Alaska, United StatesMagnetic latitude 70.4°Population 4,3843 m above sea level
Northern lights in Utqiagvik
Utqiagvik 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-north-east!
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Strong enough: Kp 2 expected, 0 needed here.
- Sky Overcast (100% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 20:53 to 07:33.
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 Possible · Kp 1.7
- 27-day trend Sun 18 2 Possible · 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 Possible · Kp 2
- Fri 30 5 Possible · Kp 5
- Sat 31 5 Possible · Kp 5
- Sun 1 3 Possible · Kp 3
- Mon 2 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Tue 3 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Wed 4 2 Possible · Kp 2
- Thu 5 3 Possible · Kp 3
- Fri 6 3 Possible · Kp 3
Saturday 17 October — Possible · Kp 1.7 · best around 21:00 · Forecast cloud: 71%. · 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 05:43 local time
Unlikely
Best around 05:00. Forecast max Kp 2.0 (this place needs 0), average cloud 100%.
- Dark enough
- 20:53 – 07:33
- Sunset
- 18:29 · sunrise 09:58
- 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-north-east (22°)
Clearer skies nearby tonight
Tonight's cloud forecast is similar in every direction within 100 km (100% here), so driving is unlikely to help.
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 Utqiagvik
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
| 2 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
| 3 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
| 4 | Overhead, and also to the south-south-west | – | – | – |
| 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 Utqiagvik 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
Suburban sky. Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference.
A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the south-south-west. 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 0.0°), 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 Utqiagvik
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
January has been the best month (49% of nights), followed by February (49%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 11% | 12% | 4.0 h | 0° / 4°C |
| October | 9% | 9% | 10.3 h | -6° / -3°C |
| November | 15% | 15% | 14.1 h | -17° / -12°C |
| December | 37% | 37% | 16.1 h | -23° / -18°C |
| January | 49% | 49% | 15.1 h | -26° / -21°C |
| February | 49% | 49% | 11.8 h | -26° / -20°C |
| March | 45% | 45% | 7.0 h | -24° / -18°C |
| April | 4% | 19% | – | -17° / -10°C |
Darkness through the year
- No full darkness (Sun 12° below the horizon) from 5 April to 6 September — the sky stays too bright for most auroras.
- Midnight sun from 11 May to 2 August.
- Polar night from 19 November to 22 January: the sun stays below the horizon, giving the longest viewing windows.
- Next new moon 8 November, next full moon 25 October. The darkest skies are in the week around new moon.
Aurora nights in Utqiagvik since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 4.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 3 October 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 24 March 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 21 March 2026 · Kp 6.3
- 20 March 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 13 March 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 21 February 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 14 February 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 4 February 2026 · Kp 5.3
Where to watch near Utqiagvik
-
Whale Bone Arches (waterfront)
Whalebone arch on the Chukchi Sea shoreline with an open horizon and a distinctive photo foreground. · about 1 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Isatkoak Lagoon
Flat, open lagoon between Utqiaġvik and Browerville giving a wide view of the sky close to town. · about 2 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
-
Point Barrow (with a local guide)
Northernmost point of the US, far from town lights; go only with local guides because of polar bear risk. · about 12 km · Open in OpenStreetMap
Local knowledge
- Utqiaġvik is the northernmost town in the United States and has no road connection to the rest of Alaska; access is by air via Wiley Post–Will Rogers Memorial Airport.
- The sun sets around November 18 and does not rise again until about January 23, giving roughly two months of polar night for aurora watching.
- Lodging is limited to a handful of hotels, so book early, especially around the start of the polar night.
- Temperatures usually stay below freezing from early October to late May and winter wind chill can be severe, so bring full Arctic clothing.
- Ask your hotel or a local guide about current conditions before heading out after dark.
Polar bears from the Southern Beaufort Sea population come near the community, especially in autumn; never approach them, avoid walking the beach or tundra alone at night, and report sightings to local authorities.
Extreme cold and wind can cause frostbite within minutes on winter nights.
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Wiley Post Will Rogers Memorial Airport (BRW) · 1 km
- Typical low / high in January
- -26° / -21°C
- What to wear
- Extreme cold: insulated boots, down jacket, two layers of wool, face protection, chemical hand warmers. 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 Utqiagvik?
Utqiagvik 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 Utqiagvik?
Around Utqiagvik the aurora is often right overhead. Start by facing north-north-east, but look up and all around — in strong storms it can fill the whole sky and even appear behind you.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Utqiagvik?
Over 2005–2025, January gave the best odds in Utqiagvik (49% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by February (49%).
When is the aurora season in Utqiagvik?
From 5 April to 6 September the sky in Utqiagvik never gets dark enough. Outside that period the aurora can be seen whenever activity and clouds allow.
Is there much light pollution in Utqiagvik?
Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference. A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the south-south-west.
When was the aurora last possible in Utqiagvik?
Activity last reached storm level (Kp 5 or more) during darkness in Utqiagvik on 3 October 2026 (Kp 5.0) — 600 such nights since 1995. Here the aurora also appears on many quieter nights.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Utqiagvik share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Browerville 1 km
- Nuwuk 15 km