West Pomeranian Voivodeship, PolandMagnetic latitude 50.2°Population 4,09333 m above sea level
Can you see the northern lights in Płoty?
From Płoty the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6 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) was reached during darkness here on 223 nights.
Right now
Quiet right now (Kp 3.3).
Measured activity in the last half hour: Hp30 5.
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 Too weak: Kp 2.7 expected, 6 needed here.
- Sky Partly cloudy (53% cloud) — look for gaps.
- Darkness Dark from 19:16 to 06:13.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
- Detailed forecast Fri 16 2.7 No · Kp 2.7
- Sat 17 1.7 No · Kp 1.7
- Sun 18 1.7 No · Kp 1.7
- 27-day trend Mon 19 2 No · Kp 2
- Tue 20 3 No · Kp 3
- Wed 21 4 No · Kp 4
- Thu 22 4 No · Kp 4
- Fri 23 4 No · Kp 4
- Sat 24 3 No · 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 5 Unlikely · Kp 5
- Sat 31 5 Unlikely · Kp 5
- Sun 1 5 Unlikely · Kp 5
- Mon 2 3 No · Kp 3
- Tue 3 2 No · Kp 2
- Wed 4 2 No · Kp 2
- Thu 5 3 No · Kp 3
- Fri 6 3 No · Kp 3
- Sat 7 3 No · Kp 3
Saturday 17 October — No · Kp 2.7 · Forecast cloud: 53%. · Reliability: good
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 22:04 local time
Unlikely
Best around 22:00. Forecast max Kp 2.7 (this place needs 6), average cloud 53%.
- Dark enough
- 19:16 – 06:13
- Sunset
- 17:59 · sunrise 07:30
- Moon
- 33% · ↑ 15:01 · ↓ 20:26
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 6
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 4.3 (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 | Fri, 22 | Sat, 01 | Sat, 04 | Sat, 19 | Sat, 22 | Sun, 01 | Sun, 04 | Sun, 19 | Sun, 22 | Mon, 01 | Mon, 04 | Mon, 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature | 9 °C | 7 °C | 6 °C | 11 °C | 11 °C | 10 °C | 10 °C | 12 °C | 10 °C | 10 °C | 10 °C | 12 °C |
| Feels like | 8 °C | 5 °C | 5 °C | 11 °C | 11 °C | 10 °C | 10 °C | 12 °C | 10 °C | 9 °C | 8 °C | 12 °C |
| Wind | 3 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 2 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s |
Cloud layers and weather: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0).
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
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What you would see from Płoty
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° | 2° | 1,368 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | 0° | 5° | 1,145 km |
| 4 | Below the horizon | 2° | 8° | 923 km |
| 5 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 5° | 13° | 701 km |
| 6 | Visible to the north | 10° | 20° | 478 km |
| 7 | Visible to the north | 21° | 36° | 256 km |
| 8 | Visible to the north | 72° | 80° | 33 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 next 24 h Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
- Kp 4 Active camera in Płoty 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) eye in Płoty 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.
A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the east. 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 0.3°), 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 Płoty
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
March has been the best month (1% of nights), followed by August (1%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 0.6% | 43% | 8.5 h | 12° / 19°C |
| October | 0.3% | 23% | 10.8 h | 8° / 13°C |
| November | 0.3% | 9% | 12.5 h | 4° / 8°C |
| December | 0% | 6% | 13.5 h | 0° / 4°C |
| January | 0% | 5% | 13.0 h | -1° / 2°C |
| February | 0% | 4% | 11.4 h | -1° / 3°C |
| March | 0.8% | 15% | 9.5 h | 1° / 7°C |
| April | 0.5% | 42% | 6.9 h | 4° / 11°C |
Aurora nights in Płoty since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 6 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 15 May 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 22 March 2026 · Kp 6.7
- 20 March 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 13 March 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 20 January 2026 · Kp 7.7
- 19 January 2026 · Kp 8.7
- 10 December 2025 · Kp 6.0
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Solidarity Szczecin–Goleniów Airport (SZZ) · 34 km
- Typical low / high in March
- 1° / 7°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 Płoty?
From Płoty the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6 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 Płoty?
Face north (about 0° from true north). At Kp 6 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 10° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Płoty?
Over 2005–2025, March gave the best odds in Płoty (1% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by August (1%).
When is the aurora season in Płoty?
Płoty 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 Płoty?
Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference. A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the east.
When was the aurora last possible in Płoty?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Płoty needs, during darkness, was 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.0). It has happened on 223 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Płoty share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Słudwia 2 km
- Karczewie 2 km
- Lisowo 3 km
- Dobiesław 3 km
- Sowno 4 km
- Makowice 4 km
- Kocierz 5 km
- Czarne 5 km
- Gostyń Łobeski 6 km
- Wyszogóra 7 km
- Mechowo 7 km
- Dąbie 8 km