Munster, IrelandMagnetic latitude 48.8°Population 14,50432 m above sea level
Can you see the northern lights in Killarney?
From Killarney the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6.7 or more), usually as a glow low in the north. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does. Since 1995 that level (Kp 6.7) was reached during darkness here on 100 nights.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 19:52.
Latest measured half-hour activity worldwide: Hp30 1.
Updates every minute while this page is open. Ground data: GFZ Potsdam Hp30 index (CC BY 4.0).
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Too weak: Kp 2.7 expected, 6.7 needed here.
- Sky Mostly clear (5% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:52 to 06:54.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
- Detailed forecast Sat 17 2.7 No · Kp 2.7
- Sun 18 1.7 No · Kp 1.7
- Mon 19 2 No · Kp 2
- 27-day trend Tue 20 3 No · Kp 3
- Wed 21 4 No · Kp 4
- Thu 22 4 No · Kp 4
- Fri 23 4 No · Kp 4
- Sat 24 3 No · Kp 3
- Sun 25 2 No · Kp 2
- Mon 26 2 No · Kp 2
- Tue 27 2 No · Kp 2
- Wed 28 2 No · Kp 2
- Thu 29 2 No · Kp 2
- Fri 30 5 Photos only · Kp 5
- Sat 31 5 Photos only · Kp 5
- Sun 1 5 Photos only · Kp 5
- Mon 2 3 No · Kp 3
- Tue 3 2 No · Kp 2
- Wed 4 2 No · Kp 2
- Thu 5 3 No · Kp 3
- Fri 6 3 No · Kp 3
- Sat 7 3 No · Kp 3
Friday 30 October — Photos only · Kp 5 · best around 23:30 · No cloud forecast this far ahead; in October about 46% of nights are clear here. · 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 11:35 local time
Unlikely
Best around 19:00. Forecast max Kp 2.7 (this place needs 6.7), average cloud 5%.
- Dark enough
- 19:52 – 06:54
- Sunset
- 18:39 · sunrise 08:08
- Moon
- 39% · ↑ 15:29 · ↓ 22:29
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 6.7
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 5 (a red glow low in the north).
- Look towards
- north (354°)
Cloud layers and weather
Low cloud blocks the aurora completely. Thin high cloud often still lets a bright aurora shine through, so a sky with only high cloud is worth a look.
| Time | Sat, 20 | Sat, 23 | Sun, 02 | Sun, 05 | Sun, 20 | Sun, 23 | Mon, 02 | Mon, 05 | Mon, 20 | Mon, 23 | Tue, 02 | Tue, 05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 35% | 8% | 21% | 1% |
| Mid cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 14% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| High cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Temperature | 6 °C | 5 °C | 2 °C | 1 °C | 6 °C | 4 °C | 0 °C | 0 °C | 8 °C | 4 °C | 4 °C | 7 °C |
| Feels like | 4 °C | 2 °C | -1 °C | -2 °C | 3 °C | 1 °C | -2 °C | -2 °C | 7 °C | 2 °C | 2 °C | 5 °C |
| Wind | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 0 m/s | 0 m/s | 1 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 3 m/s |
| Visibility | 37 km | 35 km | 29 km | 26 km | 44 km | 38 km | 29 km | 27 km | 18 km | 10 km | 9.0 km | 18 km |
Cloud layers and weather: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
Seeing it right now?
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What you would see from Killarney
Facing north. Bands show where the aurora sits at two activity levels.
| Kp | What you see | Lower edge | Ray tops | Distance to the aurora |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Below the horizon | -3° | 0° | 1,523 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | -1° | 3° | 1,301 km |
| 4 | Below the horizon | 1° | 5° | 1,079 km |
| 5 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 3° | 9° | 856 km |
| 6 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 6° | 14° | 634 km |
| 7 | Visible to the north | 12° | 24° | 411 km |
| 8 | Visible to the north | 28° | 45° | 189 km |
| 9 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
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 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) camera in Killarney 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) eye in Killarney 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
Suburban sky. Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference.
Estimate from NASA VIIRS night-light data (sky-glow model within 50 km). Check access and private land before you go.
Hills and mountains
Terrain is not modelled for this place.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Killarney
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
October has been the best month (1% of nights), followed by November (1%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 0.2% | 45% | 8.8 h | 12° / 16°C |
| October | 0.6% | 46% | 10.8 h | 10° / 14°C |
| November | 0.5% | 45% | 12.5 h | 8° / 11°C |
| December | 0.3% | 36% | 13.1 h | 7° / 9°C |
| January | 0% | 36% | 12.8 h | 6° / 9°C |
| February | 0% | 35% | 11.4 h | 6° / 9°C |
| March | 0% | 44% | 9.5 h | 6° / 10°C |
| April | 0.3% | 50% | 7.3 h | 7° / 11°C |
Aurora nights in Killarney since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 6.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 22 March 2026 · Kp 6.7
- 20 March 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 20 January 2026 · Kp 7.7
- 19 January 2026 · Kp 8.7
- 3 December 2025 · Kp 6.7
- 12 November 2025 · Kp 7.3
- 11 November 2025 · Kp 8.7
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Kerry Airport (KIR) · 14 km
Cork International Airport (ORK) · 74 km - Typical low / high in October
- 10° / 14°C
- What to wear
- Cool nights: layers, a windproof jacket, hat and gloves for standing still outside. Full clothing guide
- Emergency number
- 112 / 999
- Winter driving
- Irish law does not require winter tyres (legal minimum tread 1.6 mm; Gardaí recommend at least 3 mm in winter); check TII Traffic Info for national road conditions. Road conditions
- Access to land
- Ireland has no general right to roam: off public roads and rights of way, access to private (and state) land is at the landowner's discretion and can be withdrawn, though permissive access is common on waymarked trails and schemes like the Mountain Access Scheme.
- Weather service
- Met Éireann
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Killarney?
From Killarney the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6.7 or more), usually as a glow low in the north. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Killarney?
Face north (about 354° from true north). At Kp 6.7 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 12° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Killarney?
Over 2005–2025, October gave the best odds in Killarney (1% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by November (1%).
When is the aurora season in Killarney?
Killarney gets dark enough for the aurora all year round, though the long winter nights give the most hours to watch.
Is there much light pollution in Killarney?
Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference.
When was the aurora last possible in Killarney?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Killarney needs, during darkness, was 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.0). It has happened on 100 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Killarney share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Dromhale 1 km
- Cloghereen 3 km
- Danesfort 3 km
- Abbey Cross 3 km
- Muckross Village 3 km
- Faughbane 3 km
- Ardagh 3 km
- Woodford 4 km
- Teernaboul 4 km
- Muckross Abbey 4 km
- Scartlea 4 km
- Faghcullia 4 km
- Faugh 4 km
- Coom 4 km
- Kilcummin Farmhill 5 km
- Aghacurreen 5 km
- Fossa 5 km
- Tullaha 6 km
- Knockmanagh 6 km
- Coollick 7 km
- Ballyhar 7 km
- Barry’s Glyn 7 km
- Knockanimrish 8 km
- Beaufort House 9 km
- Beaufort 9 km
- Leamnaguila 9 km
- Faha 10 km
- Ballybrack 10 km
- Inchicorrigane 10 km
- Raheen 10 km
- Rossanean 10 km
- Kilnarovanagh 11 km
- Anablaha 11 km
- Knockane 11 km
- Lisbabe 11 km
- Curracitty 11 km
- Kilsarkan 11 km
- Glenflesk 11 km
- Haremount 12 km
- Churchtown 12 km