Westfjords, IcelandMagnetic latitude 66.4°Population 2,7361 m above sea level
Northern lights in Ísafjörður
Ísafjörður 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 19:54.
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 (89% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:54 to 06:43.
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
Tuesday 20 October — Possible · Kp 2 · best around 00:30 · Forecast cloud: 67%. · 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 13:44 local time
Good chance
Best around 22:00. Forecast max Kp 2.7 (this place needs 0), average cloud 89%.
- Dark enough
- 19:54 – 06:43
- Sunset
- 18:02 · sunrise 08:35
- 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 (88% 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 Ísafjörður
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 | 84° | 87° | 11 km |
| 2 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-east | – | – | – |
| 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 Ísafjörður 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
Rural to suburban. Some sky glow from nearby lights. Moderate displays are fine; faint ones are easier a few kilometres out.
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 terrain rises to about 24° 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 Ísafjörður
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
September has been the best month (15% of nights), followed by October (13%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 15% | 15% | 6.5 h | 3° / 7°C |
| October | 13% | 13% | 10.5 h | 0° / 3°C |
| November | 11% | 11% | 13.4 h | -3° / 1°C |
| December | 11% | 11% | 15.1 h | -4° / -1°C |
| January | 8% | 8% | 14.1 h | -5° / -1°C |
| February | 9% | 9% | 11.5 h | -5° / -1°C |
| March | 9% | 9% | 8.4 h | -5° / -1°C |
| April | 8% | 15% | 2.1 h | -3° / 1°C |
Darkness through the year
- No full darkness (Sun 12° below the horizon) from 20 April to 22 August — the sky stays too bright for most auroras.
- Midnight sun from 12 June to 1 July.
- Next new moon 9 November, next full moon 26 October. The darkest skies are in the week around new moon.
Aurora nights in Ísafjörður 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 Ísafjörður
-
Bolungarvík
Small fishing village at the mouth of Ísafjarðardjúp with an open northern sea horizon. · about 15 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Suðureyri
Tiny village in Súgandafjörður reached through the Vestfjarðagöng tunnel, with minimal artificial light. · about 22 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Flateyri
Village on a spit in Önundarfjörður with dark fjord views to the north. · about 22 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
Local knowledge
- Westfjords Tourism notes there is no single best spot: the aurora can be seen almost anywhere in the region when skies are clear.
- The Westfjords' villages are small, so a short drive beyond town lights is enough for dark skies.
- The best period is late September to early April.
- Being farther north than Reykjavík, the Westfjords get longer hours of darkness in winter.
- Weather changes fast between fjords; if one fjord is cloudy, a neighbouring one may be clear.
Winter avalanche danger affects some Westfjords roads; check road.is and the Met Office avalanche warnings.
Roads and services are sparse; plan fuel and routes in advance.
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Ísafjörður Airport (IFJ) · 2 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 Ísafjörður?
Ísafjörður 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 Ísafjörður?
Face north-north-west (about 344° from true north). At Kp 0 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 84° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Ísafjörður?
Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Ísafjörður (15% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by October (13%).
When is the aurora season in Ísafjörður?
From 20 April to 22 August the sky in Ísafjörður never gets dark enough. Outside that period the aurora can be seen whenever activity and clouds allow.
Is there much light pollution in Ísafjörður?
Some sky glow from nearby lights. Moderate displays are fine; faint ones are easier a few kilometres out. A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the east.
When was the aurora last possible in Ísafjörður?
Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Ísafjörður on 10 October 2026 (Kp 5.7) — 791 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Ísafjörður share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Ísafjarðarbær 0 km
- Hnífsdalur 4 km
- Súðavík 8 km
- Bolungarvík 11 km
- Bolungarvíkurkaupstaður 12 km
- Flateyri 17 km
- Suðureyri 19 km
- Súðavíkurhreppur 26 km
- Sæból 26 km
- Þingeyri 27 km
- Vatnsfjordhur 32 km