An alert when the aurora can reach your own sky, the hours it is dark enough, and a camera that stacks a sharp shot.
AuroraCue: Aurora ForecastAn alert when the aurora can reach your own sky, the hours it is dark enough, and a camera that stacks a sharp shot.
Northern lights tonight in Iowa
Tonight the forecast peak is Kp 2.0. From northern Iowa: not expected. From Des Moines: not expected.
The next three nights
| Night (9 pm to 3 am) | Peak Kp | Northern Iowa | Des Moines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Nov 5 | 2.0 | Not expected | Not expected |
| Fri, Nov 6 | 3.7 | Not expected | Not expected |
| Sat, Nov 7 | n/a | No forecast yet | No forecast yet |
What Iowa needs
The aurora reaches the northern edge of Iowa at about Kp 6.8, and Des Moines at about Kp 7.6. Kp is NOAA's 0-9 index of geomagnetic activity; the higher it goes, the farther south the aurora can be seen.
How to see it
- Get away from city lights and face north, with a clear view of the horizon.
- The best hours are usually 10 pm to 2 am, and clouds hide everything, so check the sky too.
- A phone camera on a long exposure often shows color the eye misses.
Northern lights tonight by city in Iowa
From the cities that need the least Kp to the most:
- Dubuque: about Kp 7.2
- Waterloo: about Kp 7.2
- Sioux City: about Kp 7.3
- Cedar Rapids: about Kp 7.4
- Ames: about Kp 7.4
- Iowa City: about Kp 7.6
- Ankeny: about Kp 7.6
- Davenport: about Kp 7.6
- Des Moines: about Kp 7.7
- West Des Moines: about Kp 7.7
- Council Bluffs: about Kp 7.9
Forecast: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center 3-day Kp forecast, refreshed every few hours. The visibility rule is approximate.