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 Ohio
Tonight the forecast peak is Kp 3.7. From northern Ohio: not expected. From Columbus: not expected.
The next three nights
| Night (9 pm to 3 am) | Peak Kp | Northern Ohio | Columbus |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Ohio needs
The aurora reaches the northern edge of Ohio at about Kp 7.5, and Columbus at about Kp 8.5. 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 Ohio
From the cities that need the least Kp to the most:
- Toledo: about Kp 7.7
- Cleveland: about Kp 7.8
- Lorain: about Kp 7.8
- Elyria: about Kp 7.8
- Parma: about Kp 7.8
- Cuyahoga Falls: about Kp 7.9
- Akron: about Kp 8.0
- Youngstown: about Kp 8.0
- Canton: about Kp 8.1
- Newark: about Kp 8.4
- Columbus: about Kp 8.4
- Springfield: about Kp 8.5
- Dayton: about Kp 8.5
- Kettering: about Kp 8.6
- Middletown: about Kp 8.6
- Hamilton: about Kp 8.7
- Cincinnati: about Kp 8.8
Forecast: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center 3-day Kp forecast, refreshed every few hours. The visibility rule is approximate.