G1Peak 17 May 1998 at 00:00 UTC
Northern Lights on 17 May 1998 (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 3 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
407 towns on our list had enough activity while it was dark there. Cloud cover is not included.
| Country | Places | Examples | Furthest from the pole |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 207 | Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Mississauga | Hamilton |
| United Kingdom | 102 | Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee | Ashington |
| Denmark | 72 | Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg, Frederiksberg | Esbjerg |
| Sweden | 14 | Malmö, Helsingborg, Lund, Landskrona | Oxie |
| United States | 9 | Burlington, Watertown, Plattsburgh, South Burlington | Watertown |
| Norway | 2 | Egersund, Mandal | Mandal |
| Ireland | 1 | Letterkenny | Letterkenny |
Only in photos
1,555 more towns could have caught a faint red or green glow low on the horizon with a phone or camera.
- GermanyHamburg, München, Bremen
- HungaryBudapest, Debrecen, Miskolc
- SwitzerlandZürich, Basel, Bern
- PolandSzczecin, Bydgoszcz, Toruń
- FranceNantes, Rennes, Angers
- NetherlandsGroningen, Leeuwarden, Alkmaar
- AustriaVienna, Graz, Linz
- SloveniaMaribor, Murska Sobota, Šentilj v Slov. Goricah
- SlovakiaBratislava, Petržalka, Nitra
- LiechtensteinSchaan, Triesen, Balzers
- South AfricaCape Town, Gqeberha
- ChilePuerto Williams
Whether the aurora was actually seen also depended on the weather. Use this as a guide to where it was possible.