Alaska, United StatesMagnetic latitude 61.1°Population 6,621185 m above sea level
Northern lights in Elmendorf Air Force Base
From Elmendorf Air Force Base the aurora is visible on most active nights — first low to the north-north-east, from about Kp 0.7.
Right now
The aurora may be in view right now — go outside and look north-north-east!
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Strong enough: Kp 2 expected, 0.7 needed here.
- Sky Overcast (92% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 20:16 to 07:12.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
- Detailed forecast Thu 15 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Fri 16 1.7 Possible · Kp 1.7
- Sat 17 1.7 Good chance · Kp 1.7
- 27-day trend Sun 18 2 Good chance · Kp 2
- Mon 19 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Tue 20 3 Possible · Kp 3
- Wed 21 4 Possible · Kp 4
- Thu 22 4 Possible · Kp 4
- Fri 23 3 Possible · Kp 3
- Sat 24 2 Possible · Kp 2
- 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 Good chance · Kp 2
- Fri 30 5 Good chance · Kp 5
- Sat 31 5 Good chance · Kp 5
- Sun 1 3 Good chance · Kp 3
- Mon 2 2 Good chance · Kp 2
- Tue 3 2 Good chance · Kp 2
- Wed 4 2 Good chance · Kp 2
- Thu 5 3 Good chance · Kp 3
- Fri 6 3 Good chance · Kp 3
Friday 16 October — Possible · Kp 1.7 · best around 20:30 · Forecast cloud: 70%. · Reliability: medium
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 06:38 local time
Unlikely
Best around 06:00. Forecast max Kp 2.0 (this place needs 0.7), average cloud 92%.
- Dark enough
- 20:16 – 07:12
- Sunset
- 18:42 · sunrise 08:47
- Moon
- 31% · ↑ 17:27 · ↓ 20:09
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 0.7
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 0 (a red glow low in the north-north-east).
- Look towards
- north-north-east (18°)
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
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What you would see from Elmendorf Air Force Base
Facing north-north-east. Bands show where the aurora sits at two activity levels.
| Kp | What you see | Lower edge | Ray tops | Distance to the aurora |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Visible to the north-north-east | 14° | 26° | 378 km |
| 2 | Visible to the north-north-east | 33° | 51° | 156 km |
| 3 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 4 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 5 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
| 6 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
| 7 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
| 8 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
| 9 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
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 next 24 h eye in Elmendorf Air Force Base camera in Elmendorf Air Force Base 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 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.
A noticeably darker area starts about 15 km to the east-south-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-north-east is open (terrain below 2.9°), 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 Elmendorf Air Force Base
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
March has been the best month (52% of nights), followed by January (47%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 22% | 24% | 7.6 h | 6° / 11°C |
| October | 31% | 33% | 10.6 h | 0° / 4°C |
| November | 42% | 48% | 13.1 h | -8° / -4°C |
| December | 38% | 43% | 14.1 h | -9° / -5°C |
| January | 47% | 49% | 13.6 h | -10° / -6°C |
| February | 46% | 48% | 11.5 h | -10° / -4°C |
| March | 52% | 55% | 8.8 h | -8° / -2°C |
| April | 42% | 48% | 5.0 h | -3° / 3°C |
Darkness through the year
- No full darkness (Sun 12° below the horizon) from 5 May to 8 August — the sky stays too bright for most auroras.
- Next new moon 8 November, next full moon 25 October. The darkest skies are in the week around new moon.
Aurora nights in Elmendorf Air Force Base since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 4.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 4 October 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 3 October 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 7 September 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 18 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 17 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 2 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 1 April 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 24 March 2026 · Kp 5.0
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Merrill Field (MRI) · 12 km
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) · 21 km - Typical low / high in March
- -8° / -2°C
- What to wear
- Below freezing at night: thermal layers, a warm jacket, hat, gloves and winter boots. Full clothing guide
- Emergency number
- 911
- Winter driving
- Tyre and chain rules are set at state level; check Alaska 511 (511.alaska.gov, Alaska DOT&PF) for Alaska roads, or the relevant state's 511 service elsewhere. Road conditions
- Access to land
- There is no general right to roam; trespass law is set by each state, so stay on public land (national parks, national forests, BLM land) or get the landowner's permission, and follow each park's night-time and parking rules.
- Official space-weather service
- NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (aurora dashboard)
- Weather service
- National Weather Service (NOAA)
Questions and answers
What Kp do you need to see the aurora in Elmendorf Air Force Base?
From Elmendorf Air Force Base the aurora is visible on most active nights — first low to the north-north-east, from about Kp 0.7.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Elmendorf Air Force Base?
Face north-north-east (about 18° from true north). At Kp 0.7 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 14° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Elmendorf Air Force Base?
Over 2005–2025, March gave the best odds in Elmendorf Air Force Base (52% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by January (47%).
When is the aurora season in Elmendorf Air Force Base?
From 5 May to 8 August the sky in Elmendorf Air Force Base never gets dark enough. Outside that period the aurora can be seen whenever activity and clouds allow.
Is there much light pollution in Elmendorf Air Force Base?
Some sky glow from nearby lights. Moderate displays are fine; faint ones are easier a few kilometres out. A noticeably darker area starts about 15 km to the east-south-east.
When was the aurora last possible in Elmendorf Air Force Base?
Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Elmendorf Air Force Base on 4 October 2026 (Kp 5.0) — 698 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Elmendorf Air Force Base share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Fort Richardson 3 km
- Homesite Park 7 km
- Basher 12 km
- Anchorage Municipality 23 km