Nebraska, United StatesMagnetic latitude 49.9°Population 51,440567 m above sea level
Can you see the northern lights in Grand Island, Nebraska?
From Grand Island the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6.3 or more), usually as a glow low in the north. Cameras often pick it up before the eye does. Since 1995 that level (Kp 6.3) was reached during darkness here on 146 nights.
Right now
Quiet right now (Kp 0.7).
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Only in photos, if at all
- Solar activity Enough for a camera: Kp 4.7 expected, 4.7 needed for photos, 6.3 for the eye.
- Sky Mostly clear (1% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:43 to 06:52. A bright moon (81%) washes out faint displays.
What to do: Point a phone in night mode north (3–10 s exposure). A red or green glow often shows on the screen before you can see it.
Thursday 22 October — Photos only · Kp 4.7 · best around 02:30 · Forecast cloud: 1%. · 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 20:15 local time
Unlikely
Best around 01:00. Forecast max Kp 4.7 (this place needs 6.3), average cloud 1%.
- Dark enough
- 19:43 – 06:52
- Sunset
- 18:43 · sunrise 07:52
- Moon
- 81% · ↑ 16:30 · ↓ 03:54
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 6.3
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 4.7 (a red glow low in the north).
- Look towards
- north (6°)
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, 20 | Wed, 23 | Thu, 02 | Thu, 05 | Thu, 20 | Thu, 23 | Fri, 02 | Fri, 05 | Fri, 20 | Fri, 23 | Sat, 02 | Sat, 05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Mid cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 25% | 20% | 12% | 3% | 100% | 100% | 95% | 68% |
| High cloud | 0% | 2% | 3% | 1% | 10% | 6% | 7% | 17% | 38% | 30% | 18% | 0% |
| Temperature | 18 °C | 16 °C | 14 °C | 13 °C | 20 °C | 19 °C | 18 °C | 16 °C | 24 °C | 22 °C | 20 °C | 19 °C |
| Feels like | 18 °C | 16 °C | 14 °C | 13 °C | 20 °C | 19 °C | 18 °C | 16 °C | 24 °C | 22 °C | 20 °C | 19 °C |
| Wind | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 3 m/s | 6 m/s | 7 m/s | 7 m/s | 7 m/s | 9 m/s | 10 m/s | 9 m/s | 8 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 Grand Island
The aurora only shows through clear skies, so the weather matters as much as the Kp index. Here is the general forecast for Grand Island: temperature, wind and the chance of rain for the coming days.
Planning further ahead? See the hour-by-hour weather forecast for Grand Island on Atlas of Seasons.
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What you would see from Grand Island
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 | -2° | 2° | 1,401 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | 0° | 4° | 1,179 km |
| 4 | Below the horizon | 2° | 7° | 956 km |
| 5 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 5° | 12° | 734 km |
| 6 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 9° | 19° | 512 km |
| 7 | Visible to the north | 19° | 33° | 289 km |
| 8 | Visible to the north | 57° | 71° | 67 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 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) next 24 h camera in Grand Island Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
- Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) eye in Grand Island 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.
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 Grand Island
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
September has been the best month (1% of nights), followed by May (1%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 1% | 79% | 9.6 h | 14° / 27°C |
| October | 0.9% | 73% | 10.9 h | 6° / 18°C |
| November | 0.6% | 68% | 12.0 h | -1° / 11°C |
| December | 0.2% | 59% | 12.5 h | -7° / 3°C |
| January | 0.2% | 57% | 12.3 h | -8° / 2°C |
| February | 0.2% | 53% | 11.1 h | -7° / 4°C |
| March | 0.2% | 58% | 9.9 h | -2° / 12°C |
| April | 0.8% | 63% | 8.5 h | 4° / 18°C |
Aurora nights in Grand Island since 1995
Nights when Kp reached 6.3 or more while it was dark here.
Most recent strong nights
- 3 July 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 21 March 2026 · Kp 6.3
- 20 March 2026 · Kp 7.0
- 20 January 2026 · Kp 7.3
- 19 January 2026 · Kp 7.7
- 12 November 2025 · Kp 7.3
- 11 November 2025 · Kp 8.7
- 5 November 2025 · Kp 6.7
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- Central Nebraska Regional Airport (GRI) · 5 km
- Typical low / high in September
- 14° / 27°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 Grand Island?
From Grand Island the aurora is seen only during geomagnetic storms (about Kp 6.3 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 Grand Island?
Face north (about 6° from true north). At Kp 6.3 the lower edge of the aurora sits roughly 19° above the horizon; stronger activity lifts it higher and further across the sky.
What is the best month to see the aurora in Grand Island?
Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Grand Island (1% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by May (1%).
When is the aurora season in Grand Island?
Grand Island 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 Grand Island?
Strong sky glow washes out faint aurora. Head out of town for anything but a bright display.
When was the aurora last possible in Grand Island?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Grand Island needs, during darkness, was 3 July 2026 (Kp 7.0). It has happened on 146 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Grand Island share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- City of Grand Island 1 km
- Kingwood Estates 3 km
- Parkview 3 km
- Pioneer Estates 3 km
- Township of Washington 3 km
- Kuesters Lake 4 km
- Township of Center 9 km
- Township of Lake 9 km
- West Park Plaza Mobile Home Park 9 km
- Lockwood 10 km
- Ovina 11 km
- Phillips 11 km
- Township of Vieregg 11 km
- Township of Prairie Creek 12 km
- Alda 12 km
- Abbott 13 km
- Township of Alda 13 km
- Hall County 15 km
- Do-Mar Mobile Home Park 17 km
- Doniphan 17 km
- Township of Doniphan 17 km
- Saint Libory 17 km
- Township of Harrison 18 km
- Chapman 19 km
- Township of Chapman 20 km
- Township of Mayfield 20 km
- Worms 20 km
- Township of Wood River 21 km
- Giltner 23 km
- Township of Prairie Creek 23 km
- Cairo 24 km
- Cameron 25 km
- Wood River 25 km
- Woodriver Valley Mobile Park 25 km
- Township of Cameron 27 km
- Township of South Loup 28 km
- Township of Jackson 31 km
- Boelus 35 km
- Saint Michael 36 km