Iowa, United StatesMagnetic latitude 52.6°Population 7,907268 m above sea level
Northern lights in Decorah
Decorah 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 638 nights.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 19:21.
Latest measured half-hour activity worldwide: Hp30 1.3.
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 2.7 expected, 5 needed here.
- Sky Mostly clear (1% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:21 to 06:23.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
Saturday 31 October — Good chance · Kp 5 · best around 00:00 · No cloud forecast this far ahead; in October about 63% 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 14:27 local time
Unlikely
Best around 04:00. Forecast max Kp 2.7 (this place needs 5), average cloud 1%.
- Dark enough
- 19:21 – 06:23
- Sunset
- 18:19 · sunrise 07:26
- Moon
- 51% · ↑ 14:53 · ↓ 00:04
- 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 (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 | Sun, 19 | Sun, 22 | Mon, 01 | Mon, 04 | Mon, 19 | Mon, 22 | Tue, 01 | Tue, 04 | Tue, 19 | Tue, 22 | Wed, 01 | Wed, 04 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Mid cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 4% | 2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| High cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 24% | 46% | 22% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Temperature | 12 °C | 10 °C | 9 °C | 7 °C | 13 °C | 11 °C | 10 °C | 8 °C | 14 °C | 12 °C | 11 °C | 9 °C |
| Feels like | 12 °C | 10 °C | 6 °C | 5 °C | 13 °C | 11 °C | 9 °C | 7 °C | 14 °C | 12 °C | 11 °C | 7 °C |
| Wind | 5 m/s | 4 m/s | 4 m/s | 3 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 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 Decorah
The aurora only shows through clear skies, so the weather matters as much as the Kp index. Here is the general forecast for Decorah: temperature, wind and the chance of rain for the coming days.
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What you would see from Decorah
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 | 0° | 5° | 1,101 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | 3° | 9° | 878 km |
| 4 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 6° | 14° | 656 km |
| 5 | Visible to the north | 12° | 22° | 434 km |
| 6 | Visible to the north | 25° | 42° | 211 km |
| 7 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 8 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 9 | Overhead, and also to the south | – | – | – |
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 camera in Decorah 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) eye in Decorah 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 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 terrain rises to about 4° above the horizon towards the north. That hides low aurora: here you need about Kp 5 instead of Kp 5. A hilltop, shore or open field with a clear view to the north helps.
From elevation data (AWS Terrain Tiles) along seven lines of sight up to 30 km.
Best months to see the aurora in Decorah
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
September has been the best month (5% of nights), followed by October (3%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 5% | 74% | 9.3 h | 12° / 23°C |
| October | 3% | 63% | 10.9 h | 5° / 16°C |
| November | 3% | 55% | 12.0 h | -3° / 7°C |
| December | 1% | 38% | 12.6 h | -9° / -1°C |
| January | 1% | 56% | 12.4 h | -13° / -4°C |
| February | 3% | 59% | 11.4 h | -12° / -2°C |
| March | 3% | 57% | 9.9 h | -4° / 7°C |
| April | 2% | 56% | 8.3 h | 2° / 14°C |
Aurora nights in Decorah since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 5 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
- 3 July 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 24 June 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 18 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 17 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 2 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- La Crosse Regional Airport (LSE) · 77 km
- Typical low / high in September
- 12° / 23°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 Decorah?
Decorah 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 Decorah?
Face north (about 2° from true north). At Kp 5 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 12° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Decorah?
Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Decorah (5% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by October (3%).
When is the aurora season in Decorah?
Decorah 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 Decorah?
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 west.
When was the aurora last possible in Decorah?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Decorah needs, during darkness, was 4 October 2026 (Kp 5.0). It has happened on 638 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Decorah share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Township of Decorah 1 km
- Freeport 3 km
- Winneshiek County 5 km
- Nordness 8 km
- Township of Canoe 9 km
- Springwater 9 km
- Township of Glenwood 10 km
- Township of Madison 10 km
- Nasset 10 km
- Township of Springfield 10 km
- Canoe 12 km
- Thoten 12 km
- Conover 13 km
- Township of Pleasant 13 km
- Township of Bluffton 14 km
- Township of Calmar 14 km
- Township of Frankville 14 km
- Locust 14 km
- Bluffton 15 km
- Calmar 15 km
- Sattre 15 km
- Spillville 17 km
- Burr Oak 18 km
- Fort Atkinson 21 km