Idaho, United StatesMagnetic latitude 50.3°Population 2,7281,784 m above sea level
Can you see the northern lights in Ketchum?
From Ketchum the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6 or more), usually as a glow low in the north-north-east. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does. Since 1995 that level (Kp 6) was reached during darkness here on 216 nights.
Right now
Quiet right now (Kp 2.0).
Latest measured half-hour activity worldwide: Hp30 2.7.
Updates every minute while this page is open. Ground data: GFZ Potsdam Hp30 index (CC BY 4.0).
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Too weak: Kp 3 expected, 6 needed here.
- Sky Mostly clear (23% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:46 to 06:57. A bright moon (76%) washes out faint displays.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
Saturday 31 October — Photos only · Kp 5 · best around 00:30 · No cloud forecast this far ahead; in October about 68% of nights are clear here. · Reliability: low (rough trend)
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 05:44 local time
Unlikely
Best around 05:00. Forecast max Kp 3.0 (this place needs 6), average cloud 23%.
- Dark enough
- 19:46 – 06:57
- Sunset
- 18:44 · sunrise 08:00
- Moon
- 76% · ↑ 16:38 · ↓ 02:50
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 6
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 4.3 (a red glow low in the north-north-east).
- Look towards
- north-north-east (14°)
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 | Wed, 05 | Wed, 20 | Wed, 23 | Thu, 02 | Thu, 05 | Thu, 20 | Thu, 23 | Fri, 02 | Fri, 05 | Fri, 20 | Fri, 23 | Sat, 02 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 10% | 26% | 47% | 91% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 92% |
| Mid cloud | 17% | 14% | 16% | 23% | 33% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 81% | 44% | 23% |
| High cloud | 0% | 26% | 4% | 0% | 0% | 42% | 51% | 71% | 95% | 44% | 37% | 22% |
| Temperature | 8 °C | 12 °C | 10 °C | 9 °C | 8 °C | 11 °C | 9 °C | 8 °C | 8 °C | 4 °C | 3 °C | 1 °C |
| Feels like | 7 °C | 12 °C | 10 °C | 8 °C | 8 °C | 11 °C | 9 °C | 8 °C | 6 °C | 2 °C | 0 °C | -3 °C |
| Wind | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 1 m/s | 2 m/s | 1 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 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 Ketchum
The aurora only shows through clear skies, so the weather matters as much as the Kp index. Here is the general forecast for Ketchum: temperature, wind and the chance of rain for the coming days.
Planning further ahead? See the hour-by-hour weather forecast for Ketchum on Atlas of Seasons.
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What you would see from Ketchum
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Below the horizon | -2° | 2° | 1,357 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | 0° | 5° | 1,134 km |
| 4 | Below the horizon | 2° | 8° | 912 km |
| 5 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 5° | 13° | 689 km |
| 6 | Visible to the north-north-east | 10° | 21° | 467 km |
| 7 | Visible to the north-north-east | 22° | 38° | 245 km |
| 8 | Visible to the north-north-east | 78° | 83° | 22 km |
| 9 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
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 camera in Ketchum 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) eye in Ketchum 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
Dark rural sky. Little artificial light. Faint displays are visible once your eyes have adapted.
A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the north-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 terrain rises to about 6° above the horizon towards the north-north-east. That hides low aurora: here you need about Kp 6 instead of Kp 6. A hilltop, shore or open field with a clear view to the north-north-east helps.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Ketchum
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
May has been the best month (2% of nights), followed by September (2%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 2% | 81% | 9.3 h | 5° / 19°C |
| October | 0.8% | 68% | 10.9 h | -2° / 10°C |
| November | 0.8% | 55% | 12.0 h | -8° / 1°C |
| December | 0.6% | 51% | 12.6 h | -15° / -4°C |
| January | 0.3% | 61% | 12.4 h | -16° / -4°C |
| February | 0% | 55% | 11.4 h | -16° / -4°C |
| March | 0.9% | 57% | 9.9 h | -11° / 0°C |
| April | 0.3% | 56% | 8.3 h | -6° / 5°C |
Aurora nights in Ketchum since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 6 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 3 July 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 21 March 2026 · Kp 6.3
- 13 March 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 20 January 2026 · Kp 7.3
- 19 January 2026 · Kp 7.7
- 10 December 2025 · Kp 6.0
- 12 November 2025 · Kp 7.3
- 11 November 2025 · Kp 8.7
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) · 20 km
- Typical low / high in May
- 0° / 12°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 Ketchum?
From Ketchum the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6 or more), usually as a glow low in the north-north-east. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Ketchum?
Face north-north-east (about 14° from true north). At Kp 6 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 Ketchum?
Over 2005–2025, May gave the best odds in Ketchum (2% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by September (2%).
When is the aurora season in Ketchum?
Ketchum 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 Ketchum?
Little artificial light. Faint displays are visible once your eyes have adapted. A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the north-north-east.
When was the aurora last possible in Ketchum?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Ketchum needs, during darkness, was 3 July 2026 (Kp 7.0). It has happened on 216 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Ketchum share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Gimlet 9 km
- Triumph 10 km
- Carrietown 28 km
- Indian Head Rock 38 km