New South Wales, AustraliaMagnetic latitude 41.2°Population 16,35930 m above sea level
Can you see the southern lights in Taree?
From Taree the aurora is too low for the naked eye except in the most extreme storms, but in severe storms (about Kp 7.3 or more) cameras record a red glow low in the south. Strong enough for photos on 50 nights since 1995 — most recently on 10 October 2026.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 20:01.
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Too weak: Kp 3.3 expected, 7.3 needed here.
- Sky Overcast (88% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 20:01 to 05:06. A bright moon (79%) washes out faint displays.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
Friday 23 October — No · Kp 2.3 · Forecast cloud: 99%. · Reliability: medium
Each box is one night: the colour shows the chance, the number the expected Kp. Tap a night for details.
📅 Add these nights to your calendar — it updates itself (.ics)
How far ahead can the northern lights be forecast?
- Minutes to an hour: satellites 1.5 million km away measure the solar wind before it reaches Earth. This is the surest warning — the “Right now” box uses it.
- 1–3 days: when the Sun throws out a cloud of particles, it takes one to three days to arrive. NOAA's 3-hourly forecast covers these nights; the timing can still be off by a few hours.
- 4–27 days: the Sun turns once every 27 days, and regions that disturbed Earth's field last time often do it again. NOAA's 27-day outlook gives this rough trend — new eruptions are not in it yet.
Tonight
Updated 05:48 local time
Unlikely
Best around 05:00. Forecast max Kp 3.3 (this place needs 9+), average cloud 88%.
- Dark enough
- 20:01 – 05:06
- Sunset
- 19:06 · sunrise 06:02
- Moon
- 79% · ↑ 15:07 · ↓ 03:31
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 9+
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 7.3 (a red glow low in the south).
- Look towards
- south (188°)
Cloud layers and weather
Low cloud blocks the aurora completely. Thin high cloud often still lets a bright aurora shine through, so a sky with only high cloud is worth a look.
| Time | Thu, 20 | Thu, 23 | Fri, 02 | Fri, 20 | Fri, 23 | Sat, 02 | Sat, 20 | Sat, 23 | Sun, 02 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 47% | 54% | 53% | 26% | 18% | 24% | 11% | 21% | 20% |
| Mid cloud | 62% | 51% | 58% | 17% | 13% | 13% | 18% | 25% | 19% |
| High cloud | 75% | 47% | 37% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Temperature | 17 °C | 16 °C | 16 °C | 19 °C | 16 °C | 14 °C | 21 °C | 18 °C | 16 °C |
| Feels like | 17 °C | 16 °C | 16 °C | 19 °C | 16 °C | 14 °C | 21 °C | 18 °C | 16 °C |
| Wind | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 0 m/s | 0 m/s | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 0 m/s |
Cloud layers and weather: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
Weather in Taree
The aurora only shows through clear skies, so the weather matters as much as the Kp index. Here is the general forecast for Taree: temperature, wind and the chance of rain for the coming days.
Planning further ahead? See the hour-by-hour weather forecast for Taree on Atlas of Seasons.
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What you would see from Taree
Facing south. Bands show where the aurora sits at two activity levels.
| Kp | What you see | Lower edge | Ray tops | Distance to the aurora |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Below the horizon | -8° | -6° | 2,369 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | -7° | -4° | 2,146 km |
| 4 | Below the horizon | -6° | -3° | 1,924 km |
| 5 | Below the horizon | -4° | -1° | 1,701 km |
| 6 | Below the horizon | -3° | 1° | 1,479 km |
| 7 | Below the horizon | -1° | 3° | 1,257 km |
| 8 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 1° | 6° | 1,034 km |
| 9 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 4° | 10° | 812 km |
The Kp scale in plain words
Kp is a 0–9 score for how strongly the Earth's magnetic field is being shaken by the solar wind. The higher it goes, the further from the poles the northern lights reach. Kp 0–2 is a quiet night; Kp 5 and above is a geomagnetic storm.
- Kp 0–2 Quiet Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
- Kp 3 Unsettled next 24 h Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
- Kp 4 Active Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
- Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
- Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) Northern England, Denmark, northern Germany and Poland, the US Midwest — often clearer in photos than to the eye.
- Kp 7 Strong storm (G3) camera in Taree Most of the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czechia; red glow in photos from France and the northern Alps.
- Kp 8 Severe storm (G4) Central Europe to the eye; red sky in photos from northern Italy, Spain, the Balkans and Turkey's Black Sea coast.
