Norrbotten County, SwedenMagnetic latitude 65.3°329 m above sea level
Northern lights in Jukkasjärvi
Jukkasjärvi sits right under the auroral oval: on clear, dark nights the aurora is often overhead, even when activity is quiet. Clouds matter far more than the Kp number here.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 19:01.
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Yes — good chance tonight
- Solar activity Strong enough: Kp 2.7 expected, 0 needed here.
- Sky Mostly clear (39% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:01 to 05:46.
What to do: Go somewhere dark around 03:00, give your eyes 15 minutes to adjust and look north, low over the horizon.
- Detailed forecast Fri 16 2.7 Good chance · Kp 2.7
- Sat 17 1.7 Good chance · Kp 1.7
- Sun 18 1.7 Good chance · Kp 1.7
- 27-day trend Mon 19 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Tue 20 3 Good chance · Kp 3
- Wed 21 4 Possible · Kp 4
- Thu 22 4 Possible · Kp 4
- Fri 23 4 Possible · Kp 4
- Sat 24 3 Possible · Kp 3
- Sun 25 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Mon 26 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Tue 27 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Wed 28 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Thu 29 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Fri 30 5 Possible · Kp 5
- Sat 31 5 Possible · Kp 5
- Sun 1 5 Possible · Kp 5
- Mon 2 3 Possible · Kp 3
- Tue 3 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Wed 4 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Thu 5 3 Possible · Kp 3
- Fri 6 3 Possible · Kp 3
- Sat 7 3 Possible · Kp 3
Saturday 17 October — Good chance · Kp 2.7 · best around 00:30 · Forecast cloud: 39%. · 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 15:43 local time
Excellent chance
Best around 03:00. Forecast max Kp 2.7 (this place needs 0), average cloud 39%.
- Dark enough
- 19:01 – 05:46
- Sunset
- 17:00 · sunrise 07:47
- Moon
- 31%
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 0
- Look towards
- north (356°)
Clearer skies nearby tonight
Forecast cloud during tonight's darkness: 39% here. The clearest option within 100 km is about 100 km to the south, with 5%. Open in OpenStreetMap
MET Norway forecast at 24 points within 100 km, averaged over the dark hours. Check roads and conditions before driving.
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
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What you would see from Jukkasjärvi
Facing north. Bands show where the aurora sits at two activity levels.
| Kp | What you see | Lower edge | Ray tops | Distance to the aurora |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Visible to the north | 37° | 55° | 133 km |
| 2 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 3 | Overhead, and also to the south | – | – | – |
| 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 | – | – | – |
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 eye in Jukkasjärvi 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 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) 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
Rural to suburban. Some sky glow from nearby lights. Moderate displays are fine; faint ones are easier a few kilometres out.
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 1.7°), 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 Jukkasjärvi
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
March has been the best month (43% of nights), followed by September (35%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 35% | 35% | 6.0 h | 3° / 9°C |
| October | 26% | 26% | 10.4 h | -4° / 1°C |
| November | 29% | 29% | 13.8 h | -11° / -6°C |
| December | 23% | 23% | 15.3 h | -14° / -8°C |
| January | 31% | 31% | 14.5 h | -16° / -10°C |
| February | 31% | 31% | 11.5 h | -16° / -9°C |
| March | 43% | 43% | 8.0 h | -13° / -5°C |
| April | 16% | 43% | 1.6 h | -8° / -1°C |
Darkness through the year
- No full darkness (Sun 12° below the horizon) from 15 April to 28 August — the sky stays too bright for most auroras.
- Midnight sun from 27 May to 17 July.
- Polar night from 10 December to 1 January: the sun stays below the horizon, giving the longest viewing windows.
- Next new moon 9 November, next full moon 26 October. The darkest skies are in the week around new moon.
Aurora nights in Jukkasjärvi since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 4.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 10 October 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 4 October 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 3 April 2026 · Kp 5.7
- 2 April 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 22 March 2026 · Kp 6.7
- 20 March 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 13 March 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 3 March 2026 · Kp 5.0
Where to watch near Jukkasjärvi
-
Torne River by the Icehotel
The open river valley next to the village gives a wide view of the sky with little light pollution. · about 1 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Kurravaara
A village upstream on the Torne River north of Kiruna that is often used as a darker viewing area. · about 27 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Luossavaara
Kiruna's city mountain, which the official tourism site recommends for aurora views over the mountains. · about 20 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Aurora Sky Station, Abisko
A dedicated aurora viewing station on Mount Nuolja in Abisko National Park, known for its clear-sky microclimate. · about 115 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
Local knowledge
- Jukkasjärvi is a small village on the Torne River about 17 km from Kiruna, so it gets far less artificial light than the town.
- The Icehotel first opened in 1990 and is rebuilt each winter from snow and ice blocks taken from the Torne River. A year-round version, Icehotel 365, was announced in 2016.
- The wooden Jukkasjärvi Church, built around 1607–1608, is the village's oldest building.
- Kiruna Airport is about 16 km away by road.
- The aurora season in the Kiruna area runs from roughly late August to April, and the strongest displays in Scandinavia usually come between 9 and 11 pm.
Do not walk on Torne River ice except on marked or prepared routes, because the current can keep the ice thin.
Winter temperatures in the area often fall below −15 °C, so wear proper cold-weather clothing for long waits outside.
Practical information
- Typical low / high in March
- -13° / -5°C
- What to wear
- Arctic cold: wool base layers, insulated jacket and trousers, warm boots, hat and mittens. Full clothing guide
- Emergency number
- 112
- Winter driving
- From 1 December to 31 March, cars must use winter tyres (Alpine-marked or studded) with at least 3 mm of tread whenever winter road conditions apply. Studded tyres are allowed from 1 October to 15 April, and at other times when winter conditions apply or are expected. Trafikverket runs the road traffic information service. Road conditions
- Access to land
- Allemansrätten lets anyone walk and stay temporarily on others' land, including pitching a tent for a night or two, provided you don't disturb and don't destroy. It does not cover gardens next to homes, crops or grazing land, or motorised off-road driving. National parks and nature reserves can have stricter rules.
- Official space-weather service
- Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF), Kiruna: all-sky camera and IRF Aurora Alert app
- Weather service
- SMHI (Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute)
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Jukkasjärvi?
Jukkasjärvi sits right under the auroral oval: on clear, dark nights the aurora is often overhead, even when activity is quiet. Clouds matter far more than the Kp number here.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Jukkasjärvi?
Face north (about 356° from true north). At Kp 0 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 37° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Jukkasjärvi?
Over 2005–2025, March gave the best odds in Jukkasjärvi (43% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by September (35%).
When is the aurora season in Jukkasjärvi?
From 15 April to 28 August the sky in Jukkasjärvi never gets dark enough. Outside that period the aurora can be seen whenever activity and clouds allow.
Is there much light pollution in Jukkasjärvi?
Some sky glow from nearby lights. Moderate displays are fine; faint ones are easier a few kilometres out.
When was the aurora last possible in Jukkasjärvi?
Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Jukkasjärvi on 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.0) — 767 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Jukkasjärvi share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Poikkijärvi 2 km
- Alttajärvi 2 km
- Paksuniemi 5 km
- Kauppinen 6 km
- Sevujärvi 18 km
- Svappavaara 29 km
- Kiruna Kommun 36 km