Greater Poland Voivodeship, PolandMagnetic latitude 49.5°Population 75,53260 m above sea level
Can you see the northern lights in Piła?
From Piła the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6.3 or more), usually as a glow low in the north. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does. Since 1995 that level (Kp 6.3) was reached during darkness here on 159 nights.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 19:03.
Latest measured half-hour activity worldwide: Hp30 0.7.
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 Enough for a camera: Kp 4.7 expected, 4.7 needed for photos, 6.3 for the eye.
- Sky Overcast (100% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:03 to 06:12.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
Friday 30 October — Photos only · Kp 5 · best around 23:00 · No cloud forecast this far ahead; in October about 43% 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 13:11 local time
Unlikely
Best around 18:00. Forecast max Kp 4.7 (this place needs 6.3), average cloud 100%.
- Dark enough
- 19:03 – 06:12
- Sunset
- 17:48 · sunrise 07:28
- Moon
- 58% · ↑ 15:37 · ↓ 00:00
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 6.3
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 4.7 (a red glow low in the north).
- Look towards
- north (0°)
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 | Mon, 19 | Mon, 22 | Tue, 01 | Tue, 04 | Tue, 19 | Tue, 22 | Wed, 01 | Wed, 04 | Wed, 19 | Wed, 22 | Thu, 01 | Thu, 04 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 29% | 44% | 56% | 69% | 100% | 82% | 43% | 24% | 45% | 65% | 74% | 54% |
| Mid cloud | 17% | 14% | 4% | 7% | 20% | 7% | 0% | 18% | 96% | 100% | 91% | 92% |
| High cloud | 0% | 3% | 9% | 19% | 2% | 0% | 0% | 20% | 95% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Temperature | 7 °C | 7 °C | 7 °C | 7 °C | 11 °C | 11 °C | 11 °C | 10 °C | 14 °C | 13 °C | 12 °C | 11 °C |
| Feels like | 5 °C | 5 °C | 5 °C | 5 °C | 11 °C | 11 °C | 11 °C | 10 °C | 14 °C | 13 °C | 12 °C | 11 °C |
| Wind | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 5 m/s | 6 m/s | 6 m/s | 5 m/s | 4 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 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 Piła
The aurora only shows through clear skies, so the weather matters as much as the Kp index. Here is the general forecast for Piła: temperature, wind and the chance of rain for the coming days.
Planning further ahead? See the hour-by-hour weather forecast for Piła on Atlas of Seasons.
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What you would see from Piła
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 | -2° | 1° | 1,446 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | -1° | 4° | 1,223 km |
| 4 | Below the horizon | 1° | 7° | 1,001 km |
| 5 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 4° | 11° | 778 km |
| 6 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 8° | 17° | 556 km |
| 7 | Visible to the north | 16° | 29° | 334 km |
| 8 | Visible to the north | 43° | 60° | 111 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 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) next 24 h camera in Piła Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
- Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) eye in Piła 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
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 Piła
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
April has been the best month (1% of nights), followed by March (0%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 0.3% | 61% | 8.6 h | 10° / 21°C |
| October | 0.2% | 43% | 10.8 h | 6° / 14°C |
| November | 0% | 19% | 12.5 h | 2° / 7°C |
| December | 0% | 16% | 13.4 h | -2° / 2°C |
| January | 0.2% | 15% | 12.9 h | -4° / 1°C |
| February | 0% | 22% | 11.4 h | -4° / 3°C |
| March | 0.3% | 43% | 9.5 h | -1° / 8°C |
| April | 0.6% | 61% | 7.1 h | 3° / 14°C |
Aurora nights in Piła since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 6.3 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
- Poznań-Ławica Airport (POZ) · 81 km
- Typical low / high in April
- 3° / 14°C
- What to wear
- Cool nights: layers, a windproof jacket, hat and gloves for standing still outside. Full clothing guide
- Emergency number
- 112
- Winter driving
- Poland has no legal winter tyre requirement (minimum tread depth 1.6 mm applies year-round). Road conditions: GDDKiA map service for national roads (winter-condition icons use IMGW data); GDDKiA hotline 19 111. Road conditions
- Access to land
- State forests are open to the public by default under Art. 26 of the Forest Act, except permanently closed areas (young plantings under 4 m, refuges, erosion zones) and signposted temporary bans (e.g. high fire risk, logging); national parks have their own access rules.
- Weather service
- Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW-PIB)
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Piła?
From Piła the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6.3 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 Piła?
Face north (about 0° from true north). At Kp 6.3 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 Piła?
Over 2005–2025, April gave the best odds in Piła (1% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by March (0%).
When is the aurora season in Piła?
Piła 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 Piła?
Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference.
When was the aurora last possible in Piła?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Piła needs, during darkness, was 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.0). It has happened on 159 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Piła share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Piła 2 km
- Koszyce 3 km
- Motylewo 6 km
- Kalina 6 km
- Dolaszewo 6 km
- Cyk 6 km
- Zawada 8 km
- Szydłowo 8 km
- Jeziorki 8 km
- Dobrzyca 8 km
- Czaplino 9 km
- Stobno 10 km
- Stara Łubianka 10 km
- Jaraczewo 10 km
- Szydłowo 10 km
- Wildek 10 km
- Pokrzywnica 11 km
- Kłoda 11 km
- Kaczory 11 km
- Dziembowo 11 km
- Kaczory 11 km
- Wrząca 12 km
- Śmiłowo 12 km
- Skórka 12 km
- Pilsko 12 km
- Powiat pilski 12 km
- Nowa Łubianka 12 km
- Furman 12 km
- Tarnowo 13 km
- Równopole 13 km
- Okunin 13 km
- Morzewo 13 km
- Krępsko 13 km
- Brodna 13 km
- Zabrodzie 14 km
- Plecemin 14 km
- Leżenica 14 km
- Kępa 14 km
- Rzadkowo 15 km
- Płytnica 17 km