Lapland, FinlandMagnetic latitude 67.2°Population 1,12771 m above sea level
Northern lights in Utsjoki parish village
Utsjoki parish village 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 19:38.
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 (24% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:38 to 06:18.
What to do: Go somewhere dark around 01:00, 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 Possible · Kp 1.7
- 27-day trend Mon 19 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Tue 20 3 Possible · 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: 24%. · 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 16:42 local time
Excellent chance
Best around 01:00. Forecast max Kp 2.7 (this place needs 0), average cloud 24%.
- Dark enough
- 19:38 – 06:18
- Sunset
- 17:25 · sunrise 08:32
- 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 (24% 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 Utsjoki parish village
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 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 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 Utsjoki parish village 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
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 north-north-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 5° above the horizon towards the north. 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 helps.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Utsjoki parish village
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
September has been the best month (24% of nights), followed by January (20%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 24% | 27% | 5.1 h | 3° / 8°C |
| October | 15% | 15% | 10.3 h | -3° / 1°C |
| November | 16% | 16% | 14.0 h | -9° / -4°C |
| December | 17% | 17% | 15.8 h | -12° / -7°C |
| January | 20% | 20% | 14.9 h | -14° / -8°C |
| February | 17% | 17% | 11.6 h | -14° / -8°C |
| March | 13% | 13% | 7.5 h | -11° / -5°C |
| April | 4% | 15% | – | -7° / -1°C |
Darkness through the year
- No full darkness (Sun 12° below the horizon) from 9 April to 2 September — the sky stays too bright for most auroras.
- Midnight sun from 17 May to 27 July.
- Polar night from 26 November to 15 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 Utsjoki parish village 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 Utsjoki parish village
-
Teno River at the Sámi Bridge
An open river valley on the Finland–Norway border right by the village. · about 1 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Áilegas (Ailigas) fell
The smallest of the three Ailigas fells (342 m), whose summit has views towards the Norwegian fells. · about 5 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Lake Mantojärvi church huts
The historic parish huts by the 1853 stone church, about 6 km from the village along Highway 4, away from village lights. · about 6 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Nuorgam
Finland's northernmost village, noted for exceptional northern lights viewing along the Teno valley. · about 44 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
Local knowledge
- Utsjoki is Finland's northernmost municipality and its only Sámi-majority one. FMI says three nights out of four have northern lights in the Kilpisjärvi–Utsjoki area when the sky is clear.
- The polar night lasts about 51 days, from about 26 November to 15 January.
- The Teno (Deatnu) River forms the border with Norway, and the Sámi Bridge carries the E75 across it into Norway.
- Road 970 follows the Teno valley for about 100 km between Karigasniemi and Nuorgam, the northernmost village in Finland and the EU.
- Ivalo Airport is about 175 km south by road.
- Utsjoki is among the driest places in Finland, with only about 370–430 mm of precipitation a year.
Kevo Strict Nature Reserve is open only on its marked trails, and only at certain times of year.
Ailigas is a sacred Sámi site, so behave respectfully and leave nothing behind.
Do not cross the frozen Teno River on foot without local advice on ice conditions.
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Lakselv Airport, Banak (LKL) · 80 km
- Typical low / high in September
- 3° / 8°C
- What to wear
- Cool nights: layers, a windproof jacket, hat and gloves for standing still outside. 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 Utsjoki parish village?
Utsjoki parish village 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 Utsjoki parish village?
Around Utsjoki parish village the aurora is often right overhead. Start by facing north, but look up and all around — in strong storms it can fill the whole sky and even appear behind you.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Utsjoki parish village?
Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Utsjoki parish village (24% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by January (20%).
When is the aurora season in Utsjoki parish village?
From 9 April to 2 September the sky in Utsjoki parish village never gets dark enough. Outside that period the aurora can be seen whenever activity and clouds allow.
Is there much light pollution in Utsjoki parish village?
City lights hide all but the brightest displays. Plan to leave the urban area. A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the north-north-east.
When was the aurora last possible in Utsjoki parish village?
Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Utsjoki parish village on 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.3) — 745 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Utsjoki parish village share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Onnela 1 km
- Gárnjárga 4 km
- Kaava 8 km
- Vetsikko 12 km
- Skalluvaara 12 km
- Patoniva 15 km
- Kevo 17 km
- Utsjoki 27 km
- Boratbokcá 32 km
- Korretoja 32 km
- Mieraslompolo 36 km
- Nuorgam 37 km