AuroraMeteo

Quebec, CanadaMagnetic latitude 57.1°Population 17,918298 m above sea level

Northern lights in Amos

From Amos the aurora is visible on most active nights — first low to the north, from about Kp 2.7.

Right now

It is still light here. Darkness starts at 19:29.

Kp 0.0 · 448 km/s · Bz -4.8

Updates every minute while this page is open.

Tonight in one minute

Maybe — worth a look

  • Solar activity Strong enough: Kp 2.7 expected, 2.7 needed here.
  • Sky Partly cloudy (46% cloud) — look for gaps.
  • Darkness Dark from 19:29 to 06:27.

What to do: Go somewhere dark around 01:00, give your eyes 15 minutes to adjust and look north, low over the horizon.

Tonight

Updated 14:06 local time

16/100

Possible

Best around 01:00. Forecast max Kp 2.7 (this place needs 2.7), average cloud 46%.

Dark enough
19:29 – 06:27
Sunset
18:21 · sunrise 07:35
Moon
32% · ↑ 14:09 · ↓ 21:34
Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
Kp 2.7
Kp for photos
In photos: from Kp 1 (a red glow low in the north).
Look towards
north (352°)
Sat 17 Oct20Kp 1.7 · cloud 62%
Sun 18 Oct9Kp 1.7 · cloud 65%
Fri 16 21 · 1/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 93% Fri 16 22 · 11/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 53.1% Fri 16 23 · 3/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 85.9% Sat 17 00 · 8/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 66.4% Sat 17 01 · 16/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 32% Sat 17 02 · 12/100 · Kp 1.3 · cloud 15.6% Sat 17 03 · 14/100 · Kp 1.3 · cloud 2.3% Sat 17 04 · 14/100 · Kp 1.3 · cloud 1.6% Sat 17 05 · 14/100 · Kp 1.3 · cloud 0% Sat 17 06 · 7/100 · Kp 1.3 · cloud 0% Sat 17 19 · 4/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 59.4% Sat 17 20 · 14/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 29.7% Sat 17 23 · 13/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 44.5% Sun 18 00 · 20/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 14.8% Sun 18 01 · 19/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 20.3% Sun 18 02 · 5/100 · Kp 1.3 · cloud 68% Sun 18 03 · 4/100 · Kp 1.3 · cloud 70.3% Sun 18 04 · 4/100 · Kp 1.3 · cloud 73.4% Sun 18 05 · 4/100 · Kp 1.3 · cloud 75% Sun 18 19 · 4/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 77.3% Sun 18 20 · 9/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 53.9% Sun 18 21 · 9/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 52.3% Sun 18 22 · 5/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 74.2% 18Sat 17061218Sun 18061218Mon 190612
Chance (0–100) Dark enough Cloud cover

Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology

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What you would see from Amos

Facing north. Bands show where the aurora sits at two activity levels.

10°20°30°45° Kp 4.7 · high overheadKp 2.7 · 11°–22° WNW 292° NW 307° NW 322° NNW 337° N 352° N 7° NNE 22° NE 37° NE 52°
Computed from the auroral oval position for each Kp level (lower border ~105 km, ray tops ~200 km up). Horizon from elevation data out to 30 km.
KpWhat you seeLower edgeRay topsDistance to the aurora
2 Faint glow, mostly on camera 7° 15° 600 km
3 Visible to the north 14° 26° 378 km
4 Visible to the north 33° 51° 156 km
5 Overhead and all around – – –
6 Overhead and all around – – –
7 Overhead, and also to the south – – –
8 Overhead, and also to the south – – –
9 Overhead, and also to the south – – –
Angles above the horizon. Terrain in the look direction is taken into account where modelled.

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.

  1. Kp 0–2 Quiet camera in Amos Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
  2. Kp 3 Unsettled next 24 h eye in Amos 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).

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 north. 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 is open (terrain below 0.7°), 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 Amos

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

March has been the best month (27% of nights), followed by February (27%).

0%10%20%30%40% July: 14% Jul August: 15% Aug September: 25% Sept October: 16% Oct November: 8% Nov December: 13% Dec January: 22% Jan February: 27% Feb March: 27% Mar April: 19% Apr May: 13% May June: 10% Jun
All years Near solar maximum Near solar minimum
MonthGood nightsClear nightsDarknessLow / high
September 25% 56% 9.0 h 7° / 18°C
October 16% 40% 10.8 h 1° / 9°C
November 8% 24% 12.3 h -7° / 0°C
December 13% 35% 13.0 h -16° / -9°C
January 22% 55% 12.8 h -22° / -12°C
February 27% 55% 11.4 h -21° / -11°C
March 27% 56% 9.8 h -15° / -5°C
April 19% 50% 7.8 h -5° / 4°C
Good night = darkness + activity at this place's Kp level + night-time satellite cloud ≤ 70%. GFZ Kp, NASA POWER (CERES), 1° grid. Methodology
62%chance of ≥1 good night in 3 nights (March)
80%chance of ≥1 good night in 5 nights (March)
89%chance of ≥1 good night in 7 nights (March)

Aurora nights in Amos since 1995

Nights when Kp reached 4.7 or more while it was dark here.

2015: 4915492016: 3516352017: 3517352018: 91892019: 1119112020: 32032021: 1521152022: 3022302023: 3423342024: 2524252025: 5625562026: 252625
Per year, last 12 years. Cloud cover not included. Source: GFZ Kp.

Most recent strong nights

Practical information

Nearest airport
Val-d'Or Airport (YVO) · 62 km
Typical low / high in March
-15° / -5°C
What to wear
Arctic cold: wool base layers, insulated jacket and trousers, warm boots, hat and mittens. 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 Amos?

From Amos the aurora is visible on most active nights — first low to the north, from about Kp 2.7.

Which way should I look for the aurora in Amos?

Face north (about 352° from true north). At Kp 2.7 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 Amos?

Over 2005–2025, March gave the best odds in Amos (27% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by February (27%).

When is the aurora season in Amos?

Amos 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 Amos?

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 north.

When was the aurora last possible in Amos?

Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Amos on 4 October 2026 (Kp 5.0) — 969 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.

Also covered by this forecast

Villages and districts around Amos share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.