Canterbury Region, New ZealandMagnetic latitude 51.3°Population 29,30014 m above sea level
Can you see the southern lights in Timaru?
From Timaru the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 5.7 or more), usually as a glow low in the south-south-west. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does. Since 1995 that level (Kp 5.7) was reached during darkness here on 265 nights.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 21:16.
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Enough for a camera: Kp 4.7 expected, 4 needed for photos, 5.7 for the eye.
- Sky Overcast (92% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 21:16 to 05:21. A bright moon (80%) washes out faint displays.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
Sunday 25 October — Photos only · Kp 4 · best around 00:30 · Forecast cloud: 1%. · 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 12:46 local time
Unlikely
Best around 21:00. Forecast max Kp 4.7 (this place needs 5.7), average cloud 92%.
- Dark enough
- 21:16 – 05:21
- Sunset
- 20:08 · sunrise 06:29
- Moon
- 80% · ↑ 15:36 · ↓ 04:49
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 5.7
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 4 (a red glow low in the south-south-west).
- Look towards
- south-south-west (196°)
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 | Thu, 21 | Fri, 00 | Fri, 03 | Fri, 21 | Sat, 00 | Sat, 03 | Sat, 21 | Sun, 00 | Sun, 03 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 5% | 15% | 12% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Mid cloud | 24% | 6% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 6% | 16% | 13% |
| High cloud | 0% | 0% | 5% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 12% |
| Temperature | 15 °C | 11 °C | 9 °C | 16 °C | 13 °C | 12 °C | 18 °C | 13 °C | 11 °C |
| Feels like | 15 °C | 11 °C | 9 °C | 16 °C | 13 °C | 12 °C | 18 °C | 13 °C | 11 °C |
| Wind | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 2 m/s | 3 m/s |
Cloud layers and weather: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
Weather in Timaru
The aurora only shows through clear skies, so the weather matters as much as the Kp index. Here is the general forecast for Timaru: temperature, wind and the chance of rain for the coming days.
Planning further ahead? See the hour-by-hour weather forecast for Timaru on Atlas of Seasons.
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What you would see from Timaru
Facing south-south-west. 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 | -1° | 3° | 1,245 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | 1° | 6° | 1,023 km |
| 4 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 4° | 10° | 801 km |
| 5 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 8° | 16° | 578 km |
| 6 | Visible to the south-south-west | 15° | 27° | 356 km |
| 7 | Visible to the south-south-west | 37° | 55° | 133 km |
| 8 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 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 Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
- Kp 4 Active camera in Timaru Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
- Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) next 24 h Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
- Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) eye in Timaru 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 30 km to the north-west. 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 south-south-west is open (terrain below 0.4°), 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 Timaru
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
May has been the best month (2% of nights), followed by September (2%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 0.9% | 56% | 9.4 h | 9° / 20°C |
| April | 0.6% | 58% | 11.0 h | 6° / 16°C |
| May | 2% | 58% | 12.1 h | 4° / 13°C |
| June | 1% | 61% | 12.8 h | 2° / 9°C |
| July | 0.6% | 60% | 12.4 h | 1° / 9°C |
| August | 1% | 55% | 11.5 h | 2° / 10°C |
| September | 2% | 52% | 9.9 h | 3° / 13°C |
| October | 0.6% | 52% | 8.3 h | 4° / 15°C |
Aurora nights in Timaru since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 5.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.3
- 8 August 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 2 August 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 4 July 2026 · Kp 6.7
- 5 June 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 3 April 2026 · Kp 6.3
- 2 April 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 22 March 2026 · Kp 7.0
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Timaru Airport (TIU) · 11 km
- Typical low / high in May
- 4° / 13°C
- What to wear
- Cool nights: layers, a windproof jacket, hat and gloves for standing still outside. Full clothing guide
- Emergency number
- 111 (free, works from mobiles without credit); 105 for non-emergency Police
- Winter driving
- NZTA advises anyone crossing alpine passes or travelling in the south and inland South Island in winter to carry chains and know how to fit them; from winter 2026 Queenstown Lakes District Council can fine drivers $750 for not fitting chains on council roads when 'chains required' signs are shown. Check NZTA Journey Planner for closures and 'chains essential' notices. Road conditions
- Access to land
- Freedom camping is allowed on DOC public conservation land unless a site is prohibited or restricted; scenic/recreation reserves are closed to it unless DOC provides a campsite, some sites are self-contained-vehicle only (from 7 June 2026 a green warrant card must be displayed), and breaches can be fined.
- Weather service
- MetService (Meteorological Service of New Zealand)
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Timaru?
From Timaru the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 5.7 or more), usually as a glow low in the south-south-west. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Timaru?
Face south-south-west (about 196° from true north). At Kp 5.7 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 15° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Timaru?
Over 2005–2025, May gave the best odds in Timaru (2% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by September (2%).
When is the aurora season in Timaru?
Timaru 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 Timaru?
Strong sky glow washes out faint aurora. Head out of town for anything but a bright display. A noticeably darker area starts about 30 km to the north-west.
When was the aurora last possible in Timaru?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Timaru needs, during darkness, was 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.3). It has happened on 265 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Timaru share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Timaru Port 0 km
- Parkside 1 km
- Seaview 1 km
- Maori Hill 1 km
- Kensington 2 km
- Watlington 2 km
- Waimataitai 2 km
- Timaru District 3 km
- West End 3 km
- Highfield 3 km
- Marchwiel 3 km
- Oceanview 3 km
- Smithfield 3 km
- Gleniti 5 km
- Glenwood 5 km
- Salisbury 6 km
- Normanby 7 km
- Fairview 7 km
- Otipua 8 km
- Kingsdown 8 km
- Pareora West 10 km
- Claremont 11 km
- Pareora 12 km
- Southburn 14 km
- Claremont 14 km
- Saint Andrews 16 km
- Lyalldale 18 km
- Esk Valley 20 km
- Otaio 22 km
- Mawaro 31 km