G1Peak 15 August 1990 at 12:00 UTC

Northern Lights on 15 August 1990 (Kp 5): Where They Were Visible

Kp reached 5. At that level the edge of the auroral oval reaches about 56.5° magnetic latitude, so the aurora could be seen low on the horizon down to roughly 52.0°. Activity stayed at storm level (Kp 5 or more) for 12 hours.

Kp 0–3 Kp 4 Kp 5–6 (G1–G2) Kp 7+ (G3+) Times in UTC; faded bars are forecasts.

Three-hourly Kp from GFZ, one day either side of the storm.

Where the aurora could be seen

464 towns on our list had enough activity while it was dark there. Cloud cover is not included.

Based on each place's Kp threshold (terrain included) and the Sun's position during each 3-hour Kp block.
Country	Places	Examples	Furthest from the pole
Finland	115	Helsinki, Espoon keskus, Tampere urban area, Vantaa	Raseborg
Canada	101	Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Surrey	Saanich
Sweden	78	Stockholm, Uppsala, Örebro, Sollentuna	Lidköping
Norway	58	Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger	Grimstad
United States	45	Anchorage, Spokane, Fargo, Billings	Billings
Latvia	27	Riga, Jelgava, Jūrmala, Ventspils	Jelgava
Estonia	20	Tallinn, Tartu, Narva, Pärnu	Võru
New Zealand	7	Dunedin, Invercargill, Mosgiel, Gore	Oamaru
Australia	5	Hobart, Launceston, Bruny Island (Alonnah), Southport / Cockle Creek	Launceston
Faroe Islands	4	Tórshavn, Klaksvík, Fuglafjørður, Miðvágur	Tórshavn
United Kingdom	4	Isle of Lewis, Thurso, Kirkwall, Lerwick	Isle of Lewis

Only in photos

783 more towns could have caught a faint red or green glow low on the horizon with a phone or camera.

Whether the aurora was actually seen also depended on the weather. Use this as a guide to where it was possible.

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