Northeastern Region, IcelandMagnetic latitude 65.4°Population 19,2195 m above sea level
Northern lights in Akureyri
Akureyri 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 19:33.
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Strong enough: Kp 2.7 expected, 0 needed here.
- Sky Overcast (85% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:33 to 06:23.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
- Detailed forecast Fri 16 2.7 Possible · Kp 2.7
- Sat 17 1.7 Possible · Kp 1.7
- 27-day trend Sun 18 2 Possible · Kp 2
- 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
Friday 23 October — Possible · Kp 4 · best around 00:00 · Forecast cloud: 70%. · 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 13:43 local time
Possible
Best around 21:00. Forecast max Kp 2.7 (this place needs 0), average cloud 85%.
- Dark enough
- 19:33 – 06:23
- Sunset
- 17:43 · sunrise 08:14
- 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-north-west (346°)
Clearer skies nearby tonight
Forecast cloud during tonight's darkness: 85% here. The clearest option within 100 km is about 60 km to the east, near Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð), with 59%. 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 Akureyri
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Visible to the north-north-west | 40° | 58° | 122 km |
| 2 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 3 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-east | – | – | – |
| 4 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-east | – | – | – |
| 5 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-east | – | – | – |
| 6 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-east | – | – | – |
| 7 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-east | – | – | – |
| 8 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-east | – | – | – |
| 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 eye in Akureyri 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
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 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 2.6°), 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 Akureyri
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
September has been the best month (21% of nights), followed by November (17%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 21% | 21% | 6.9 h | 3° / 7°C |
| October | 15% | 15% | 10.5 h | -1° / 3°C |
| November | 17% | 17% | 13.4 h | -4° / 0°C |
| December | 15% | 15% | 15.0 h | -6° / -1°C |
| January | 12% | 12% | 14.1 h | -6° / -1°C |
| February | 15% | 15% | 11.5 h | -6° / -1°C |
| March | 12% | 12% | 8.4 h | -6° / -1°C |
| April | 15% | 25% | 2.4 h | -4° / 1°C |
Darkness through the year
- No full darkness (Sun 12° below the horizon) from 22 April to 20 August — the sky stays too bright for most auroras.
- Next new moon 9 November, next full moon 26 October. The darkest skies are in the week around new moon.
Aurora nights in Akureyri since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 4.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 4 October 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 3 April 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 22 March 2026 · Kp 6.7
- 20 March 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 13 March 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 3 March 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 22 February 2026 · Kp 5.3
Where to watch near Akureyri
-
Krossanesborgir Nature Reserve
Nature reserve about 7 minutes north of town with open views and an unobstructed horizon. · about 5 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Kjarnaskógur forest
Forest just south of town where trees shelter from wind and clearings give open sky views. · about 4 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Hlíðarfjall ski area
Elevated mountain site above town with low light pollution; the parking area can be used after the slopes close. · about 7 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Gásir medieval trading site
Historic site about 17 minutes north of town by Eyjafjörður with very little artificial light. · about 15 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Goðafoss
Waterfall on the Ring Road about 37 minutes east, a popular dark-sky foreground for Akureyri-based visitors. · about 35 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
Local knowledge
- The season in Akureyri runs September to April, with the darkest skies from November to January.
- Activity is most common between about 21:00 and 02:00 local time.
- Open, dark areas are only a few minutes' drive from town; a 20-30 minute drive gives noticeably darker skies.
- North Iceland is often less cloudy than the south and west, which improves the odds on unsettled nights.
- Cold drains camera and phone batteries quickly, so carry spares in an inside pocket.
Paths at Goðafoss and other waterfalls are icy in winter; wear traction devices and keep back from edges.
Check road.is and the weather before driving, as mountain roads around Eyjafjörður can close in storms.
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Akureyri International Airport (AEY) · 3 km
- Typical low / high in September
- 3° / 7°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
- Under Regulation 822/2004, studded tyres and chains are prohibited from 15 April to 31 October unless driving conditions require them, as judged by local police. The Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration (Vegagerðin) publishes road conditions on umferdin.is. Road conditions
- Access to land
- Off-road driving is banned under the Nature Conservation Act no. 60/2013 and punishable by fines or imprisonment. Exceptions are glaciers and solidly frozen or snow-covered ground where nature cannot be damaged. You may park only about one car's width off the road, and only where it causes no damage or accident risk.
- Official space-weather service
- Icelandic Met Office aurora forecast
- Weather service
- Icelandic Met Office (Veðurstofa Íslands)
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Akureyri?
Akureyri 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 Akureyri?
Face north-north-west (about 346° from true north). At Kp 0 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 40° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Akureyri?
Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Akureyri (21% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by November (17%).
When is the aurora season in Akureyri?
From 22 April to 20 August the sky in Akureyri never gets dark enough. Outside that period the aurora can be seen whenever activity and clouds allow.
Is there much light pollution in Akureyri?
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 east.
When was the aurora last possible in Akureyri?
Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Akureyri on 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.0) — 801 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Akureyri share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Svalbarðseyri 6 km
- Svalbarðsstrandarhreppur 7 km
- Akureyrarkaupstaður 7 km
- Hjalteyri 19 km
- Hörgársveit 19 km
- Eyjafjarðarsveit 39 km