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 Wisconsin
Tonight the forecast peak is Kp 3.7. From northern Wisconsin: not expected. From Milwaukee: not expected.
The next three nights
| Night (9 pm to 3 am) | Peak Kp | Northern Wisconsin | Milwaukee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Nov 4 | 3.7 | Not expected | Not expected |
| Thu, Nov 5 | 2.0 | Not expected | Not expected |
| Fri, Nov 6 | n/a | No forecast yet | No forecast yet |
What Wisconsin needs
The aurora reaches the northern edge of Wisconsin at about Kp 5.0, and Milwaukee at about Kp 6.9. 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 Wisconsin
From the cities that need the least Kp to the most:
- Superior: about Kp 5.2
- New Richmond: about Kp 6.0
- Marinette: about Kp 6.0
- Wausau: about Kp 6.0
- Eau Claire: about Kp 6.1
- Green Bay: about Kp 6.2
- Appleton: about Kp 6.3
- Oshkosh: about Kp 6.5
- La Crosse: about Kp 6.5
- Madison: about Kp 6.9
- Milwaukee: about Kp 6.9
- Waukesha: about Kp 6.9
- West Allis: about Kp 7.0
- Janesville: about Kp 7.1
- Racine: about Kp 7.1
- Kenosha: about Kp 7.1
Forecast: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center 3-day Kp forecast, refreshed every few hours. The visibility rule is approximate.