Live aurora forecast
Northern lights in Canada tonight and this season
Live aurora odds for 3 places in Canada, the Kp each one needs, the season, and the guided tours that pass the catalogue filter. Data: NOAA SWPC, refreshed every 15 minutes.
In short
Northern lights in Canada need Kp 1 or more at Yellowknife, the best placed of the 3 spots on this page by geomagnetic latitude (68.5°). The aurora season in Canada runs from late August to mid April, when nights are long enough, and the darkest months are November to February. The probability over each place right now comes from the NOAA OVATION model and refreshes every 15 minutes, with the time of the last fetch shown under each figure.
Key points
- Kp needed: 1 at Yellowknife, up to 2 at Whitehorse, by geomagnetic latitude
- 3 places in Canada with a live OVATION probability on this page
- Aurora probability over Yellowknife refreshes every 15 minutes with the fetch time shown
- 11 guided tours pass the filter of 4.3 stars, 20 reviews and an aurora title
- Kp forecast for the next 3 days in 3-hour slots, from NOAA SWPC
On this page
1Aurora over Yellowknife right now
Data: NOAA SWPC, fetched 09:11 UTC. Aurora probability by destination from the NOAA OVATION model, forecast for 9 Oct, 10:15 UTC. Aurora also needs a dark and clear sky. Kp needed: NOAA puts the edge of the auroral oval at about 66° geomagnetic latitude for Kp 0, 2° closer to the equator per Kp level. Geomagnetic latitude from the WMM2025 dipole pole (NOAA NCEI).
2Why Canada for the northern lights
Canada has three different aurora bases. Yellowknife on Great Slave Lake is flat, dry and directly under the oval, which is why it markets itself as the aurora capital of North America. Whitehorse in the Yukon is milder and easier to reach from Vancouver, and Churchill on Hudson Bay combines the lights with polar bears in autumn and a February to March aurora season.
Data: NOAA SWPC, fetched 09:11 UTC. Aurora probability by destination from the NOAA OVATION model, forecast for 9 Oct, 10:15 UTC. Aurora also needs a dark and clear sky. Kp needed: NOAA puts the edge of the auroral oval at about 66° geomagnetic latitude for Kp 0, 2° closer to the equator per Kp level. Geomagnetic latitude from the WMM2025 dipole pole (NOAA NCEI).
3The Kp each place in Canada needs
The table ranks the places in Canada by geomagnetic latitude, which is what decides how strong a storm has to be before the auroral oval reaches them. NOAA puts the edge of the oval at about 66 degrees geomagnetic for Kp 0 and moves it 2 degrees toward the equator per Kp level. The full method, including why the figure is conservative, is on the data and method page.
4Kp forecast for the next 3 days
| UTC | Fri 9 Oct | Sat 10 Oct | Sun 11 Oct | Mon 12 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00-03 | 4.00 | 4.67 G1 | 3.00 | |
| 03-06 | 3.67 | 5.67 G2 | ||
| 06-09 | 3.00 | 4.33 | ||
| 09-12 | 3.67 | 3.00 | 3.00 | |
| 12-15 | 4.67 G1 | 1.67 | 2.67 | |
| 15-18 | 5.00 G1 | 2.33 | 2.33 | |
| 18-21 | 6.00 G2 | 2.67 | 2.00 | |
| 21-00 | 5.67 G2 | 2.67 | 2.67 |
Data: NOAA SWPC. Slots before now are NOAA estimates, the rest are predicted values.
5When to see the northern lights in Canada
The aurora season in Canada runs from late August to mid April, when nights are long enough, and the darkest months are November to February.
6Northern lights tours in Canada
11 guided aurora tours in Canada pass the catalogue filter of at least 4.3 stars, 20 reviews and a title that names the aurora, from 65 USD per person. The cards below show the most reviewed ones per place, and the Canada tours page lists them all with prices, duration and reviews.
Northern lights tours from Yellowknife 8
Northern Lights Tour Yellowknife4.8 · 428 reviews · 4 hfrom 68 USD
Aurora Hunting Tours4.8 · 407 reviews · 4 hfrom 128 USD
Northern Lights Tours4.4 · 330 reviews · 4 hfrom 65 USD
Intimate Aurora Tours Cozy Cabin Bucket List4.9 · 297 reviews · 4 hfrom 102 USDNorthern lights tours from Whitehorse 3
| Place | Latitude | Geomagnetic latitude | Kp needed | Tours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowknife | 62.5° N | 68.5° | 1 | 8 |
| Churchill | 58.8° N | 67.1° | 1 | 0 |
| Whitehorse | 60.7° N | 63.8° | 2 | 3 |
Source: NOAA NCEI, World Magnetic Model 2025, geomagnetic pole, checked on 9 Oct 2026.
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Frequently asked questions
Can you see the northern lights in Canada?
Yes, when the Kp index reaches the level a place needs and the sky is dark and clear. Yellowknife needs Kp 1 or more by the NOAA rule used on this site, and Whitehorse needs Kp 2. The live probability for each place in Canada is on this page and refreshes every 15 minutes.
What Kp index do you need for the northern lights in Canada?
Between Kp 1 and Kp 2 depending on the place. The figure comes from geomagnetic latitude: NOAA puts the edge of the auroral oval at about 66 degrees for Kp 0 and moves it 2 degrees toward the equator per Kp level, and it is conservative, because NOAA also notes that aurora is often visible hundreds of kilometres equatorward of that edge. The data and method page explains the calculation and its limits.
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Canada?
The aurora season in Canada runs from late August to mid April, when nights are long enough, and the darkest months are November to February. Clear, dark nights matter as much as the Kp, so the cloud forecast for the dates decides the real view.
Which place in Canada has the best aurora odds tonight?
The cards on this page rank the 3 places in Canada by the NOAA OVATION probability for the current forecast hour. Yellowknife has the lowest Kp requirement, so it leads on quiet nights, but local cloud decides what is actually seen.
Are there guided northern lights tours in Canada?
Yes. 11 tours pass the catalogue filter of at least 4.3 stars, 20 reviews and an aurora title: 8 in Yellowknife and 3 in Whitehorse, from 65 USD per person. They are listed on this page by place and in full on the Canada tours page, with prices, duration and reviews.
Does Canada have polar night or midnight sun?
No. The places in Canada on this page lie outside the polar circles, so every night of the aurora season has real darkness, and the limiting factor is the Kp index rather than daylight.
Sources (4)
Sources
- NOAA SWPC, tips on viewing the aurora, checked on 9 Oct 2026
- NOAA NCEI, World Magnetic Model 2025, geomagnetic pole, checked on 9 Oct 2026
- NOAA SWPC, OVATION aurora forecast model, checked on 9 Oct 2026
- Viator Partner API, catalogue and operator listings, checked on 9 Oct 2026
Written and maintained by the Kp Forecast editorial team. Independent site, not a space weather agency. Data: NOAA SWPC.
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