Iowa, United StatesMagnetic latitude 51.5°Population 4,520334 m above sea level
Can you see the northern lights in Sergeant Bluff?
From Sergeant Bluff the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 5.3 or more), usually as a glow low in the north. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does. Since 1995 that level (Kp 5.3) was reached during darkness here on 440 nights.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 19:42.
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Too weak: Kp 1.7 expected, 5.3 needed here.
- Sky Mostly clear (0% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:42 to 06:39.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
- Detailed forecast Fri 16 1.7 No · Kp 1.7
- Sat 17 1.7 No · Kp 1.7
- 27-day trend Sun 18 2 No · Kp 2
- Mon 19 2 No · Kp 2
- Tue 20 3 No · Kp 3
- Wed 21 4 Photos only · Kp 4
- Thu 22 4 Photos only · Kp 4
- Fri 23 3 No · Kp 3
- Sat 24 2 No · Kp 2
- Sun 25 2 No · Kp 2
- Mon 26 2 No · Kp 2
- Tue 27 2 No · Kp 2
- Wed 28 2 No · Kp 2
- Thu 29 2 No · Kp 2
- Fri 30 5 Photos only · Kp 5
- Sat 31 5 Photos only · Kp 5
- Sun 1 3 No · Kp 3
- Mon 2 2 No · Kp 2
- Tue 3 2 No · Kp 2
- Wed 4 2 No · Kp 2
- Thu 5 3 No · Kp 3
- Fri 6 3 No · Kp 3
Thursday 22 October — Photos only · Kp 4 · best around 00:30 · Forecast cloud: 0%. · 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 13:16 local time
Unlikely
Best around 19:00. Forecast max Kp 1.7 (this place needs 5.3), average cloud 0%.
- Dark enough
- 19:42 – 06:39
- Sunset
- 18:41 · sunrise 07:40
- Moon
- 32% · ↑ 13:52 · ↓ 22:22
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 5.3
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 3.7 (a red glow low in the north).
- Look towards
- north (6°)
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
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What you would see from Sergeant Bluff
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 | -1° | 4° | 1,223 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | 1° | 7° | 1,001 km |
| 4 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 4° | 11° | 778 km |
| 5 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 8° | 17° | 556 km |
| 6 | Visible to the north | 16° | 29° | 334 km |
| 7 | Visible to the north | 43° | 60° | 111 km |
| 8 | Overhead and all around | – | – | – |
| 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 next 24 h 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 camera in Sergeant Bluff Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
- Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) eye in Sergeant Bluff 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
Bright suburban sky. Strong sky glow washes out faint aurora. Head out of town for anything but a bright display.
A noticeably darker area starts about 5 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 terrain rises to about 3° above the horizon towards the north. That hides low aurora: here you need about Kp 5.3 instead of Kp 5.3. 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 Sergeant Bluff
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
September has been the best month (3% of nights), followed by November (2%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 3% | 79% | 9.3 h | 13° / 26°C |
| October | 1% | 69% | 10.9 h | 5° / 18°C |
| November | 2% | 63% | 12.0 h | -1° / 9°C |
| December | 0.5% | 49% | 12.6 h | -8° / 1°C |
| January | 0.5% | 55% | 12.3 h | -10° / -1°C |
| February | 1% | 57% | 11.1 h | -9° / 2°C |
| March | 2% | 58% | 9.9 h | -2° / 10°C |
| April | 1% | 59% | 8.4 h | 3° / 17°C |
Aurora nights in Sergeant Bluff since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 5.3 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 3 July 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 18 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 17 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 2 April 2026 · Kp 5.3
- 21 March 2026 · Kp 6.3
- 20 March 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 13 March 2026 · Kp 6.0
- 21 February 2026 · Kp 5.3
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Sioux Gateway Airport / Brigadier General Bud Day Field (SUX) · 2 km
- Typical low / high in September
- 13° / 26°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 Sergeant Bluff?
From Sergeant Bluff the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 5.3 or more), usually as a glow low in the north. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Sergeant Bluff?
Face north (about 6° from true north). At Kp 5.3 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 16° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Sergeant Bluff?
Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Sergeant Bluff (3% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by November (2%).
When is the aurora season in Sergeant Bluff?
Sergeant Bluff 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 Sergeant Bluff?
Strong sky glow washes out faint aurora. Head out of town for anything but a bright display. A noticeably darker area starts about 5 km to the east-south-east.
When was the aurora last possible in Sergeant Bluff?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Sergeant Bluff needs, during darkness, was 3 July 2026 (Kp 7.0). It has happened on 440 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Sergeant Bluff share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Estates West 1 km
- Glen Ellen 4 km
- Township of Woodbury 5 km
- Township of Liberty 7 km
- Bronson 12 km
- Salix 12 km
- Luton 13 km
- Township of Floyd 14 km
- Township of Grange 15 km
- Township of Lakeport 17 km
- Township of Winnebago 20 km
- Township of Sloan 21 km
- Owego 22 km
- Sloan 22 km
- Climbing Hill 24 km
- Township of West Fork 24 km