AuroraMeteo

Trøndelag, NorwayMagnetic latitude 61.6°Population 1,26860 m above sea level

Northern lights in Malm

From Malm the aurora can show up on almost any clear, dark night — low to the north when activity is quiet, higher and overhead when it picks up. Since 1995 that level (Kp 4.7) was reached during darkness here on 817 nights.

Right now

The aurora may be in view right now — go outside and look north!

Kp 2.7 · 451 km/s · Bz -4.3

Updates every minute while this page is open.

Tonight in one minute

Not tonight

  • Solar activity Strong enough: Kp 3 expected, 0.3 needed here.
  • Sky Overcast (86% cloud).
  • Darkness Dark from 19:35 to 06:26.

What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.

Tonight

Updated 19:48 local time

20/100

Possible

Best around 21:00. Forecast max Kp 3.0 (this place needs 0.3), average cloud 86%.

Dark enough
19:35 – 06:26
Sunset
17:52 · sunrise 08:10
Moon
32%
Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
Kp 0.3
Kp for photos
In photos: from Kp 0 (a red glow low in the north).
Look towards
north (354°)
Sat 17 Oct13Kp 1.7 · cloud 89%
Sun 18 Oct65Kp 1.7 · cloud 7%
Fri 16 19 · 3/100 · Kp 3.0 · cloud 92.9% Fri 16 20 · 6/100 · Kp 2.0 · cloud 92.9% Fri 16 21 · 20/100 · Kp 2.0 · cloud 74.6% Fri 16 23 · 2/100 · Kp 2.7 · cloud 97.5% Sat 17 00 · 18/100 · Kp 2.7 · cloud 80% Sat 17 01 · 11/100 · Kp 2.7 · cloud 88.6% Sat 17 02 · 16/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 74.9% Sat 17 03 · 10/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 84.3% Sat 17 04 · 7/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 89.9% Sat 17 05 · 16/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 75.4% Sat 17 06 · 5/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 84.3% Sat 17 19 · 10/100 · Kp 1.3 · cloud 60.4% Sat 17 20 · 11/100 · Kp 1.3 · cloud 78.6% Sat 17 21 · 13/100 · Kp 1.3 · cloud 75.1% Sat 17 22 · 6/100 · Kp 1.3 · cloud 88.7% Sat 17 23 · 2/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 97.5% Sun 18 01 · 2/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 97% Sun 18 02 · 5/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 92% Sun 18 03 · 3/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 94.7% Sun 18 04 · 3/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 95.2% Sun 18 05 · 4/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 93.7% Sun 18 06 · 3/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 90.4% Sun 18 19 · 11/100 · Kp 1.3 · cloud 47.8% Sun 18 20 · 38/100 · Kp 1.3 · cloud 11.1% Sun 18 21 · 50/100 · Kp 1.3 · cloud 2.1% Sun 18 22 · 50/100 · Kp 1.3 · cloud 0.6% Sun 18 23 · 64/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 1.7% Mon 19 00 · 64/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 2.4% Mon 19 01 · 65/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 0.2% Mon 19 02 · 63/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 4.2% Mon 19 03 · 63/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 4.2% Mon 19 04 · 63/100 · Kp 1.7 · cloud 4.2% Sat 17061218Sun 18061218Mon 19061218
Chance (0–100) Dark enough Cloud cover

Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology

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What you would see from Malm

Facing north. Bands show where the aurora sits at two activity levels.

10°20°30°45° Kp 4 · overheadKp 2 · high overhead WNW 294° NW 309° NW 324° NNW 339° N 354° N 9° NNE 24° NE 39° NE 54°
Computed from the auroral oval position for each Kp level (lower border ~105 km, ray tops ~200 km up). Terrain not modelled for this place; the horizon is drawn flat.
KpWhat you seeLower edgeRay topsDistance to the aurora
1 Visible to the north 16° 30° 322 km
2 Visible to the north 46° 63° 100 km
3 Overhead and all around – – –
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 – – –
Angles above the horizon. Terrain in the look direction is taken into account where modelled.

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.

  1. Kp 0–2 Quiet eye in Malm camera in Malm Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
  2. Kp 3 Unsettled next 24 h Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
  3. Kp 4 Active Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
  4. Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
  5. Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) Northern England, Denmark, northern Germany and Poland, the US Midwest — often clearer in photos than to the eye.
  6. Kp 7 Strong storm (G3) Most of the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czechia; red glow in photos from France and the northern Alps.
  7. 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.
  8. 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 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

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 Malm

Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.

September has been the best month (25% of nights), followed by November (20%).

0%10%20%30% – Jul August: 12% Aug September: 25% Sept October: 19% Oct November: 20% Nov December: 18% Dec January: 16% Jan February: 13% Feb March: 17% Mar April: 17% Apr – May – Jun
All years Near solar maximum Near solar minimum
MonthGood nightsClear nightsDarknessLow / high
September 25% 28% 7.1 h 7° / 13°C
October 19% 20% 10.5 h 3° / 7°C
November 20% 21% 13.3 h -2° / 2°C
December 18% 19% 14.6 h -5° / -1°C
January 16% 17% 14.0 h -6° / -2°C
February 13% 14% 11.5 h -6° / -1°C
March 17% 18% 8.6 h -4° / 2°C
April 17% 26% 3.8 h 0° / 6°C
Good night = darkness + activity at this place's Kp level + night-time satellite cloud ≤ 70%. GFZ Kp, NASA POWER (CERES), 1° grid. Methodology
58%chance of ≥1 good night in 3 nights (September)
77%chance of ≥1 good night in 5 nights (September)
87%chance of ≥1 good night in 7 nights (September)

Darkness through the year

Aurora nights in Malm since 1995

Nights when Kp reached 4.7 or more while it was dark here.

2015: 2915292016: 3616362017: 2817282018: 1018102019: 81982020: 32032021: 1421142022: 3222322023: 2623262024: 2024202025: 4625462026: 252625
Per year, last 12 years. Cloud cover not included. Source: GFZ Kp.

Most recent strong nights

Practical information

Nearest airport
Trondheim Airport, Værnes (TRD) · 70 km
Typical low / high in September
7° / 13°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 Malm?

From Malm the aurora can show up on almost any clear, dark night — low to the north when activity is quiet, higher and overhead when it picks up.

Which way should I look for the aurora in Malm?

Face north (about 354° from true north). At Kp 0.3 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 16° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.

What is the best month to see the aurora in Malm?

Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Malm (25% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by November (20%).

When is the aurora season in Malm?

From 26 April to 16 August the sky in Malm never gets dark enough. Outside that period the aurora can be seen whenever activity and clouds allow.

Is there much light pollution in Malm?

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 north-west.

When was the aurora last possible in Malm?

Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Malm on 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.0) — 817 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.

Also covered by this forecast

Villages and districts around Malm share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.