Nordland, NorwayMagnetic latitude 64.9°Population 34,07313 m above sea level
Northern lights in Bodø
Bodø 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 19:18.
Magnetometer at Kilpisjärvi (330 km away): low magnetic activity.
Updates every minute while this page is open. Ground data: FMI MIRACLE R-index (CC BY 4.0).
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Strong enough: Kp 2.3 expected, 0 needed here.
- Sky Overcast (95% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:18 to 06:18.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
Wednesday 21 October — Good chance · Kp 3.7 · best around 00:30 · Forecast cloud: 1%. · Reliability: medium
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 16:32 local time
Unlikely
Best around 20:00. Forecast max Kp 2.3 (this place needs 0), average cloud 95%.
- Dark enough
- 19:18 – 06:18
- Sunset
- 17:19 · sunrise 08:17
- Moon
- 49% · ↑ 17:59 · ↓ 22:03
- 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 (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 | Sun, 19 | Sun, 22 | Mon, 01 | Mon, 04 | Mon, 19 | Mon, 22 | Tue, 01 | Tue, 04 | Tue, 19 | Tue, 22 | Wed, 01 | Wed, 04 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 72% | 83% | 73% | 56% | 64% | 63% | 49% | 29% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Mid cloud | 0% | 12% | 36% | 44% | 100% | 73% | 12% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| High cloud | 17% | 40% | 91% | 98% | 51% | 75% | 100% | 74% | 8% | 6% | 1% | 0% |
| Temperature | 7 °C | 7 °C | 7 °C | 8 °C | 8 °C | 8 °C | 8 °C | 7 °C | 5 °C | 5 °C | 5 °C | 4 °C |
| Feels like | 4 °C | 4 °C | 4 °C | 4 °C | 4 °C | 4 °C | 4 °C | 4 °C | 3 °C | 3 °C | 2 °C | 2 °C |
| Wind | 4 m/s | 4 m/s | 4 m/s | 6 m/s | 10 m/s | 9 m/s | 7 m/s | 5 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 3 m/s |
Cloud layers and weather: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Clearer skies nearby tonight
Tonight's cloud forecast is similar in every direction within 100 km (95% 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
Seeing it right now?
Tell others in Nordland. Reports from real visitors move a place up the live ranking.
Reports are anonymous: we do not store your IP address or location. One report per place every few hours.
Live webcams near Bodø
Check the sky for yourself: public cameras within 300 km. They open on the camera owner's website.
- Bodø (opens in a new tab) Scenic
- Lofoten – Reine (opens in a new tab) Scenic
- Lofoten – Hamnøy (opens in a new tab) Scenic
- Lofoten – Henningsvær (opens in a new tab) Scenic
- Lofoten – Kabelvåg (opens in a new tab) Scenic
These cameras belong to their owners — we only link to them. Most show little in daylight or under cloud, and some pause in summer.
What you would see from Bodø
Facing north. 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 | 30° | 47° | 178 km |
| 2 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 3 | Overhead, and also to the south | – | – | – |
| 4 | Overhead, and also to the south | – | – | – |
| 5 | Overhead, and also to the south | – | – | – |
| 6 | Overhead, and also to the south | – | – | – |
| 7 | Overhead, and also to the south | – | – | – |
| 8 | Overhead, and also to the south | – | – | – |
| 9 | Overhead, and also to the south | – | – | – |
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 eye in Bodø 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 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 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 north is open (terrain below 2.5°), 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 Bodø
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
September has been the best month (24% of nights), followed by October (23%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 24% | 24% | 6.1 h | 8° / 11°C |
| October | 23% | 23% | 10.4 h | 4° / 6°C |
| November | 22% | 22% | 13.8 h | 1° / 3°C |
| December | 23% | 23% | 15.1 h | -2° / 1°C |
| January | 22% | 22% | 14.5 h | -3° / 0°C |
| February | 21% | 21% | 11.5 h | -3° / 0°C |
| March | 20% | 20% | 8.0 h | -2° / 1°C |
| April | 11% | 26% | 1.9 h | 1° / 4°C |
Darkness through the year
- No full darkness (Sun 12° below the horizon) from 16 April to 26 August — the sky stays too bright for most auroras.
