Southland Region, New ZealandMagnetic latitude 53.9°Population 58,0006 m above sea level
Southern lights in Invercargill
Invercargill needs an active night: from about Kp 4.3 the aurora appears low over the south-south-west horizon, and it rises higher as activity grows. Since 1995 that level (Kp 4.7) was reached during darkness here on 828 nights.
Right now
The solar wind is picking up — activity may jump within the hour. Keep this page open.
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Too weak: Kp 2 expected, 4.3 needed here.
- Sky Overcast (100% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 21:26 to 05:37.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
- Detailed forecast Fri 16 2 No · Kp 2
- Sat 17 1.3 No · Kp 1.3
- Sun 18 1.3 No · Kp 1.3
- 27-day trend Mon 19 2 No · Kp 2
- Tue 20 2 No · Kp 2
- Wed 21 3 Unlikely · Kp 3
- Thu 22 4 Photos only · Kp 4
- Fri 23 4 Photos only · Kp 4
- Sat 24 3 Unlikely · 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 2 No · Kp 2
- Sat 31 5 Good chance · Kp 5
- Sun 1 5 Good chance · Kp 5
- Mon 2 3 Photos only · Kp 3
- Tue 3 2 No · Kp 2
- Wed 4 2 No · Kp 2
- Thu 5 2 No · Kp 2
- Fri 6 3 Photos only · Kp 3
- Sat 7 3 Photos only · Kp 3
Sunday 1 November — Good chance · Kp 5 · best around 01:00 · No cloud forecast this far ahead; in October about 48% 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 04:54 local time
Unlikely
Best around 04:00. Forecast max Kp 2.0 (this place needs 4.3), average cloud 100%.
- Dark enough
- 21:26 – 05:37
- Sunset
- 20:16 · sunrise 06:46
- Moon
- 32% · ↑ 10:11 · ↓ 02:20
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 4.3
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 2.7 (a red glow low in the south-south-west).
- Look towards
- south-south-west (196°)
Clearer skies nearby tonight
Forecast cloud during tonight's darkness: 82% here. The clearest option within 100 km is about 30 km to the north, near Winton, with 30%. Open in OpenStreetMap
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 Invercargill
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 | 2° | 7° | 956 km |
| 3 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 5° | 12° | 734 km |
| 4 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 9° | 19° | 512 km |
| 5 | Visible to the south-south-west | 19° | 33° | 289 km |
| 6 | Visible to the south-south-west | 57° | 71° | 67 km |
| 7 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 8 | Overhead, and also to the north-north-east | – | – | – |
| 9 | Overhead, and also to the north-north-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 next 24 h Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
- Kp 3 Unsettled camera in Invercargill Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
- Kp 4 Active eye in Invercargill 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
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 5 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 0.2°), 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 Invercargill
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
May has been the best month (5% of nights), followed by March (4%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4% | 56% | 9.1 h | 8° / 18°C |
| April | 4% | 55% | 11.0 h | 6° / 15°C |
| May | 5% | 51% | 12.3 h | 4° / 11°C |
| June | 3% | 54% | 12.8 h | 2° / 9°C |
| July | 3% | 56% | 12.6 h | 2° / 8°C |
| August | 2% | 49% | 11.5 h | 2° / 10°C |
| September | 4% | 50% | 9.9 h | 3° / 12°C |
| October | 2% | 48% | 8.3 h | 4° / 14°C |
Aurora nights in Invercargill since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 4.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.3
- 4 October 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 8 September 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 8 August 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 2 August 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 23 July 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 4 July 2026 · Kp 6.7
- 5 June 2026 · Kp 6.0
Where to watch near Invercargill
-
Oreti Beach
Long, flat beach west of the city with an unobstructed horizon and little light. · about 11 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Bluff Hill / Motupōhue Lookout
Hilltop lookout above Bluff with sweeping views over Foveaux Strait towards Stewart Island. · about 30 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Sandy Point Domain
Recreation reserve on the Oreti estuary, close to town but dark. · about 10 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Ōmāui
Small coastal settlement at the mouth of the New River estuary with open views south. · about 25 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
Local knowledge
- Southland tourism suggests April to September as the best time, on clear nights with little or no moon.
- Aurora Service alerts flag nights when the Kp index is high; check them along with the cloud forecast.
- Quiet, dark spots such as Oreti Beach, Sandy Point, Ōmāui, Awarua and Bluff Hill are all within a short drive of the city.
- Patience and a decent camera help, as displays are often faint to the naked eye.
- Dress warmly; southerly winds off Foveaux Strait make winter nights bitterly cold.
Vehicles are allowed on Oreti Beach, but soft sand and tides can trap cars at night; park on the formed area and walk.
The Bluff Hill summit road is narrow and winding; drive carefully in the dark.
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Invercargill Airport (IVC) · 3 km
- Typical low / high in May
- 4° / 11°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 Invercargill?
Invercargill needs an active night: from about Kp 4.3 the aurora appears low over the south-south-west horizon, and it rises higher as activity grows.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Invercargill?
Face south-south-west (about 196° from true north). At Kp 4.3 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 19° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Invercargill?
Over 2005–2025, May gave the best odds in Invercargill (5% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by March (4%).
When is the aurora season in Invercargill?
Invercargill 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 Invercargill?
Strong sky glow washes out faint aurora. Head out of town for anything but a bright display. A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the north-west.
When was the aurora last possible in Invercargill?
Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Invercargill on 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.3) — 828 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Invercargill share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Gladstone 1 km
- Avenal 1 km
- Windsor 1 km
- Richmond 1 km
- Georgetown 2 km
- Rosedale 2 km
- Hawthorndale 2 km
- Glengarry 2 km
- Waihopai 3 km
- Newfield 3 km
- Waverley 3 km
- Strathern 3 km
- Kew 3 km
- Appleby 3 km
- Rockdale 4 km
- Kingswell 4 km
- Heidelberg 4 km
- Myross Bush 6 km
- Lorneville 6 km
- Makarewa 7 km
- Kennington 8 km
- Wallacetown 9 km
- Roslyn Bush 9 km
- Wallacetown 10 km
- Makarewa Junction 11 km
- Longbush 12 km
- Waianiwa 13 km
- Toa 13 km
- Rakauhauka 14 km
- Wrights Bush 14 km
- Ryal Bush 15 km
- Grove Bush 15 km
- Woodlands 16 km
- Tussock Creek 17 km
- Waimatuku 18 km
- Mabel School 18 km
- Mokotua 19 km
- Mabel Bush 19 km
- Otahuti 20 km
- Waituna 22 km