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 New York
Tonight the forecast peak is Kp 3.7. From northern New York: not expected. From New York City: not expected.
The next three nights
| Night (9 pm to 3 am) | Peak Kp | Northern New York | New York City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Nov 4 | 3.7 | Not expected | Not expected |
| Thu, Nov 5 | 2.3 | Not expected | Not expected |
| Fri, Nov 6 | 3.0 | Not expected | Not expected |
What New York needs
The aurora reaches the northern edge of New York at about Kp 6.5, and New York City at about Kp 8.7. 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 New York
From the cities that need the least Kp to the most:
- Rochester: about Kp 7.2
- Buffalo: about Kp 7.3
- Syracuse: about Kp 7.4
- Utica: about Kp 7.4
- Schenectady: about Kp 7.7
- Troy: about Kp 7.7
- Albany: about Kp 7.7
- White Plains: about Kp 8.5
- Yonkers: about Kp 8.6
- New Rochelle: about Kp 8.6
- Mount Vernon: about Kp 8.6
- New York: about Kp 8.7
- Hempstead: about Kp 8.7
Forecast: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center 3-day Kp forecast, refreshed every few hours. The visibility rule is approximate.