
Kp 2 · very often
Quebec
North of the St Lawrence, and anywhere in the Saguenay or further north.
Kp 3 · often
Ontario
Northern Ontario and the Lake Superior shore, well away from the Windsor to Ottawa corridor.
Kp 4 · 40 to 80 nights a year
Banff
Lake Minnewanka, Vermilion Lakes and Bow Lake all give an open northern horizon with water to reflect the display.
Kp 5 · 20 to 40 nights a year
Newfoundland
The Great Northern Peninsula and anywhere on the north coast.
Kp 5 · 20 to 40 nights a year
Vancouver
Get away from the city.
Kp 6 · 5 to 20 nights a year
Nova Scotia
The Northumberland Shore and Cape Breton, looking north over water.
Kp 7 · 1 to 5 nights a year
Toronto
Not from the city itself.
Kp 7 · 1 to 5 nights a year
How aurora visibility works
During an ordinary active night the aurora stays above about 60° magnetic latitude. A Kp 6 storm pushes it to roughly 54°, which reaches northern Britain, Maine and Montana. Extreme storms at Kp 8 or 9 have taken it to the Mediterranean and the southern United States, but that happens a handful of times per solar cycle.
Because the magnetic north pole sits over the Canadian Arctic rather than the geographic pole. That tilts the auroral oval toward North America, so Banff at 51°N behaves like somewhere near 58°N in Europe. Magnetic latitude is what decides visibility, not the number on a map.
Subtract roughly 2° of magnetic latitude for each step of Kp above 0, starting from about 66°. So Kp 3 reaches 60°, Kp 6 reaches 54°, Kp 9 reaches 48°. Find your magnetic latitude rather than your geographic one, then match it to that scale.
Yes, but near the southern edge of the oval a camera will see it well before your eyes do. At the limit the aurora reads as a faint grey-green glow low on the northern horizon, while a few seconds of exposure renders it as a clear green band. Both are the same light.