- Kp 9 Extreme storm (G5) Seen across Europe and the US; in photos as far south as the Mediterranean, Turkey and North Africa (May 2024).
Light pollution
Suburban sky. Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference.
Estimate from NASA VIIRS night-light data (sky-glow model within 50 km). Check access and private land before you go.
Hills and mountains
Terrain is not modelled for this place.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Taree
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
Activity of Kp 9+ or more is too rare here for monthly odds to be meaningful. The table still shows how often nights are clear and dark.
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 0% | 61% | 9.8 h | 16° / 25°C |
| April | 0% | 75% | 10.9 h | 13° / 22°C |
| May | 0% | 73% | 11.6 h | 10° / 18°C |
| June | 0% | 70% | 11.9 h | 8° / 15°C |
| July | 0% | 74% | 11.8 h | 6° / 15°C |
| August | 0% | 81% | 11.3 h | 7° / 17°C |
| September | 0% | 78% | 10.3 h | 10° / 21°C |
| October | 0% | 65% | 9.1 h | 12° / 24°C |
Nights when Taree could catch it in photos
Since 1995, nights with Kp 7.3 or more while it was dark here — a red or green glow low on the horizon.
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.3
- 20 January 2026 · Kp 7.7
- 12 November 2025 · Kp 7.7
- 1 June 2025 · Kp 7.3
- 16 April 2025 · Kp 7.7
- 1 January 2025 · Kp 8.0
- 11 October 2024 · Kp 7.7
- 10 October 2024 · Kp 7.7
- 12 August 2024 · Kp 8.0
- 28 June 2024 · Kp 7.7
- 11 May 2024 · Kp 9.0
- 10 May 2024 · Kp 8.7
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Port Macquarie Airport (PQQ) · 66 km
Newcastle Airport (NTL) · 114 km - Typical low / high in January
- 18° / 29°C
- What to wear
- Cool nights: layers, a windproof jacket, hat and gloves for standing still outside. Full clothing guide
- Emergency number
- 000 (112 also works from mobile phones)
- Winter driving
- Under Victoria's Alpine Resorts (Management) Regulations 2020, every vehicle entering Falls Creek, Mt Baw Baw, Mt Buller, Mt Hotham and Mt Stirling must carry fitting wheel chains during the declared snow season (2026: 7 June - 4 October). Check VicTraffic for live Victorian road disruptions; in Tasmania, elevated roads get snow and ice in winter and closures are posted via Tasmania Police alerts / TasALERT. Road conditions
- Access to land
- Most Tasmanian national parks require a valid Parks & Wildlife Service parks pass per vehicle (24-hour, holiday/8-week, annual options; Cradle Mountain excluded from the 24-hour pass). Check land tenure before parking at night and respect any local closures.
- Official space-weather service
- Bureau of Meteorology Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre (Aurora Watch/Alert/Outlook)
- Weather service
- Bureau of Meteorology
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Taree?
From Taree the aurora is too low for the naked eye except in the most extreme storms, but in severe storms (about Kp 7.3 or more) cameras record a red glow low in the south.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Taree?
Around Taree the aurora is often right overhead. Start by facing south, but look up and all around — in strong storms it can fill the whole sky and even appear behind you.
When is the aurora season in Taree?
Taree gets dark enough for the aurora all year round, though the long winter nights give the most hours to watch.
Is there much light pollution in Taree?
Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Taree share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Chatham 3 km
- Glenthorne 3 km
- Taree South 3 km
- Kolodong 4 km
- Purfleet 4 km
- Tinonee 5 km
- Nirrim 6 km
- Cundletown 7 km
- Pampoolah 8 km
- Wingham 9 km
- Sidebottom 9 km
- Koorainghat 9 km
- Ghinni Ghinni 9 km
- Oxley Island 11 km
- Bohnock 11 km
- Kiwarric 12 km
- Hillview 12 km
- Rainbow Flat 14 km
- Old Bar 14 km
- Mottram 14 km
- Croki 14 km
- Cedar Party Creek 14 km
- Wallabi Point 14 km
- Mitchells Island 15 km
- Burrell Creek 15 km
- Killawarra 16 km
- Farquhar Park 16 km
- Lansdowne 16 km
- Karaak Flat 16 km
- Dingo Creek 17 km
- Marlee 18 km
- Langley Vale 18 km
- Coopernook 18 km
- Central Lansdowne 18 km
- Strathcedar 18 km
- Manning Point 19 km
- Killabakh Creek 20 km
- Harrington 20 km
- Kundibakh 21 km
- Upper Lansdowne 22 km