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 Michigan
Tonight the forecast peak is Kp 3.7. From northern Michigan: unlikely; watch for an upgrade. From Detroit: not expected.
The next three nights
| Night (9 pm to 3 am) | Peak Kp | Northern Michigan | Detroit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Nov 4 | 3.7 | Unlikely; watch for an upgrade | Not expected |
| Thu, Nov 5 | 2.3 | Not expected | Not expected |
| Fri, Nov 6 | 3.0 | Not expected | Not expected |
What Michigan needs
The aurora reaches the northern edge of Michigan at about Kp 4.5, and Detroit at about Kp 7.4. 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 Michigan
From the cities that need the least Kp to the most:
- Marquette: about Kp 5.3
- Sault Ste. Marie: about Kp 5.4
- Escanaba: about Kp 5.7
- Grand Rapids: about Kp 7.0
- Flint: about Kp 7.0
- Wyoming: about Kp 7.1
- Kentwood: about Kp 7.1
- Lansing: about Kp 7.2
- Rochester Hills: about Kp 7.2
- Pontiac: about Kp 7.2
- Troy: about Kp 7.3
- Sterling Heights: about Kp 7.3
- Royal Oak: about Kp 7.3
- Farmington Hills: about Kp 7.3
- Novi: about Kp 7.3
- Warren: about Kp 7.3
- St. Clair Shores: about Kp 7.3
- Southfield: about Kp 7.3
- Livonia: about Kp 7.3
- Battle Creek: about Kp 7.3
- Kalamazoo: about Kp 7.3
- Detroit: about Kp 7.3
- Dearborn Heights: about Kp 7.4
- Westland: about Kp 7.4
- Dearborn: about Kp 7.4
- Ann Arbor: about Kp 7.4
- Taylor: about Kp 7.4
Forecast: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center 3-day Kp forecast, refreshed every few hours. The visibility rule is approximate.