Ontario, CanadaMagnetic latitude 53.2°Population 48,82159 m above sea level
Northern lights in Cornwall
Cornwall needs an active night: from about Kp 4.7 the aurora appears low over the north-north-west horizon, and it rises higher as activity grows. Since 1995 that level (Kp 4.7) was reached during darkness here on 984 nights.
Right now
Quiet right now (Kp 0.0).
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 (47% cloud) — look for gaps.
- Darkness Dark from 19:15 to 06:13.
What to do: Point a phone in night mode north-north-west (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
- Sun 18 1.7 No · Kp 1.7
- 27-day trend 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 00:00 · No cloud forecast this far ahead; in October about 53% 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 20:37 local time
Possible
Best around 22:00. Forecast max Kp 4.0 (this place needs 4.7), average cloud 47%.
- Dark enough
- 19:15 – 06:13
- Sunset
- 18:12 · sunrise 07:17
- Moon
- 35% · ↑ 14:16 · ↓ 21:39
- 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-north-west).
- Look towards
- north-north-west (348°)
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, 20 | Fri, 23 | Sat, 02 | Sat, 05 | Sat, 20 | Sat, 23 | Sun, 02 | Sun, 05 | Sun, 20 | Sun, 23 | Mon, 02 | Mon, 05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 100% | 100% | 12% | 6% | 1% | 0% | 100% | 45% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Mid cloud | 100% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| High cloud | 7% | 5% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 5% | 5% | 5% |
| Temperature | 7 °C | 5 °C | 4 °C | 2 °C | 1 °C | 0 °C | 1 °C | 2 °C | 7 °C | 5 °C | 5 °C | 4 °C |
| Feels like | 3 °C | 2 °C | -1 °C | -3 °C | -3 °C | -4 °C | -3 °C | -2 °C | 3 °C | 1 °C | 1 °C | 1 °C |
| Wind | 5 m/s | 3 m/s | 4 m/s | 4 m/s | 2 m/s | 3 m/s | 4 m/s | 3 m/s | 4 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s |
| Visibility | 17 km | 17 km | 17 km | 19 km | 22 km | 19 km | 18 km | 17 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 Cornwall
Facing north-north-west. 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° | 1,034 km |
| 3 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 4° | 10° | 812 km |
| 4 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 7° | 16° | 589 km |
| 5 | Visible to the north-north-west | 14° | 27° | 367 km |
| 6 | Visible to the north-north-west | 35° | 53° | 145 km |
| 7 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 8 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 9 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-east | – | – | – |
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 Cornwall 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 Cornwall 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
Bright suburban sky. Strong sky glow washes out faint aurora. Head out of town for anything but a bright display.
A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the south-south-east. 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
The horizon towards the north-north-west is open (terrain below 0.2°), so low aurora is not blocked.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Cornwall
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 (5%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 7% | 66% | 9.1 h | 11° / 23°C |
| October | 4% | 53% | 10.9 h | 5° / 15°C |
| November | 2% | 42% | 12.0 h | -2° / 7°C |
| December | 0.8% | 35% | 12.6 h | -9° / -1°C |
| January | 2% | 47% | 12.4 h | -13° / -4°C |
| February | 4% | 56% | 11.4 h | -13° / -3°C |
| March | 5% | 56% | 9.9 h | -7° / 4°C |
| April | 4% | 52% | 8.1 h | 1° / 12°C |
Aurora nights in Cornwall 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
- 7 September 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 3 July 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 24 June 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 15 May 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 18 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 17 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 2 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Massena International Airport Richards Field (MSS) · 13 km
Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW) · 81 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 Cornwall?
Cornwall needs an active night: from about Kp 4.7 the aurora appears low over the north-north-west horizon, and it rises higher as activity grows.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Cornwall?
Face north-north-west (about 348° from true north). At Kp 4.7 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 14° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Cornwall?
Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Cornwall (7% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by March (5%).
When is the aurora season in Cornwall?
Cornwall 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 Cornwall?
Strong sky glow washes out faint aurora. Head out of town for anything but a bright display. A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the south-south-east.
When was the aurora last possible in Cornwall?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Cornwall needs, during darkness, was 4 October 2026 (Kp 5.0). It has happened on 984 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Cornwall share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Glenview Heights 1 km
- Dover Heights 3 km
- Riverdale 3 km
- Cornwall 3 km
- Cornwall Island 4 km
- Eamers Corners 5 km
- Churchill Heights 7 km
- Cornwall Centre 7 km
- Glendale 7 km
- Tyotown 7 km
- Grants Corners 8 km
- Cashions Glen 10 km
- Glen Falloch 11 km
- Glenbrook 12 km
- Long Sault 12 km
- Black River 13 km
- Summerstown Station 13 km
- Summerstown 14 km
- North Branch 15 km
- Sandfield Mills 15 km
- Harrisons Corners 16 km
- MacGillivrays Bridge 16 km
- Camerons Point 17 km
- McMillans Corners 19 km
- Munroes Mills 20 km
- Northfield 20 km
- Northfield Station 20 km
- North Lunenburg 20 km
- South Stormont 20 km
- Strathmore 20 km
- Dixon 21 km
- Dundee 21 km
- Ingleside 21 km
- Lancaster 22 km
- Bunker Hill 23 km
- Pointe-Leblanc 23 km
- South Lancaster 23 km
- Dundee Centre 24 km
- Gravel Hill 25 km
- Plage-Somerville 25 km