AuroraMeteo

Skåne County, SwedenMagnetic latitude 52.3°Population 87,24451 m above sea level

Northern lights in Lund

Lund needs an active night: from about Kp 5 the aurora appears low over the north horizon, and it rises higher as activity grows. Since 1995 that level (Kp 5) was reached during darkness here on 685 nights.

Right now

Quiet right now (Kp 2.7).

Kp 2.7 · 445 km/s · Bz -3.4

Updates every minute while this page is open.

Tonight in one minute

Not tonight

  • Solar activity Too weak: Kp 3 expected, 5 needed here.
  • Sky Overcast (100% cloud).
  • Darkness Dark from 19:24 to 06:21.

What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.

Tonight

Updated 19:41 local time

0/100

Unlikely

Best around 19:00. Forecast max Kp 3.0 (this place needs 5), average cloud 100%.

Dark enough
19:24 – 06:21
Sunset
18:04 · sunrise 07:41
Moon
32% · ↑ 14:50 · ↓ 20:16
Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
Kp 5
Kp for photos
In photos: from Kp 3.3 (a red glow low in the north).
Look towards
north (0°)
Sat 17 Oct0Kp 1.7 · cloud 100%
Sun 18 Oct0Kp 1.7 · cloud 33%
Sat 17061218Sun 18061218Mon 19061218
Chance (0–100) Dark enough Cloud cover

Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology

Seeing it right now?

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What you would see from Lund

Facing north. Bands show where the aurora sits at two activity levels.

10°20°30°45° Kp 7 · high overheadKp 5 · 10°–21° WNW 300° NW 315° NNW 330° NNW 345° N 0° NNE 15° NNE 30° NE 45° ENE 60°
Computed from the auroral oval position for each Kp level (lower border ~105 km, ray tops ~200 km up). Horizon from elevation data out to 30 km.
KpWhat you seeLower edgeRay topsDistance to the aurora
2 Below the horizon 0° 5° 1,134 km
3 Below the horizon 2° 8° 912 km
4 Faint glow, mostly on camera 5° 13° 689 km
5 Visible to the north 10° 21° 467 km
6 Visible to the north 22° 38° 245 km
7 Visible to the north 78° 83° 22 km
8 Overhead and all around – – –
9 Overhead, and also to the south – – –
Angles above the horizon. Terrain in the look direction is taken into account where modelled.

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.

  1. Kp 0–2 Quiet Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
  2. Kp 3 Unsettled next 24 h camera in Lund Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
  3. Kp 4 Active Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
  4. Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) eye in Lund Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
  5. Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) Northern England, Denmark, northern Germany and Poland, the US Midwest — often clearer in photos than to the eye.
  6. Kp 7 Strong storm (G3) Most of the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czechia; red glow in photos from France and the northern Alps.
  7. 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.
  8. 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

Bright suburban sky. Strong sky glow washes out faint aurora. Head out of town for anything but a bright display.

A noticeably darker area starts about 10 km to the north-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 1.1°), 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 Lund

Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.

September has been the best month (4% of nights), followed by March (2%).

0%10% July: 0% Jul August: 2% Aug September: 4% Sept October: 2% Oct November: 1% Nov December: 0% Dec January: 1% Jan February: 1% Feb March: 2% Mar April: 2% Apr May: 2% May – Jun
All years Near solar maximum Near solar minimum
MonthGood nightsClear nightsDarknessLow / high
September 4% 45% 8.4 h 11° / 18°C
October 2% 29% 10.8 h 7° / 12°C
November 0.6% 14% 12.6 h 3° / 7°C
December 0.3% 11% 13.6 h 0° / 3°C
January 0.8% 14% 13.1 h -2° / 2°C
February 1% 18% 11.4 h -2° / 2°C
March 2% 33% 9.4 h -1° / 6°C
April 2% 52% 6.5 h 3° / 11°C
Good night = darkness + activity at this place's Kp level + night-time satellite cloud ≤ 70%. GFZ Kp, NASA POWER (CERES), 1° grid. Methodology
12%chance of ≥1 good night in 3 nights (September)
19%chance of ≥1 good night in 5 nights (September)
25%chance of ≥1 good night in 7 nights (September)

Darkness through the year

Aurora nights in Lund since 1995

Nights when Kp reached 5 or more while it was dark here.

2015: 2615262016: 2716272017: 2017202018: 1118112019: 51952020: 22022021: 1121112022: 2122212023: 2023202024: 2524252025: 4325432026: 232623
Per year, last 12 years. Cloud cover not included. Source: GFZ Kp.

Most recent strong nights

Practical information

Nearest airport
Malmö Sturup Airport (MMX) · 22 km
Typical low / high in September
11° / 18°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 Lund?

Lund needs an active night: from about Kp 5 the aurora appears low over the north horizon, and it rises higher as activity grows.

Which way should I look for the aurora in Lund?

Face north (about 0° from true north). At Kp 5 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 Lund?

Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Lund (4% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by March (2%).

When is the aurora season in Lund?

From 1 June to 12 July the sky in Lund never gets dark enough. Outside that period the aurora can be seen whenever activity and clouds allow.

Is there much light pollution in Lund?

Strong sky glow washes out faint aurora. Head out of town for anything but a bright display. A noticeably darker area starts about 10 km to the north-east.

When was the aurora last possible in Lund?

The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Lund needs, during darkness, was 10 October 2026 (Kp 7.0). It has happened on 685 nights since 1995.

Also covered by this forecast

Villages and districts around Lund share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.