Ontario, CanadaMagnetic latitude 53.0°Population 1,214237 m above sea level
Northern lights in Cookstown
Cookstown needs an active night: from about Kp 4.7 the aurora appears low over the north horizon, and it rises higher as activity grows. Since 1995 that level (Kp 4.7) was reached during darkness here on 966 nights.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 19:35.
Latest measured half-hour activity worldwide: Hp30 1.3.
Updates every minute while this page is open. Ground data: GFZ Potsdam Hp30 index (CC BY 4.0).
Tonight in one minute
Only in photos, if at all
- Solar activity Enough for a camera: Kp 4 expected, 3 needed for photos, 4.7 for the eye.
- Sky Partly cloudy (45% cloud) — look for gaps.
- Darkness Dark from 19:35 to 06:33.
What to do: Point a phone in night mode north (3–10 s exposure). A red or green glow often shows on the screen before you can see it.
- Detailed forecast Fri 16 4 Photos only · Kp 4
- Sat 17 1.7 No · Kp 1.7
- 27-day trend Sun 18 2 No · Kp 2
- Mon 19 2 No · Kp 2
- Tue 20 3 Photos only · Kp 3
- Wed 21 4 Photos only · Kp 4
- Thu 22 4 Photos only · Kp 4
- Fri 23 4 Photos only · Kp 4
- Sat 24 3 Photos only · 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 Good chance · Kp 5
- Sat 31 5 Good chance · Kp 5
- Sun 1 5 Good chance · Kp 5
- Mon 2 3 Photos only · Kp 3
- Tue 3 2 No · Kp 2
- Wed 4 2 No · Kp 2
- Thu 5 3 Photos only · Kp 3
- Fri 6 3 Photos only · Kp 3
- Sat 7 3 Photos only · Kp 3
Saturday 31 October — Good chance · Kp 5 · best around 00:30 · No cloud forecast this far ahead; in October about 49% of nights are clear here. · Reliability: low (rough trend)
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 19:16 local time
Possible
Best around 20:00. Forecast max Kp 4.0 (this place needs 4.7), average cloud 45%.
- Dark enough
- 19:35 – 06:33
- Sunset
- 18:32 · sunrise 07:36
- Moon
- 34% · ↑ 13:51 · ↓ 22:04
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 4.7
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 3 (a red glow low in the north).
- Look towards
- north (352°)
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 | Fri, 19 | Fri, 22 | Sat, 01 | Sat, 04 | Sat, 19 | Sat, 22 | Sun, 01 | Sun, 04 | Sun, 19 | Sun, 22 | Mon, 01 | Mon, 04 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 100% | 0% | 8% | 1% | 66% | 3% | 44% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Mid cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| High cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| Temperature | 6 °C | 4 °C | 2 °C | 0 °C | 5 °C | 2 °C | 2 °C | 2 °C | 9 °C | 7 °C | 5 °C | 5 °C |
| Feels like | 2 °C | -1 °C | -3 °C | -6 °C | 2 °C | -1 °C | -1 °C | -2 °C | 5 °C | 3 °C | 1 °C | 1 °C |
| Wind | 5 m/s | 7 m/s | 6 m/s | 6 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s |
| Visibility | 17 km | 18 km | 18 km | 20 km | 25 km | 15 km | 15 km | 14 km | 24 km | 24 km | 24 km | 24 km |
Cloud layers and weather: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
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What you would see from Cookstown
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 | 1° | 6° | 1,056 km |
| 3 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 3° | 10° | 834 km |
| 4 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 7° | 15° | 612 km |
| 5 | Visible to the north | 13° | 25° | 389 km |
| 6 | Visible to the north | 31° | 49° | 167 km |
| 7 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 8 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 9 | Overhead, and also to the south | – | – | – |
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 camera in Cookstown Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
- Kp 4 Active next 24 h Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
- Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) eye in Cookstown 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) 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
Rural to suburban. Some sky glow from nearby lights. Moderate displays are fine; faint ones are easier a few kilometres out.
A noticeably darker area starts about 20 km to the west-north-west. Open in OpenStreetMap
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 Cookstown
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
September has been the best month (7% of nights), followed by March (4%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 7% | 67% | 9.1 h | 11° / 23°C |
| October | 4% | 49% | 10.9 h | 5° / 15°C |
| November | 1% | 35% | 12.0 h | -1° / 6°C |
| December | 0.9% | 18% | 12.6 h | -7° / 0°C |
| January | 0.9% | 27% | 12.4 h | -11° / -4°C |
| February | 1% | 26% | 11.4 h | -11° / -3°C |
| March | 4% | 45% | 9.9 h | -6° / 3°C |
| April | 3% | 48% | 8.3 h | 0° / 10°C |
Aurora nights in Cookstown since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 4.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 4 October 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 3 October 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 7 September 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 3 July 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 24 June 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 18 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 17 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 2 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Barrie-Lake Simcoe Regional Airport (YLK) · 35 km
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) · 57 km - Typical low / high in September
- 11° / 23°C
- What to wear
- Cool nights: layers, a windproof jacket, hat and gloves for standing still outside. Full clothing guide
- Emergency number
- 911
- Winter driving
- Rules are provincial: Québec requires winter tyres (mountain-snowflake symbol or studded) on Québec-registered vehicles Dec 1–Mar 15, and BC requires winter tyres or chains on signed routes Oct 1–Mar 31 (to Apr 30 on mountain passes/high-snowfall routes); road conditions via 511 Yukon (511yukon.ca), DriveNWT (drivenwt.ca), 511 Alberta, Manitoba 511 (manitoba511.ca) and DriveBC. Road conditions
- Access to land
- There is no national right to roam; private land requires the owner's permission, while national/provincial parks and Crown land are generally accessible subject to park rules, which vary by province and territory.
- Official space-weather service
- Space Weather Canada (Natural Resources Canada)
- Weather service
- Environment and Climate Change Canada (weather.gc.ca)
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Cookstown?
Cookstown needs an active night: from about Kp 4.7 the aurora appears low over the north horizon, and it rises higher as activity grows.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Cookstown?
Face north (about 352° from true north). At Kp 4.7 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 13° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Cookstown?
Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Cookstown (7% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by March (4%).
When is the aurora season in Cookstown?
Cookstown 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 Cookstown?
Some sky glow from nearby lights. Moderate displays are fine; faint ones are easier a few kilometres out. A noticeably darker area starts about 20 km to the west-north-west.
When was the aurora last possible in Cookstown?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Cookstown needs, during darkness, was 4 October 2026 (Kp 5.0). It has happened on 966 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Cookstown share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Pinkerton 6 km