South Dakota, United StatesMagnetic latitude 52.3°Population 1,266488 m above sea level
Northern lights in Platte
Platte 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 620 nights.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 19:43.
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 2.7 expected, 5 needed here.
- Sky Mostly clear (33% cloud).
- Darkness Dark from 19:43 to 06:56. A bright moon (85%) washes out faint displays.
What to do: Not tonight — your next chance is shown just below.
Saturday 31 October — Good chance · Kp 5 · best around 00:30 · Forecast cloud: 7%. · 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 10:20 local time
Unlikely
Best around 22:00. Forecast max Kp 2.7 (this place needs 5), average cloud 33%.
- Dark enough
- 19:43 – 06:56
- Sunset
- 18:40 · sunrise 07:59
- Moon
- 85% · ↑ 16:55 · ↓ 05:03
- 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 (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 | Thu, 19 | Thu, 22 | Fri, 01 | Fri, 04 | Fri, 19 | Fri, 22 | Sat, 01 | Sat, 04 | Sat, 19 | Sat, 22 | Sun, 01 | Sun, 04 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Mid cloud | 32% | 26% | 18% | 31% | 85% | 47% | 0% | 0% | 76% | 88% | 100% | 99% |
| High cloud | 9% | 17% | 26% | 24% | 54% | 38% | 19% | 12% | 54% | 45% | 40% | 58% |
| Temperature | 22 °C | 20 °C | 19 °C | 18 °C | 26 °C | 24 °C | 22 °C | 19 °C | 11 °C | 10 °C | 9 °C | 8 °C |
| Feels like | 22 °C | 20 °C | 19 °C | 18 °C | 26 °C | 24 °C | 22 °C | 19 °C | 11 °C | 10 °C | 8 °C | 7 °C |
| Wind | 5 m/s | 6 m/s | 7 m/s | 7 m/s | 9 m/s | 9 m/s | 8 m/s | 4 m/s | 3 m/s | 2 m/s | 2 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 Platte
The aurora only shows through clear skies, so the weather matters as much as the Kp index. Here is the general forecast for Platte: temperature, wind and the chance of rain for the coming days.
Planning further ahead? See the hour-by-hour weather forecast for Platte on Atlas of Seasons.
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What you would see from Platte
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° | 1,134 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | 2° | 8° | 912 km |
| 4 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 5° | 13° | 689 km |
| 5 | Visible to the north | 10° | 21° | 467 km |
| 6 | Visible to the north | 22° | 38° | 245 km |
| 7 | Visible to the north | 78° | 83° | 22 km |
| 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 Platte 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 Platte 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 north. 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
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 Platte
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
September has been the best month (4% of nights), followed by October (3%).
| Month | Good nights | Clear nights | Darkness | Low / high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 4% | 77% | 9.3 h | 13° / 27°C |
| October | 3% | 69% | 10.9 h | 5° / 17°C |
| November | 3% | 59% | 12.0 h | -2° / 9°C |
| December | 0.9% | 49% | 12.6 h | -8° / 1°C |
| January | 1% | 54% | 12.4 h | -10° / 0°C |
| February | 3% | 48% | 11.4 h | -9° / 2°C |
| March | 2% | 53% | 9.9 h | -3° / 10°C |
| April | 2% | 58% | 8.3 h | 2° / 16°C |
Aurora nights in Platte 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
- Pierre Regional Airport (PIR) · 160 km
- Typical low / high in September
- 13° / 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 Platte?
Platte 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 Platte?
Face north (about 6° from true north). At Kp 5 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 Platte?
Over 2005–2025, September gave the best odds in Platte (4% of nights dark, active enough and mostly clear), followed by October (3%).
When is the aurora season in Platte?
Platte 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 Platte?
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 north.
When was the aurora last possible in Platte?
The most recent night in our data when activity reached the level Platte needs, during darkness, was 4 October 2026 (Kp 5.0). It has happened on 620 nights since 1995.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Platte share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- City of Platte 0 km
- Township of Platte 3 km
- Township of Darlington 7 km
- Bovee 9 km
- Township of Forbes 9 km
- Township of Carroll 11 km
- Township of Rhoda 12 km
- Township of Signal 14 km
- Township of Hamilton 15 km
- Joubert 15 km
- Township of Lake George 15 km
- Cedar Grove Colony 16 km
- Township of Clark 16 km
- Township of Torrey Lake 17 km
- Township of Joubert 18 km
- Geddes 19 km
- City of Geddes 19 km
- Township of Washington 19 km
- New Holland 20 km
- Township of Pleasant Grove 20 km
- Academy 21 km
- Township of Moore 23 km
- Township of Jackson 24 km
- Township of Center 25 km
- Platte Colony 25 km
- Aurora Center 26 km
- Township of Eagle 26 km
- Harrison 26 km
- Township of Iowa 26 km
- Township of La Roche 26 km
- Township of Holland 27 km
- Township of Wilbur 27 km
- Township of Gales 28 km
- Bijou Hills 29 km
- Eagle 29 km
- Township of Highland 29 km
- Grass Ranch Colony 29 km
- Unorganized Territory of East Gregory 31 km
- Township of Schriever 31 km
- Bonesteel 35 km