Western Region, IcelandMagnetic latitude 65.2°4 m above sea level
Northern lights in Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður)
Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður) 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 19:53.
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 (96% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:53 to 06:44.
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 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
Monday 19 October — Possible · Kp 2 · best around 00:30 · Forecast cloud: 60%. · 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 13:42 local time
Possible
Best around 22:00. Forecast max Kp 2.7 (this place needs 0), average cloud 96%.
- Dark enough
- 19:53 – 06:44
- Sunset
- 18:07 · 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-north-west (344°)
Clearer skies nearby tonight
Tonight's cloud forecast is similar in every direction within 100 km (96% 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 Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður)
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 Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður) 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
Dark rural sky. Little artificial light. Faint displays are visible once your eyes have adapted.
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 6° above the horizon towards the north-north-west. 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-west helps.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður)
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
December has been the best month (33% of nights), followed by November (25%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 25% | 25% | 6.9 h | 6° / 9°C |
| October | 24% | 24% | 10.5 h | 3° / 5°C |
| November | 25% | 25% | 13.3 h | 0° / 3°C |
| December | 33% | 33% | 14.6 h | -2° / 1°C |
| January | 23% | 23% | 14.1 h | -2° / 1°C |
| February | 25% | 25% | 11.5 h | -2° / 1°C |
| March | 23% | 23% | 8.4 h | -2° / 1°C |
| April | 19% | 27% | 2.4 h | 0° / 4°C |
Darkness through the year
- No full darkness (Sun 12° below the horizon) from 23 April to 19 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 Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður) since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 4.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 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 Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður)
-
Kirkjufellsfoss viewpoint
Small waterfall with Kirkjufell mountain behind it, a classic composition only minutes from town. · about 3 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Búðir black church
Isolated black church in a lava field on the south coast with almost no artificial light. · about 55 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Arnarstapi
Tiny coastal hamlet below Snæfellsjökull with dark skies and rock arches. · about 60 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
Local knowledge
- Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss, just west of Grundarfjörður, are among Iceland's most photographed aurora scenes.
- On strong-forecast nights arrive early, as the Kirkjufellsfoss viewpoint gets crowded with photographers.
- The Kirkjufellsfoss car park is directly off Route 54 and is pay-parking; check the current fee and payment method on arrival.
- A 4x4 is recommended in winter; check road.is for plowing status on Route 54.
- Snæfellsnes's south coast (Búðir, Arnarstapi) offers darker, less crowded alternatives when the north side is cloudy.
Climbing Kirkjufell is dangerous; there have been several fatal falls, and the steep sections are hazardous when wet or icy.
The path to Kirkjufellsfoss is often compacted ice in winter; do not walk on frozen river sections near the falls.
Practical information
- Typical low / high in December
- -2° / 1°C
- What to wear
- Below freezing at night: thermal layers, a warm jacket, hat, gloves and winter boots. 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 Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður)?
Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður) 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 Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður)?
Face north-north-west (about 344° 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 Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður)?
Over 2005–2025, December gave the best odds in Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður) (33% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by November (25%).
When is the aurora season in Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður)?
From 23 April to 19 August the sky in Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður) never gets dark enough. Outside that period the aurora can be seen whenever activity and clouds allow.
Is there much light pollution in Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður)?
Little artificial light. Faint displays are visible once your eyes have adapted. A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the north-north-east.
When was the aurora last possible in Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður)?
Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður) on 10 October 2026 (Kp 5.7) — 813 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Snæfellsnes (Grundarfjörður) share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Grundarfjörður 0 km
- Grundarfjarðarbær 3 km