Northeastern Region, IcelandMagnetic latitude 65.2°282 m above sea level
Northern lights in Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð)
Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð) 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 19:29.
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Maybe — worth a look
- Solar activity Strong enough: Kp 2.7 expected, 0 needed here.
- Sky Partly cloudy (64% cloud) — look for gaps.
- Darkness Dark from 19:29 to 06:18.
What to do: Go somewhere dark around 00:00, give your eyes 15 minutes to adjust and look north-north-west, low over the horizon.
- 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 Good chance · 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 16 October — Possible · Kp 2.7 · best around 22:30 · Forecast cloud: 64%. · 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 13:45 local time
Good chance
Best around 00:00. Forecast max Kp 2.7 (this place needs 0), average cloud 64%.
- Dark enough
- 19:29 – 06:18
- Sunset
- 17:39 · sunrise 08:09
- 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 (348°)
Clearer skies nearby tonight
Tonight's cloud forecast is similar in every direction within 100 km (64% 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 Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð)
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 | 35° | 53° | 145 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 Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð) 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
Pristine dark sky. Almost no artificial light: faint aurora and the Milky Way are easy to see.
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 2.9°), 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 Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð)
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° / 8°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° / -2°C |
| January | 12% | 12% | 14.1 h | -7° / -2°C |
| February | 15% | 15% | 11.5 h | -7° / -1°C |
| March | 12% | 12% | 8.4 h | -6° / -1°C |
| April | 14% | 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 Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð) 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 Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð)
-
Dimmuborgir
Dark lava labyrinth south of Reykjahlíð whose formations frame the aurora overhead. · about 7 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Hverfjall (Hverfell) crater car park
Large tephra crater that gives a dramatic silhouette under the aurora from its base. · about 6 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Hverir geothermal area
Steaming fumaroles right off the Ring Road with an easy-access car park, a frequent stop on aurora tours. · about 7 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Mývatn Nature Baths
Geothermal lagoon away from village lights where you can watch the sky from the water during opening hours. · about 4 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
Local knowledge
- Mývatn is far from Iceland's larger towns, so light pollution is very low almost everywhere around the lake.
- The best season is late September to early April, when nights are longest.
- Lava formations at Dimmuborgir and the Hverfjall crater make strong foregrounds for photography.
- Akureyri Airport is roughly 100 km away; a car or guided tour is needed to move between viewing spots.
- Steam from geothermal areas fogs camera lenses, so set up upwind of vents.
At Hverir stay on marked paths; ground beside the boardwalks can be boiling hot and thin-crusted.
Grjótagjá cave water is too hot for bathing; do not enter it.
Winter temperatures inland at Mývatn are often well below freezing; dress for prolonged cold.
Practical information
- 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
- 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 Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð)?
Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð) 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 Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð)?
Face north-north-west (about 348° from true north). At Kp 0 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 35° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð)?
Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð) (21% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by November (17%).
When is the aurora season in Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð)?
From 22 April to 20 August the sky in Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð) never gets dark enough. Outside that period the aurora can be seen whenever activity and clouds allow.
Is there much light pollution in Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð)?
Almost no artificial light: faint aurora and the Milky Way are easy to see.
When was the aurora last possible in Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð)?
Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð) on 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.0) — 799 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Lake Mývatn (Reykjahlíð) share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Reykjahlíð 0 km