AuroraMeteo
EN

Canada208 places

Northern Lights in British Columbia, Canada

In British Columbia the aurora is visible from about Kp 0, first near Fort St. John. Hanceville has the darkest skies among the larger places.

Next chance in British Columbia

Saturday 17 October, around 21:30

Good chance · Fort St. John · Reliability: medium

PlaceKp neededKp for photosLook towardsLight pollutionPopulation
Fort St. John 0.3 0 NNE City sky 21,465
Dawson Creek 0.7 0 NNE Suburban sky 12,323
Prince George 1.7 0 NNE City sky 78,943
Terrace 2 0.3 NNE Suburban sky 19,443
Prince Rupert 2.3 0.7 NNE Rural to suburban 14,708
Salmon Arm 3 1.3 NNE Suburban sky 19,432
Williams Lake 3 1.3 NNE Suburban sky 14,168
Kelowna 3.3 1.7 NNE Bright suburban sky 144,576
Kamloops 3.3 1.7 NNE Suburban sky 104,460
Vernon 3.3 1.7 NNE Bright suburban sky 40,116
West Kelowna 3.3 1.7 NNE Bright suburban sky 28,793
Cranbrook 3.3 1.7 NNE Suburban sky 20,047
Lake Country 3.3 1.7 NNE Bright suburban sky 15,817
Hanceville 3.3 1.7 NNE Pristine dark sky 10,000
Penticton 3.7 2 NNE Bright suburban sky 33,761
Summerland 3.7 2 NNE Bright suburban sky 11,615
Coldstream 3.7 2 NNE Dark rural sky 11,171
Vancouver 4 2.3 NNE City sky 662,248
Surrey 4 2.3 NNE Bright suburban sky 568,322
Burnaby 4 2.3 NNE Bright suburban sky 249,125
Richmond 4 2.3 NNE City sky 209,937
Coquitlam 4 2.3 NNE Bright suburban sky 148,625
Abbotsford 4 2.3 NNE Bright suburban sky 141,397
Langley 4 2.3 NNE Bright suburban sky 132,603
Chilliwack 4 2.3 NNE Bright suburban sky 101,491
Maple Ridge 4 2.3 NNE Bright suburban sky 82,256
New Westminster 4 2.3 NNE City sky 78,916
Fleetwood 4 2.3 NNE City sky 65,565
Port Coquitlam 4 2.3 NNE City sky 58,000
Mission 4 2.3 NNE Bright suburban sky 41,519
Strawberry Hill 4 2.3 NNE City sky 41,000
Campbell River 4 2.3 NNE Suburban sky 33,430
Victoria-Fraserview 4 2.3 NNE City sky 31,065
Courtenay 4 2.3 NNE Bright suburban sky 28,420
Squamish 4 2.3 NNE Suburban sky 23,819
Riley Park 4 2.3 NNE City sky 22,555
Pitt Meadows 4 2.3 NNE Bright suburban sky 18,573
Burquitlam 4 2.3 NNE Bright suburban sky 14,896
Comox 4 2.3 NNE Rural to suburban 14,806
Powell River 4 2.3 NNE Suburban sky 13,157
Aldergrove 4 2.3 NNE Suburban sky 12,363
Clayburn 4 2.3 NNE Suburban sky 11,755
Nelson 4 2.3 NNE Rural to suburban 10,664
Saanich 4.3 2.7 NNE Dark rural sky 117,735
Delta 4.3 2.7 NNE Bright suburban sky 101,668
Nanaimo 4.3 2.7 NNE Suburban sky 90,504
North Vancouver 4.3 2.7 NNE City sky 88,168
West Vancouver 4.3 2.7 NNE Suburban sky 45,487
Port Moody 4.3 2.7 NNE City sky 27,512
White Rock 4.3 2.7 NNE Suburban sky 23,670
Duncan 4.3 2.7 NNE Bright suburban sky 22,199
Port Alberni 4.3 2.7 NNE Bright suburban sky 20,712
Oak Bay 4.3 2.7 NNE Rural to suburban 18,015
Central Saanich 4.3 2.7 NNE Suburban sky 17,385
Sidney 4.3 2.7 NNE Suburban sky 12,318
Parksville 4.3 2.7 NNE Suburban sky 12,000
North Saanich 4.3 2.7 NNE Rural to suburban 11,089
Victoria 4.7 3 NNE Bright suburban sky 289,625
Langford 4.7 3 NNE Bright suburban sky 46,584
Esquimalt 4.7 3 NNE Bright suburban sky 17,655
Colwood 4.7 3 NNE Rural to suburban 16,859
Sooke 4.7 3 NNE Rural to suburban 15,086
View Royal 4.7 3 NNE Suburban sky 11,575
Tillicum 4.7 3 NNE Bright suburban sky 10,080
North Cowichan 5.3 3.7 NNE Dark rural sky 29,676

Best months in British Columbia

Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.

August has been the best month (54% of nights), followed by September (50%).

0%20%40%60% July: 21% Jul August: 54% Aug September: 50% Sept October: 36% Oct November: 32% Nov December: 44% Dec January: 40% Jan February: 49% Feb March: 47% Mar April: 49% Apr May: 35% May – Jun
All years Near solar maximum Near solar minimum
  1. Kp 0–2 Quiet eye in Fort St. John camera in Fort St. John Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
  2. Kp 3 Unsettled Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
  3. Kp 4 Active Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
  4. Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
  5. Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) Northern England, Denmark, northern Germany and Poland, the US Midwest — often clearer in photos than to the eye.
  6. Kp 7 Strong storm (G3) Most of the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czechia; red glow in photos from France and the northern Alps.
  7. 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.
  8. 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).

The town pages in this region also cover 634 villages and districts nearby.

Smaller places