Norrbotten County, SwedenMagnetic latitude 64.5°Population 2,032173 m above sea level
Northern lights in Pajala
Pajala 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
The aurora may be in view right now — go outside and look north!
Magnetometer at Pello (47 km away): strong magnetic activity, aurora likely under a dark, clear sky.
Updates every minute while this page is open. Ground data: FMI MIRACLE R-index (CC BY 4.0).
Tonight in one minute
Yes — good chance tonight
- Solar activity Strong enough: Kp 4 expected, 0 needed here.
- Sky Mostly clear (1% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 18:49 to 05:35.
What to do: Go somewhere dark around 02:00, give your eyes 15 minutes to adjust and look north, low over the horizon.
- Detailed forecast Fri 16 4 Good chance · Kp 4
- Sat 17 2 Good chance · Kp 2
- 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 4 · best around 03:30 · Forecast cloud: 1%. · 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 23:23 local time
Excellent chance
Best around 02:00. Forecast max Kp 4.0 (this place needs 0), average cloud 1%.
- Dark enough
- 18:49 – 05:35
- Sunset
- 16:48 · sunrise 07:37
- Moon
- 34%
- 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°)
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, 23 | Sat, 02 | Sat, 05 | Sat, 20 | Sat, 23 | Sun, 02 | Sun, 05 | Sun, 20 | Sun, 23 | Mon, 02 | Mon, 05 | Mon, 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 1% | 4% | 0% | 1% | 2% | 0% |
| Mid cloud | 5% | 0% | 0% | 6% | 1% | 0% | 3% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 80% |
| High cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 6% | 0% | 2% | 69% | 54% | 0% | 48% | 45% | 95% |
| Temperature | 3 °C | 2 °C | 0 °C | 2 °C | 0 °C | -1 °C | -1 °C | 1 °C | 1 °C | 0 °C | 0 °C | 7 °C |
| Feels like | -1 °C | -2 °C | -3 °C | -2 °C | -4 °C | -5 °C | -5 °C | -3 °C | -3 °C | -3 °C | -4 °C | 2 °C |
| Wind | 4 m/s | 3 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 3 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 3 m/s | 6 m/s |
| Visibility | 50 km | 50 km | 50 km | 50 km | 50 km | 50 km | 50 km | 50 km | 50 km | 50 km | 50 km | 50 km |
Cloud layers and weather: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
Seeing it right now?
Tell others in Norrbotten County. Reports from real visitors move a place up the live ranking.
Reports are anonymous: we do not store your IP address or location. One report per place every few hours.
Live webcams near Pajala
Check the sky for yourself: public cameras within 300 km. They open on the camera owner's website.
- Ylläs (opens in a new tab) Scenic
- Levi ski resort (opens in a new tab) Scenic
- Muonio all-sky camera (opens in a new tab) All-sky
- Rovaniemi (opens in a new tab) Scenic
- Sodankylä all-sky camera (opens in a new tab) All-sky
These cameras belong to their owners — we only link to them. Most show little in daylight or under cloud, and some pause in summer.
What you would see from Pajala
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 | 24° | 41° | 222 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 Pajala 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 next 24 h 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 1.2°), 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 Pajala
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
September has been the best month (40% of nights), followed by March (38%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 40% | 40% | 6.4 h | 5° / 11°C |
| October | 27% | 27% | 10.5 h | -2° / 3°C |
| November | 28% | 28% | 13.6 h | -9° / -5°C |
| December | 19% | 19% | 15.1 h | -14° / -8°C |
| January | 26% | 26% | 14.5 h | -16° / -10°C |
| February | 27% | 27% | 11.5 h | -15° / -9°C |
| March | 38% | 38% | 8.0 h | -11° / -4°C |
| April | 21% | 49% | 1.9 h | -5° / 1°C |
Darkness through the year
- No full darkness (Sun 12° below the horizon) from 18 April to 25 August — the sky stays too bright for most auroras.
- Midnight sun from 2 June to 10 July.
- Next new moon 9 November, next full moon 26 October. The darkest skies are in the week around new moon.
Aurora nights in Pajala 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
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Pajala Airport (PJA) · 13 km
Kittilä International Airport (KTT) · 83 km - Typical low / high in September
- 5° / 11°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
- 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 Pajala?
Pajala 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 Pajala?
Face north (about 356° from true north). At Kp 0 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 24° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Pajala?
Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Pajala (40% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by March (38%).
When is the aurora season in Pajala?
From 18 April to 25 August the sky in Pajala never gets dark enough. Outside that period the aurora can be seen whenever activity and clouds allow.
Is there much light pollution in Pajala?
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 Pajala?
Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Pajala on 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.0) — 770 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Pajala share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Tuohmaanniemi 3 km
- Köngäsenranta 5 km
- Pääskynen 6 km
- Kieksiäisvaara 6 km
- Autio 6 km
- Kengis 7 km
- Aukea 7 km
- Juhonpieti 8 km
- Liviöjärvi Alapää 9 km
- Erkheikki 9 km
- Liviöjärvi 10 km
- Lappea 10 km
- Lahti 10 km
- Ruokovaara 11 km
- Karivaara 11 km
- Hörntorpet 11 km
- Törmäsniva 13 km
- Sattajärvi 14 km
- Sahavaara 17 km
- Peräjävaara 18 km
- Ylinen Kassa 19 km
- Kaunisvaara 19 km
- Vaaranperä 20 km
- Pajala Kommun 20 km
- Kassa 20 km
- Pääjärvi 22 km
- Männikkönjärvi 22 km
- Niemi 23 km
- Mella 23 km
- Alanen Kassa 23 km
- Virtala 24 km
- Pentäsjärvi 24 km
- Kolari 24 km
- Kirnujärvi 24 km
- Airivaara 24 km
- Torinen 26 km
- Siikavaara 26 km
- Kostheenniemi 26 km
- Saitaniemi 27 km
- Matokoski 27 km