Flanders, BelgiumMagnetic latitude 46.9°Population 63,66666 m above sea level
Can you see the northern lights in Genk?
Only severe geomagnetic storms (Kp 7.7 or more) bring the aurora into view from Genk — a few nights per solar cycle, low in the north. Since 1995 that level (Kp 7.7) was reached during darkness here on 35 nights.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 19:55.
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Too weak: Kp 2.7 expected, 7.7 needed here.
- Sky Overcast (77% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:55 to 06:52.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
- Detailed forecast Fri 16 2.7 No · Kp 2.7
- Sat 17 1.7 No · Kp 1.7
- Sun 18 1.7 No · Kp 1.7
- 27-day trend Mon 19 2 No · Kp 2
- Tue 20 3 No · Kp 3
- Wed 21 4 No · Kp 4
- Thu 22 4 No · Kp 4
- Fri 23 4 No · Kp 4
- Sat 24 3 No · Kp 3
- Sun 25 2 No · Kp 2
- Mon 26 2 No · Kp 2
- Tue 27 2 No · Kp 2
- Wed 28 2 No · Kp 2
- Thu 29 2 No · Kp 2
- Fri 30 5 No · Kp 5
- Sat 31 5 No · Kp 5
- Sun 1 5 No · Kp 5
- Mon 2 3 No · Kp 3
- Tue 3 2 No · Kp 2
- Wed 4 2 No · Kp 2
- Thu 5 3 No · Kp 3
- Fri 6 3 No · Kp 3
- Sat 7 3 No · Kp 3
Saturday 17 October — No · Kp 2.7 · Forecast cloud: 77%. · Reliability: good
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 18:15 local time
Unlikely
Best around 19:00. Forecast max Kp 2.7 (this place needs 7.7), average cloud 77%.
- Dark enough
- 19:55 – 06:52
- Sunset
- 18:43 · sunrise 08:04
- Moon
- 32% · ↑ 14:40 · ↓ 21:30
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 7.7
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 6 (a red glow low in the north).
- Look towards
- north (0°)
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
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What you would see from Genk
Facing north. 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 | -4° | -1° | 1,735 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | -3° | 1° | 1,512 km |
| 4 | Below the horizon | -1° | 3° | 1,290 km |
| 5 | Below the horizon | 1° | 6° | 1,068 km |
| 6 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 3° | 9° | 845 km |
| 7 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 7° | 15° | 623 km |
| 8 | Visible to the north | 13° | 24° | 400 km |
| 9 | Visible to the north | 30° | 47° | 178 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) camera in Genk Northern England, Denmark, northern Germany and Poland, the US Midwest — often clearer in photos than to the eye.
- Kp 7 Strong storm (G3) Most of the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czechia; red glow in photos from France and the northern Alps.
- Kp 8 Severe storm (G4) eye in Genk 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
Bright suburban sky. Strong sky glow washes out faint aurora. Head out of town for anything but a bright display.
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 Genk
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
Activity of Kp 7.7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 0% | 54% | 8.9 h | 11° / 21°C |
| October | 0% | 44% | 10.8 h | 8° / 16°C |
| November | 0% | 37% | 12.5 h | 4° / 10°C |
| December | 0% | 25% | 13.1 h | 1° / 6°C |
| January | 0.2% | 29% | 12.8 h | 0° / 5°C |
| February | 0% | 33% | 11.4 h | 0° / 7°C |
| March | 0.2% | 44% | 9.5 h | 2° / 11°C |
| April | 0% | 57% | 7.3 h | 5° / 15°C |
Aurora nights in Genk since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 7.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 20 January 2026 · Kp 7.7
- 19 January 2026 · Kp 8.7
- 11 November 2025 · Kp 8.7
- 16 April 2025 · Kp 7.7
- 10 October 2024 · Kp 8.7
- 11 May 2024 · Kp 7.7
- 10 May 2024 · Kp 9.0
- 23 March 2023 · Kp 8.0
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST) · 20 km
- Typical low / high in January
- 0° / 5°C
- What to wear
- Below freezing at night: thermal layers, a warm jacket, hat, gloves and winter boots. Full clothing guide
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Genk?
Only severe geomagnetic storms (Kp 7.7 or more) bring the aurora into view from Genk — a few nights per solar cycle, low in the north.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Genk?
Face north (about 0° from true north). At Kp 7.7 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 13° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
When is the aurora season in Genk?
Genk 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 Genk?
Strong sky glow washes out faint aurora. Head out of town for anything but a bright display.
When was the aurora last possible in Genk?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Genk needs, during darkness, was 20 January 2026 (Kp 7.7). It has happened on 35 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Genk share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Nieuwdak 1 km
- Kuilen 1 km
- Bretheide 1 km
- Winterslag 2 km
- Termien 2 km
- Oud Winterslag 2 km
- Langerlo 2 km
- Kamerlo 2 km
- Grote Hostart 2 km
- Gelieren 2 km
- Bret 2 km
- Zonhovenheide 3 km
- Waterbleek 3 km
- Terboekt 3 km
- Oud Waterschei 3 km
- Boksbergheide 3 km
- Wiemismeer 4 km
- Waterschei 4 km
- Stalen Heide 4 km
- Sledderlo 4 km
- Schemersberg 4 km
- Papendaal 4 km
- Provincie Limburg 4 km
- Kranevenne 4 km
- Klotbroek 4 km
- Klein Langerlo 4 km
- Horensberg 4 km
- Hoevenzavel 4 km
- Het Bovenste Broek 4 km
- Genkerhei 4 km
- Drijhoeven 4 km
- Aan de Wolfsberg 4 km
- Zwartberg 5 km
- Vlasberg 5 km
- Hulsken 5 km
- Horenszee 5 km
- Het Wik 5 km
- Grote Heide 5 km
- De Vennen 5 km
- De Maten 5 km