Live aurora forecast
Northern lights in Castellón de la Plana tonight and this season
Aurora probability over Castellón de la Plana right now from NOAA, the Kp index the city needs by geomagnetic latitude, the nights that get dark enough, calculated from the sun, and whether any guided tour passes the catalogue filter.
In short
Northern lights in Castellón de la Plana are rare: the city sits at 42.1° N geomagnetic latitude and NOAA's rule of thumb stops at 48° for Kp 9, 5.9° short of the city. The aurora reaches here only in the strongest storms, low on the northern horizon, as on 10 to 11 May 2024 (G5), 10 October 2024 and 12 November 2025 (G4). The sky over Castellón de la Plana gets fully dark every night of the year, so the season is set by the Kp, not by the calendar. No guided aurora tour from Castellón de la Plana passes the catalogue filter of 4.3 stars and 20 reviews yet. The aurora probability over the city right now, from NOAA's OVATION model, is on this page and refreshes every 15 minutes.
Key points
- Castellón de la Plana at 42.1° N geomagnetic lies 5.9° beyond NOAA's Kp 9 line: aurora only in the strongest storms
- The sky over Castellón de la Plana gets fully dark every night of the year, so the season is set by the Kp, not by the calendar.
- Aurora probability over Castellón de la Plana from NOAA OVATION, refreshed every 15 minutes with the fetch time shown
- No guided aurora tour in the catalogue passes the filter yet
- Kp forecast for the next 3 days in 3-hour slots, and the other places in Spain for comparison
On this page
- Aurora over Castellón de la Plana right now
- The Kp index Castellón de la Plana needs
- Kp forecast for the next 3 days
- When the sky over Castellón de la Plana is dark enough
- Why Spain for the northern lights
- Castellón de la Plana compared with the other places in Spain
- Northern lights tours in Castellón de la Plana
- Frequently asked questions
1Aurora over Castellón de la Plana right now
Data: NOAA SWPC, fetched 14:10 UTC. Aurora probability by destination from the NOAA OVATION model, forecast for 9 Oct, 15:10 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).
2The Kp index Castellón de la Plana needs
Castellón de la Plana lies at 40.0° N, which is 42.1° N geomagnetic latitude on the WMM2025 dipole. NOAA's viewing tips put the edge of the auroral oval at about 66° geomagnetic for Kp 0 and move it about 2° closer to the equator with each Kp level, down to 48° at Kp 9. At 42.1° N Castellón de la Plana lies 5.9° beyond the reach of that rule even at Kp 9, so the cards on this site show Kp 9 and the aurora is a rare event here, seen low on the northern horizon in the strongest storms, as on 10 to 11 May 2024 (G5), 10 October 2024 and 12 November 2025 (G4). NOAA also notes that aurora can often be observed hundreds of kilometres equatorward of the oval's edge, so a bright display can show low on the northern horizon one Kp level earlier.
3Kp 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 | 3.00 | 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.
4When the sky over Castellón de la Plana is dark enough
The aurora needs a dark sky as much as it needs Kp, and darkness is a matter of latitude and date. The sky over Castellón de la Plana gets fully dark every night of the year, so the season is set by the Kp, not by the calendar. Dates are an own calculation from the sun's declination for the latitude of Castellón de la Plana, with the US Naval Observatory definitions of twilight, and can be a day off at the edges. Clouds and moonlight are the other half of the question: the home page shows the moon phase for each of the next 27 days.
5Why Spain for the northern lights
Spain is not an aurora destination, and yet the aurora has reached it three times since 2024. On the night of 10 to 11 May 2024 a G5 storm, the strongest in two decades according to NASA, painted red and magenta skies from Galicia to Andalusia. On 10 October 2024 a second severe storm turned the sky red over the Calar Alto observatory in Almería, and on 12 November 2025 observers in Castellón recorded the aurora again around 4:30 in the morning. All three nights ran at Kp 8 or 9, one level below the Kp 9 of the table, which is the cautious rule. That is why the live figures on this page matter more than the season.
6Castellón de la Plana compared with the other places in Spain
The table lists the 3 places in Spain on this site. All of them need Kp 9.
| Place | Latitude | Geomagnetic | Kp needed | Tours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Coruña | 43.4° N | 46.7° N | 9 | 0 |
| Huesca | 42.1° N | 44.3° N | 9 | 0 |
| Castellón de la Plana | 40.0° N | 42.1° N | 9 | 0 |
7Northern lights tours in Castellón de la Plana
No guided aurora tour from Castellón de la Plana passes the catalogue filter of 4.3 stars and 20 reviews yet. The aurora probability above does not depend on tours: a dark spot outside the lights of the town is the first thing to find.
| Fact | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40.0° N, 0.1° W | site destination list |
| Geomagnetic latitude | 42.1° N (WMM2025) | NOAA NCEI, own calculation |
| Kp needed | 9, strongest storms only | NOAA rule of thumb |
| Fully dark nights | every night of the year | own calculation (Meeus), USNO definitions |
| Tours that pass the filter | none yet, counted 9 Oct 2026 | booking catalogue |
Source: NOAA NCEI, World Magnetic Model 2025, geomagnetic pole, checked on 9 Oct 2026.
Latest northern lights posts
Frequently asked questions
What Kp index do you need to see the northern lights in Castellón de la Plana?
Kp 9, and only in the strongest storms. NOAA's rule of thumb stops at 48° geomagnetic for Kp 9 and Castellón de la Plana sits at 42.1° N, 5.9° beyond it, so the aurora shows here low on the northern horizon, as on 10 to 11 May 2024 (G5), 10 October 2024 and 12 November 2025 (G4).
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Castellón de la Plana?
The sky over Castellón de la Plana gets fully dark every night of the year, so the season is set by the Kp, not by the calendar. The darkest skies of the month are the 5 nights around the new moon. The home page shows the moon for each of the next 27 days.
Can you see the northern lights in Castellón de la Plana in summer?
Yes, the sky over Castellón de la Plana gets dark enough every night of the year, so summer only shortens the window of darkness and a storm at Kp 9 is the real condition.
How many northern lights tours are there in Castellón de la Plana?
None in the catalogue passes the filter of 4.3 stars and 20 reviews yet, so this page shows the probability and the Kp needed for Castellón de la Plana without tours.
Is Castellón de la Plana the best place in Spain for the northern lights?
By Kp needed all 3 places in Spain on this site are level at Kp 9, Castellón de la Plana included. Clouds and light decide the rest.
Why does the Castellón de la Plana aurora probability on this page change?
It comes from NOAA's OVATION model, a forecast for the next 30 to 90 minutes, which this site re-reads at most every 15 minutes. The Kp needed, 9, does not change: it is geography.
Sources (8)
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
- US Naval Observatory, rise, set and twilight definitions, checked on 9 Oct 2026
- El País, 11 May 2024: an aurora lights up the skies of Spain, checked on 9 Oct 2026
- Calar Alto Observatory, aurora on 10 October 2024, checked on 9 Oct 2026
- Cadena SER, 12 November 2025: a new aurora over Castellón, checked on 9 Oct 2026
- NASA, what NASA is learning from the biggest geomagnetic storm in 20 years, 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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