Texas, United StatesMagnetic latitude 42.0°Population 82,287113 m above sea level
Can you see the northern lights in Longview?
From Longview the aurora is too low for the naked eye except in the most extreme storms, but in severe storms (about Kp 5 or more) cameras record a red glow low in the north. Strong enough for photos on 665 nights since 1995 — most recently on 4 October 2026.
Right now
It is still light here. Darkness starts at 19:38.
Updates every minute while this page is open.
Tonight in one minute
Not tonight
- Solar activity Too weak: Kp 1.7 expected, 5 needed here.
- Sky Partly cloudy (45% cloud) — look for gaps.
- Darkness Dark from 19:38 to 06:31.
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 No · Kp 4
- Thu 22 4 No · 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
Saturday 31 October — Photos only · Kp 5 · best around 00:30 · No cloud forecast this far ahead; in October about 81% 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 13:12 local time
Unlikely
Best around 19:00. Forecast max Kp 1.7 (this place needs 9+), average cloud 45%.
- Dark enough
- 19:38 – 06:31
- Sunset
- 18:44 · sunrise 07:24
- Moon
- 32% · ↑ 13:07 · ↓ 22:52
- Kp neededKp index: a 0–9 measure of geomagnetic activity. The higher it is, the further from the poles the aurora reaches.
- Kp 9+
- Kp for photos
- In photos: from Kp 5 (a red glow low in the north).
- Look towards
- north (4°)
Score = activity (NOAA Kp and OVATION) × clear sky (MET Norway) × darkness × moonlight. Methodology
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What you would see from Longview
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 | -8° | -5° | 2,280 km |
| 3 | Below the horizon | -6° | -4° | 2,057 km |
| 4 | Below the horizon | -5° | -2° | 1,835 km |
| 5 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | -4° | 0° | 1,612 km |
| 6 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | -2° | 2° | 1,390 km |
| 7 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 0° | 4° | 1,168 km |
| 8 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 2° | 7° | 945 km |
| 9 | Faint glow, mostly on camera | 5° | 12° | 723 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) camera in Longview 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
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 Longview
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
Activity of Kp 9+ 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% | 79% | 9.8 h | 20° / 33°C |
| October | 0% | 81% | 10.6 h | 13° / 27°C |
| November | 0% | 73% | 11.5 h | 7° / 20°C |
| December | 0% | 58% | 12.0 h | 3° / 15°C |
| January | 0% | 64% | 11.9 h | 1° / 12°C |
| February | 0% | 57% | 11.0 h | 3° / 15°C |
| March | 0% | 62% | 10.3 h | 8° / 20°C |
| April | 0% | 67% | 9.0 h | 12° / 24°C |
Nights when Longview could catch it in photos
Since 1995, nights with Kp 5 or more while it was dark here — a red or green glow low on the horizon.
- 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
- 1 April 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 24 March 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 22 March 2026 · Kp 5.0
- 21 March 2026 · Kp 6.3
Practical information
- Nearest airport
- East Texas Regional Airport (GGG) · 13 km
- Typical low / high in January
- 1° / 12°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 Longview?
From Longview the aurora is too low for the naked eye except in the most extreme storms, but in severe storms (about Kp 5 or more) cameras record a red glow low in the north.
Which way should I look for the aurora in Longview?
Around Longview the aurora is often right overhead. Start by facing north, but look up and all around — in strong storms it can fill the whole sky and even appear behind you.
When is the aurora season in Longview?
Longview 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 Longview?
City lights hide all but the brightest displays. Plan to leave the urban area.
Also covered by this forecast
Villages and districts around Longview share its forecast: within a few kilometres the sky, the Kp needed and the best direction are the same.
- City of Longview 3 km
- Greggton 5 km
- Longview Heights 6 km
- Gregg County 8 km
- Gum Springs 8 km
- Teneryville 8 km
- Judson 9 km
- Spring Hill 9 km
- Estes 10 km
- Kinsloe 11 km
- Lakeport 11 km
- Lansing 11 km
- City of Lakeport 11 km
- City of White Oak 11 km
- Fredonia 12 km
- White Oak 12 km
- Seven Pines 13 km
- Elderville 14 km
- Shiloh 14 km
- East Mountain 15 km
- Noonday 15 km
- City of East Mountain 15 km
- City of Clarksville City 15 km
- Clarksville City 16 km
- Hallsville 16 km
- Warren City 16 km
- City of Hallsville 16 km
- Mulberry Springs 17 km
- City of Warren City 17 km
- Carterville 18 km
- Chalk Hill 18 km
- Monroe 18 km
- Easton 19 km
- Gladewater 19 km
- City of Easton 19 km
- Morton 20 km
- City of Gladewater 20 km
- Ashland 21 km
- Gladewater Park 22 km
- Mayflower 23 km