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 Washington
Tonight the forecast peak is Kp 3.0. From northern Washington: not expected. From Seattle: not expected.
The next three nights
| Night (9 pm to 3 am) | Peak Kp | Northern Washington | Seattle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Nov 4 | 3.0 | Not expected | Not expected |
| Thu, Nov 5 | 2.3 | Not expected | Not expected |
| Fri, Nov 6 | n/a | No forecast yet | No forecast yet |
What Washington needs
The aurora reaches the northern edge of Washington at about Kp 5.9, and Seattle at about Kp 6.7. 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 Washington
From the cities that need the least Kp to the most:
- Bellingham: about Kp 6.1
- Spokane Valley: about Kp 6.2
- Spokane: about Kp 6.2
- Marysville: about Kp 6.4
- Everett: about Kp 6.5
- Bothell: about Kp 6.6
- Shoreline: about Kp 6.6
- Kirkland: about Kp 6.6
- Redmond: about Kp 6.6
- Sammamish: about Kp 6.7
- Bellevue: about Kp 6.7
- Seattle: about Kp 6.7
- Renton: about Kp 6.7
- Burien: about Kp 6.7
- Kent: about Kp 6.8
- Auburn: about Kp 6.8
- Federal Way: about Kp 6.8
- Tacoma: about Kp 6.9
- Lakewood: about Kp 6.9
- Yakima: about Kp 7.0
- Lacey: about Kp 7.0
- Olympia: about Kp 7.0
- Pasco: about Kp 7.0
- Richland: about Kp 7.0
- Kennewick: about Kp 7.1
- Vancouver: about Kp 7.6
Forecast: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center 3-day Kp forecast, refreshed every few hours. The visibility rule is approximate.