Yukon, CanadaMagnetic latitude 63.2°Population 28,201707 m above sea level
Northern lights in Whitehorse
From Whitehorse the aurora can show up on almost any clear, dark night — low to the north-north-east when activity is quiet, higher and overhead when it picks up. Since 1995 that level (Kp 4.7) was reached during darkness here on 726 nights.
Right now
The aurora may be in view right now — go outside and look north-north-east!
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Strong enough: Kp 1.7 expected, 0 needed here.
- Sky Overcast (100% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 20:18 to 07:14.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
- Detailed forecast Thu 15 1.7 Possible · Kp 1.7
- Fri 16 1.7 Possible · Kp 1.7
- Sat 17 1.7 Possible · Kp 1.7
- 27-day trend Sun 18 2 Good chance · Kp 2
- Mon 19 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Tue 20 3 Possible · Kp 3
- Wed 21 4 Good chance · Kp 4
- Thu 22 4 Possible · Kp 4
- Fri 23 3 Possible · Kp 3
- Sat 24 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Sun 25 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Mon 26 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Tue 27 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Wed 28 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Thu 29 2 Good chance · Kp 2
- Fri 30 5 Good chance · Kp 5
- Sat 31 5 Good chance · Kp 5
- Sun 1 3 Good chance · Kp 3
- Mon 2 2 Good chance · Kp 2
- Tue 3 2 Good chance · Kp 2
- Wed 4 2 Good chance · Kp 2
- Thu 5 3 Good chance · Kp 3
- Fri 6 3 Good chance · Kp 3
Friday 16 October — Possible · Kp 1.7 · best around 21:30 · Forecast cloud: 60%. · Reliability: medium
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 06:43 local time
Unlikely
Best around 06:00. Forecast max Kp 1.7 (this place needs 0), average cloud 100%.
- Dark enough
- 20:18 – 07:14
- Sunset
- 18:45 · sunrise 08:47
- Moon
- 31% · ↑ 17:14 · ↓ 20:21
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 0
- Look towards
- north-north-east (20°)
Clearer skies nearby tonight
Forecast cloud during tonight's darkness: 60% here. The clearest option within 100 km is about 60 km to the north-west, with 13%. Open in OpenStreetMap
MET Norway forecast at 24 points within 100 km, averaged over the dark hours. Check roads and conditions before driving.
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
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What you would see from Whitehorse
Facing north-north-east. Bands show where the aurora sits at two activity levels.
| Kp | What you see | Lower edge | Ray tops | Distance to the aurora |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Visible to the north-north-east | 14° | 27° | 367 km |
| 2 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 3 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 4 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
| 5 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
| 6 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
| 7 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
| 8 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
| 9 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
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 next 24 h eye in Whitehorse Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
- Kp 3 Unsettled 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) 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
City sky. City lights hide all but the brightest displays. Plan to leave the urban area.
A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the 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 terrain rises to about 3° above the horizon towards the north-north-east. That hides low aurora: here you need about Kp 0 instead of Kp 0. A hilltop, shore or open field with a clear view to the north-north-east helps.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Whitehorse
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
March has been the best month (67% of nights), followed by February (62%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 42% | 42% | 7.8 h | 1° / 9°C |
| October | 35% | 35% | 10.6 h | -7° / 0°C |
| November | 46% | 46% | 13.0 h | -18° / -11°C |
| December | 53% | 53% | 14.1 h | -21° / -14°C |
| January | 53% | 53% | 13.6 h | -21° / -14°C |
| February | 62% | 62% | 11.6 h | -21° / -12°C |
| March | 67% | 67% | 8.9 h | -18° / -7°C |
| April | 60% | 64% | 5.3 h | -9° / -1°C |
Darkness through the year
- No full darkness (Sun 12° below the horizon) from 8 May to 4 August — the sky stays too bright for most auroras.
- Next new moon 9 November, next full moon 25 October. The darkest skies are in the week around new moon.
Aurora nights in Whitehorse 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
- 18 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 17 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 2 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 1 April 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 24 March 2026 · Kp 5.0
Where to watch near Whitehorse
-
Fish Lake
Wide-open lake at the end of Fish Lake Road, far enough from Whitehorse to escape city light. · about 28 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Schwatka Lake
Calm lake just outside town where displays reflect in open water. · about 7 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Chadburn Lake
Lake south of the city with minimal light pollution and big northern views. · about 11 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
Local knowledge
- Travel Yukon gives the aurora viewing window as mid-August to mid-April, with the best odds on dark, clear, moonless nights.
- Peak viewing hours are roughly 10 pm to 3 am.
- Short drives to lakes such as Fish Lake, Schwatka Lake or Chadburn Lake are enough to escape most of the city's light.
- Many local operators run guided aurora tours with heated cabins; dates vary by company, so check before booking.
- Use an aurora forecast app or alert service and keep your schedule flexible for clear nights.
Walk on frozen lakes only where others have already travelled, and at your own risk.
Online maps can give wrong directions to Fish Lake, so check the route in daylight; Chadburn Lake Road is not recommended for large RVs.
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Whitehorse / Erik Nielsen International Airport (YXY) · 1 km
- Typical low / high in March
- -18° / -7°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 Whitehorse?
From Whitehorse the aurora can show up on almost any clear, dark night — low to the north-north-east when activity is quiet, higher and overhead when it picks up.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Whitehorse?
Face north-north-east (about 20° from true north). At Kp 0 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 Whitehorse?
Over 2005–2025, March gave the best odds in Whitehorse (67% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by February (62%).
When is the aurora season in Whitehorse?
From 8 May to 4 August the sky in Whitehorse never gets dark enough. Outside that period the aurora can be seen whenever activity and clouds allow.
Is there much light pollution in Whitehorse?
City lights hide all but the brightest displays. Plan to leave the urban area. A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the east.
When was the aurora last possible in Whitehorse?
Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Whitehorse on 4 October 2026 (Kp 5.0) — 726 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Whitehorse share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Hillcrest 2 km
- Riverdale 2 km
- Valleyview 2 km
- Whitehorse 2 km
- Takhini 3 km
- Canyon Crescent 6 km
- Porter Creek 7 km
- MacRae 9 km
- Crestview 10 km
- Forestview 13 km
- Mayo Road 23 km
- Robinson Subdivision 30 km