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.Free on the App Store

Northern lights tonight in Coon Rapids, MN

Tonight the forecast peak is Kp 3.0, and Coon Rapids needs about Kp 6.0: not expected.

Over the next 24 hours, NOAA's forecast peaks at Kp 3.0 (the 3 hours from Thu 12 AM, Coon Rapids time).

NOAA's forecast map of how far south the aurora may be seen tonight

The next three nights

Night (9 pm to 3 am)	Peak Kp	Coon Rapids
Wed, Nov 4	3.0	Not expected
Thu, Nov 5	2.0	Not expected
Fri, Nov 6	n/a	No forecast yet

What Coon Rapids needs

Coon Rapids sits at a magnetic latitude of 54.3 degrees, so the aurora can reach its northern horizon at about Kp 6.0. Each step above that brings it higher in the sky. 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 from Coon Rapids

Drive out past the edge of Coon Rapids's 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.

Forecast: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center 3-day Kp forecast, refreshed every few hours. The Kp needed comes from the city's AACGM-v2 magnetic latitude; the visibility rule is approximate.

Northern lights forecast for all of Minnesota

Other cities in Minnesota

AuroraCue: Aurora Forecast

An alert when the aurora can reach your own sky, the hours it is dark enough, and a camera that stacks a sharp shot.

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