Arkansas, United StatesMagnetic latitude 45.0°Population 7,156104 m above sea level
Can you see the northern lights in Heber Springs?
Only severe geomagnetic storms (Kp 8.7 or more) bring the aurora into view from Heber Springs — a few nights per solar cycle, low in the north. Since 1995 that level (Kp 8.7) was reached during darkness here on 10 nights.
Right now
Quiet right now (Kp 2.3).
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Too weak: Kp 3.3 expected, 8.7 needed here.
- Sky Mostly clear (0% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:19 to 06:25. A bright moon (84%) washes out faint displays.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
Thursday 22 October — No · Kp 3.3 · Forecast cloud: 0%. · 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 05:12 local time
Unlikely
Best around 05:00. Forecast max Kp 3.3 (this place needs 8.7), average cloud 0%.
- Dark enough
- 19:19 – 06:25
- Sunset
- 18:23 · sunrise 07:21
- Moon
- 84% · ↑ 16:24 · ↓ 03:32
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 8.7
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 7 (a red glow low in the north).
- Look towards
- north (2°)
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 | Thu, 05 | Thu, 20 | Thu, 23 | Fri, 02 | Fri, 05 | Fri, 20 | Fri, 23 | Sat, 02 | Sat, 05 | Sat, 20 | Sat, 23 | Sun, 02 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Mid cloud | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| High cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 7% | 12% | 17% | 23% | 39% | 54% | 64% |
| Temperature | 11 °C | 17 °C | 15 °C | 14 °C | 12 °C | 18 °C | 16 °C | 14 °C | 12 °C | 18 °C | 16 °C | 14 °C |
| Feels like | 11 °C | 17 °C | 15 °C | 14 °C | 12 °C | 18 °C | 16 °C | 14 °C | 12 °C | 18 °C | 16 °C | 14 °C |
| Wind | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s |
Cloud layers and weather: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
Weather in Heber Springs
The aurora only shows through clear skies, so the weather matters as much as the Kp index. Here is the general forecast for Heber Springs: temperature, wind and the chance of rain for the coming days.
Planning further ahead? See the hour-by-hour weather forecast for Heber Springs on Atlas of Seasons.
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What you would see from Heber Springs
Facing north. Bands show where the aurora sits at two activity levels.
| Kp | What you see | Lower edge | Ray tops | Distance to the aurora |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Below the horizon | -6° | -3° | 1,946 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | -4° | -1° | 1,724 km |
| 4 | Below the horizon | -3° | 1° | 1,501 km |
| 5 | Below the horizon | -1° | 3° | 1,279 km |
| 6 | Below the horizon | 1° | 6° | 1,056 km |
| 7 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 3° | 10° | 834 km |
| 8 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 7° | 15° | 612 km |
| 9 | Visible to the north | 13° | 25° | 389 km |
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 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) camera in Heber Springs Most of the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czechia; red glow in photos from France and the northern Alps.
- Kp 8 Severe storm (G4) eye in Heber Springs 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.
Estimate from NASA VIIRS night-light data (sky-glow model within 50 km). Check access and private land before you go.
Hills and mountains
Terrain is not modelled for this place.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Heber Springs
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
Activity of Kp 8.7 or more is too rare here for monthly odds to be meaningful. The table still shows how often nights are clear and dark.
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 0% | 76% | 9.6 h | 18° / 30°C |
| October | 0% | 77% | 10.8 h | 11° / 24°C |
| November | 0.2% | 70% | 11.6 h | 5° / 17°C |
| December | 0% | 56% | 12.1 h | 1° / 12°C |
| January | 0% | 61% | 11.9 h | -1° / 9°C |
| February | 0% | 58% | 11.0 h | 1° / 12°C |
| March | 0% | 60% | 10.3 h | 6° / 18°C |
| April | 0% | 63% | 9.0 h | 10° / 22°C |
Aurora nights in Heber Springs since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 8.7 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 11 November 2025 · Kp 8.7
- 23 August 2005 · Kp 8.7
- 9 November 2004 · Kp 8.7
- 7 November 2004 · Kp 8.7
- 29 October 2003 · Kp 8.7
- 28 October 2003 · Kp 9.0
- 5 November 2001 · Kp 8.7
- 30 March 2001 · Kp 8.7
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field (LIT) · 87 km
- Typical low / high in November
- 5° / 17°C
- What to wear
- Cool nights: layers, a windproof jacket, hat and gloves for standing still outside. 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 Heber Springs?
Only severe geomagnetic storms (Kp 8.7 or more) bring the aurora into view from Heber Springs — a few nights per solar cycle, low in the north.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Heber Springs?
Face north (about 2° from true north). At Kp 8.7 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 13° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
When is the aurora season in Heber Springs?
Heber Springs gets dark enough for the aurora all year round, though the long winter nights give the most hours to watch.
Is there much light pollution in Heber Springs?
Noticeable sky glow. Bright displays are visible, but driving out of town makes a clear difference.
When was the aurora last possible in Heber Springs?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Heber Springs needs, during darkness, was 11 November 2025 (Kp 8.7). It has happened on 10 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Heber Springs share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Township of Heber 2 km
- Cleburne County 5 km
- Driftwood Shores 6 km
- Township of Valley 7 km
- South Shore Park 8 km
- Tannenbaum 8 km
- Tumbling Shoals 8 km
- Lake Ridge 9 km
- Township of Sugar Loaf 9 km
- Township of Francis 10 km
- Pearson 10 km
- Snell 10 km
- Budd Creek 11 km
- Hopewell 11 km
- Township of Mountain 11 km
- Township of Piney 11 km
- Brownsville 12 km
- Township of Clayton 12 km
- Township of Giles 13 km
- Township of Peter Creek 13 km
- Wilburn 13 km
- Ida 14 km
- Lone Pine 14 km
- Township of Pine 14 km
- Township of Center Post 15 km
- Hiram 15 km
- West Pangburn 15 km
- Greers Ferry 16 km
- Post Oak 16 km
- Crossroads 17 km
- Drasco 17 km
- Township of Wilburn 17 km
- Township of Cadron 18 km
- Higden 18 km
- Rose Bud 18 km
- Township of Saline 18 km
- Sunny Slope 18 km
- Edgemont 19 km
- Whispering Springs 19 km
- Township of California 20 km