Global aurora forecast

Northern Lights and Southern Lights

The aurora appears in oval-shaped bands around Earth's magnetic poles. When geomagnetic storms intensify, that oval expands toward lower latitudes — bringing the Northern Lights to Iceland, Norway, Canada, and the northern United States, or the Aurora Australis to Tasmania, southern New Zealand, Patagonia, and Antarctica-facing coasts. Your latitude, local weather, and moonlight all matter as much as the KP index on the screen.

What the app shows for your location

• Live planetary K-index and short-term KP forecast from NOAA SWPC
• NOAA OVATION aurora visibility heatmap for both hemispheres
• Solar wind speed, Bt, and Bz — key drivers of aurora intensification
• Local temperature and cloud cover for your chosen city or coordinates
• Optional Aurora Now and proximity alerts when conditions suit your location

Popular chase regions worldwide

Northern hemisphere: Iceland, northern Norway and Finland, Scotland, Canada (Yukon, Alberta, Manitoba), and Alaska are classic aurora zones. During strong G3+ storms, aurora can reach the northern tier of the continental United States and northern Europe.

Southern hemisphere: Tasmania, southern New Zealand, southern Chile and Argentina, and Antarctica expedition routes are common Australis destinations. Mid-latitude southern observers need stronger storms than Arctic circle chasers.

Read our guide on what KP index you need to see the aurora for practical thresholds by latitude and how Bz fits in.

Where the forecast data comes from

Forecasts use public NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center products, including the OVATION aurora model and near-real-time solar wind from the L1 point. See the full data sources and attribution page.