Missouri, United StatesMagnetic latitude 46.6°Population 170,188396 m above sea level
Can you see the northern lights in Springfield, Missouri?
Only severe geomagnetic storms (Kp 8 or more) bring the aurora into view from Springfield — a few nights per solar cycle, low in the north. Since 1995 that level (Kp 8) was reached during darkness here on 23 nights.
Right now
Quiet right now (Kp 1.7).
Latest measured half-hour activity worldwide: Hp30 0.7.
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 1.3 expected, 8 needed here.
- Sky Mostly clear (0% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:28 to 06:28.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
Sunday 18 October — No · Kp 1.3 · 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 03:38 local time
Unlikely
Best around 03:00. Forecast max Kp 1.3 (this place needs 8), average cloud 0%.
- Dark enough
- 19:28 – 06:28
- Sunset
- 18:32 · sunrise 07:24
- Moon
- 47% · ↑ 14:39 · ↓ 23:28
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 8
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 6.3 (a red glow low in the north).
- Look towards
- north (4°)
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, 03 | Sun, 06 | Sun, 21 | Mon, 00 | Mon, 03 | Mon, 06 | Mon, 21 | Tue, 00 | Tue, 03 | Tue, 06 | Tue, 21 | Wed, 00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Mid cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 16% | 22% | 34% | 52% | 28% | 18% |
| High cloud | 0% | 0% | 21% | 4% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Temperature | 6 °C | 5 °C | 10 °C | 8 °C | 6 °C | 5 °C | 12 °C | 11 °C | 9 °C | 9 °C | 13 °C | 12 °C |
| Feels like | 3 °C | 2 °C | 8 °C | 6 °C | 4 °C | 3 °C | 12 °C | 11 °C | 8 °C | 8 °C | 13 °C | 12 °C |
| Wind | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 4 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 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
Seeing it right now?
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What you would see from Springfield
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 | -5° | -2° | 1,768 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | -3° | 0° | 1,546 km |
| 4 | Below the horizon | -1° | 2° | 1,323 km |
| 5 | Below the horizon | 0° | 5° | 1,101 km |
| 6 | Below the horizon | 3° | 9° | 878 km |
| 7 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 6° | 14° | 656 km |
| 8 | Visible to the north | 12° | 22° | 434 km |
| 9 | Visible to the north | 25° | 42° | 211 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 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 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) camera in Springfield 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) eye in Springfield 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
City sky. City lights hide all but the brightest displays. Plan to leave the urban area.
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 Springfield
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
Activity of Kp 8 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% | 78% | 9.6 h | 16° / 28°C |
| October | 0.2% | 75% | 10.9 h | 9° / 21°C |
| November | 0.2% | 69% | 11.8 h | 2° / 14°C |
| December | 0.2% | 53% | 12.1 h | -2° / 8°C |
| January | 0% | 58% | 11.9 h | -5° / 6°C |
| February | 0% | 60% | 11.0 h | -3° / 8°C |
| March | 0% | 58% | 10.3 h | 3° / 14°C |
| April | 0.2% | 62% | 8.9 h | 7° / 19°C |
Aurora nights in Springfield since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 8 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 11 November 2025 · Kp 8.7
- 10 October 2024 · Kp 8.3
- 10 May 2024 · Kp 8.3
- 23 April 2023 · Kp 8.0
- 23 March 2023 · Kp 8.0
- 7 September 2017 · Kp 8.0
- 8 March 2012 · Kp 8.0
- 14 December 2006 · Kp 8.3
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Springfield Branson National Airport (SGF) · 9 km
- Typical low / high in May
- 13° / 24°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 Springfield?
Only severe geomagnetic storms (Kp 8 or more) bring the aurora into view from Springfield — a few nights per solar cycle, low in the north.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Springfield?
Face north (about 4° from true north). At Kp 8 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 12° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
When is the aurora season in Springfield?
Springfield 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 Springfield?
City lights hide all but the brightest displays. Plan to leave the urban area.
When was the aurora last possible in Springfield?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Springfield needs, during darkness, was 11 November 2025 (Kp 8.7). It has happened on 23 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Springfield share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- Township of Springfield 2 km
- Mascot 5 km
- Greene County 6 km
- Langston 6 km
- Nichols 6 km
- Roseville 6 km
- Valley Water Mills 7 km
- Haseltine 8 km
- Mumford 9 km
- Pleasant Valley 9 km
- Ritter 9 km
- Sequiota 9 km
- Township of Wilson A 9 km
- Galloway 10 km
- Glidewell 10 km
- Township of Clay C 11 km
- Township of Wilson CW 11 km
- Township of Battlefield B 12 km
- Township of Cherokee 12 km
- Elwood 12 km
- Nogo 12 km
- Township of Wilson C 12 km
- Avalon Park 13 km
- Battlefield 13 km
- Township of Battlefield A 13 km
- Expansion 13 km
- Turners 13 km
- Ebenezer 14 km
- Willard 15 km
- Hickory Barren 16 km
- Township of Taylor 16 km
- Hackney 17 km
- Township of Murray 17 km
- Oak Grove Heights 17 km
- Strafford 17 km
- Bois D'Arc 19 km
- Alsup 20 km
- Fruitland 20 km
- Heady 20 km
- Bassville 21 km