Lapland, FinlandMagnetic latitude 65.7°315 m above sea level
Northern lights in Saariselkä
Saariselkä sits right under the auroral oval: on clear, dark nights the aurora is often overhead, even when activity is quiet. Clouds matter far more than the Kp number here.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 19:34.
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Yes — good chance tonight
- Solar activity Strong enough: Kp 2.7 expected, 0 needed here.
- Sky Mostly clear (7% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:34 to 06:18.
What to do: Go somewhere dark around 02:00, give your eyes 15 minutes to adjust and look north, low over the horizon.
- Detailed forecast Fri 16 2.7 Good chance · Kp 2.7
- Sat 17 1.7 Good chance · Kp 1.7
- Sun 18 1.7 Good chance · Kp 1.7
- 27-day trend Mon 19 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Tue 20 3 Good chance · Kp 3
- Wed 21 4 Possible · Kp 4
- Thu 22 4 Possible · Kp 4
- Fri 23 4 Possible · Kp 4
- Sat 24 3 Possible · Kp 3
- 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 Possible · Kp 2
- Fri 30 5 Possible · Kp 5
- Sat 31 5 Possible · Kp 5
- Sun 1 5 Possible · Kp 5
- Mon 2 3 Possible · Kp 3
- Tue 3 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Wed 4 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Thu 5 3 Possible · Kp 3
- Fri 6 3 Possible · Kp 3
- Sat 7 3 Possible · Kp 3
Saturday 17 October — Good chance · Kp 2.7 · best around 01:30 · Forecast cloud: 7%. · Reliability: good
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 16:43 local time
Excellent chance
Best around 02:00. Forecast max Kp 2.7 (this place needs 0), average cloud 7%.
- Dark enough
- 19:34 – 06:18
- Sunset
- 17:30 · sunrise 08:23
- Moon
- 31%
- 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 (356°)
Clearer skies nearby tonight
Tonight's cloud forecast is similar in every direction within 100 km (7% here), so driving is unlikely to help.
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 Saariselkä
Facing north. 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 | 49° | 65° | 89 km |
| 2 | Overhead, and also to the south | – | – | – |
| 3 | Overhead, and also to the south | – | – | – |
| 4 | Overhead, and also to the south | – | – | – |
| 5 | Overhead, and also to the south | – | – | – |
| 6 | Overhead, and also to the south | – | – | – |
| 7 | Overhead, and also to the south | – | – | – |
| 8 | Overhead, and also to the south | – | – | – |
| 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 eye in Saariselkä Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
- Kp 3 Unsettled next 24 h 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
Suburban sky. Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference.
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 2.7°), 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 Saariselkä
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
March has been the best month (40% of nights), followed by September (36%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 36% | 36% | 5.8 h | 4° / 10°C |
| October | 26% | 26% | 10.4 h | -2° / 1°C |
| November | 28% | 28% | 13.8 h | -10° / -5°C |
| December | 24% | 24% | 15.6 h | -14° / -8°C |
| January | 34% | 34% | 14.5 h | -16° / -10°C |
| February | 32% | 32% | 11.5 h | -15° / -10°C |
| March | 40% | 40% | 7.9 h | -12° / -5°C |
| April | 15% | 37% | 1.4 h | -6° / -1°C |
Darkness through the year
- No full darkness (Sun 12° below the horizon) from 13 April to 29 August — the sky stays too bright for most auroras.
- Midnight sun from 24 May to 19 July.
- Polar night from 5 December to 6 January: the sun stays below the horizon, giving the longest viewing windows.
- Next new moon 9 November, next full moon 26 October. The darkest skies are in the week around new moon.
Aurora nights in Saariselkä since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 4.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.3
- 4 October 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 3 April 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 2 April 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 22 March 2026 · Kp 6.7
- 20 March 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 13 March 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 3 March 2026 · Kp 5.0
Where to watch near Saariselkä
-
Kaunispää summit
An easy-to-reach fell top with an old surveying tower and panoramic views away from the village lights. · about 3 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Kiilopää
A fell south of the village with open terrain, recommended as an easy place to watch the aurora. · about 17 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Muotka
A wilderness hotel set alone on a fell south of Saariselkä, with aurora cabins and little surrounding light. · about 15 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
Local knowledge
- The Finnish Meteorological Institute names Saariselkä among the Lapland resorts where auroras appear on roughly half of dark, cloudless nights.
- The village lies partly within Urho Kekkonen National Park, and Kaunispää fell (438 m) rises right next to it, with a road and a restaurant at the top.
- Strong auroras can be seen from the village itself, but for darker skies head to Kaunispää or Kiilopää.
- Ivalo Airport is about 25 km north of Saariselkä, which is about 28 km by road.
- A local guide suggests August–October and February–April as the best periods, and FMI rates March and early April best overall in northern Finland.
Park only at designated car parks or rest areas, never on the roadside on fell roads.
Temperatures can drop to −40 °C, and it is far colder in the wind on open fell tops.
Practical information
- Typical low / high in March
- -12° / -5°C
- What to wear
- Arctic cold: wool base layers, insulated jacket and trousers, warm boots, hat and mittens. Full clothing guide
- Emergency number
- 112
- Winter driving
- Winter tyres are mandatory from 1 November to 31 March when weather or road conditions require them. Minimum tread is 3 mm, and since December 2024 non-studded winter tyres need the three-peak mountain snowflake symbol. Studded tyres may be used from 1 November to 31 March or until the Monday after Easter. Fintraffic's Liikennetilanne (Traffic Situation) service shows road conditions and road weather cameras. Road conditions
- Access to land
- Everyman's right (jokamiehenoikeus) lets anyone move about, and camp or stay temporarily, in the countryside regardless of who owns it, without permission. It does not cover yards, cultivated land or other specially designated areas, nor activities that damage nature or disturb others.
- Official space-weather service
- Finnish Meteorological Institute: Auroras and space weather · FMI Auroras Now! (all-sky cameras) · ISES RWC Finland (FMI)
- Weather service
- Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI)
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Saariselkä?
Saariselkä sits right under the auroral oval: on clear, dark nights the aurora is often overhead, even when activity is quiet. Clouds matter far more than the Kp number here.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Saariselkä?
Face north (about 356° from true north). At Kp 0 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 49° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Saariselkä?
Over 2005–2025, March gave the best odds in Saariselkä (40% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by September (36%).
When is the aurora season in Saariselkä?
From 13 April to 29 August the sky in Saariselkä never gets dark enough. Outside that period the aurora can be seen whenever activity and clouds allow.
Is there much light pollution in Saariselkä?
Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference.
When was the aurora last possible in Saariselkä?
Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Saariselkä on 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.3) — 759 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Saariselkä share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Saariselka 0 km
- Laanila 3 km
- Kiilopää 9 km
- Kakslauttanen 10 km
- Palkisoja 13 km
- Purnumukka 26 km
- Tankavaara 30 km
- Vuotso 37 km
- Pieranperä 37 km
- Poroperä 37 km