- Midnight sun from 30 May to 14 July.
- Polar night from 19 December to 24 December: the sun stays below the horizon, giving the longest viewing windows.
- Next new moon 9 November, next full moon 26 October. The darkest skies are in the week around new moon.
Aurora nights in Bodø since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 4.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 4 October 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 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 Bodø
-
Keiservarden
A popular summit on the town's local hill, reached on foot, with a panoramic view over the islands and the sea. · about 8 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Mjelle beach
A north-facing sandy beach well away from town lights. · about 22 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Saltstraumen
The world's strongest tidal current, where aurora can be photographed over the whirlpools from the bridge area. · about 30 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Kjerringøy
A historic trading post on a quiet peninsula with dark skies and open sea views. · about 43 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
Local knowledge
- Bodø lies just north of the Arctic Circle, and Visit Norway calls it an up-and-coming northern lights destination with a centrally located airport.
- The climate is coastal, with fairly cold winters and cool summers, so cloud and showers off the sea are common; watch for clear spells.
- Bodø Airport is about 2 km from the centre, and the Nordland Line railway from Trondheim ends here (about 10 hours).
- Car ferries and fast boats from Bodø link to Lofoten, making it a good starting point for an island aurora trip.
- Bodø was a European Capital of Culture in 2024.
At Saltstraumen, keep away from the water's edge on icy rocks because the currents are extremely strong.
The Keiservarden trail is icy and dark in winter, so use a headlamp and traction aids.
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Bodø Airport (BOO) · 2 km
- Typical low / high in September
- 8° / 11°C
- What to wear
- Cool nights: layers, a windproof jacket, hat and gloves for standing still outside. Full clothing guide
- Emergency number
- 112 (police), 113 (ambulance), 110 (fire)
- Winter driving
- Winter tyres need at least 3 mm of tread from 1 November to the first Sunday after Easter Monday (16 October to 30 April in Nordland, Troms and Finnmark). Studded tyres are allowed in the same periods and outside them when conditions require. Road conditions are on Statens vegvesen's traffic information service (vegvesen.no/trafikk). Road conditions
- Access to land
- Allemannsretten gives free access to uncultivated land (utmark) such as forest, mountain and shoreline; cultivated land and yards (innmark) need the owner's consent. Overnight stays, including tents, motorhomes and vans, must be more than 150 m from an inhabited house or cabin, and you may stay at most two nights in one spot without permission.
- Official space-weather service
- Norwegian Centre for Space Weather (NOSWE), Tromsø Geophysical Observatory, UiT
- Weather service
- Norwegian Meteorological Institute (Yr)
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Bodø?
Bodø 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 Bodø?
Face north (about 354° from true north). At Kp 0 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 30° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Bodø?
Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Bodø (24% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by October (23%).
When is the aurora season in Bodø?
From 16 April to 26 August the sky in Bodø never gets dark enough. Outside that period the aurora can be seen whenever activity and clouds allow.
Is there much light pollution in Bodø?
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 west.
When was the aurora last possible in Bodø?
Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Bodø on 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.0) — 778 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Bodø share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Vestbyen 0 km
- Kortneset 1 km
- Snippen 1 km
- Rønvik 2 km
- Hernes 2 km
- Hammervik 2 km
- Østbyen 2 km
- Rønvik nedre 2 km
- Bodøgård 3 km
- Alstad 4 km
- Jensvoll 5 km
- Hunstadmoen 6 km
- Mørkved 7 km
- Seines 8 km
- Hunstad 9 km
- Valnes 10 km
- Bertnes 10 km
- Kobbosen 10 km
- Hella 10 km
- Straum 11 km
- Evjen 11 km
- Gjælen 11 km
- Gjælen 11 km
- Saltstraumen 12 km
- Sandvika 12 km
- Marvoll 12 km
- Kringla 12 km
- Knapplund 12 km
- Fenes 12 km
- Alsvik 12 km
- Steinsøya 12 km
- Laukeng 12 km
- Tuv 13 km
- Fjell 13 km
- Skau 16 km
- Gillesvåg 16 km
- Bliksvær 16 km
- Finnset 17 km
- Valvika 18 km
- Mulstranda 18 km