# Northern lights in Yellowknife tonight and this season > Northern lights in Yellowknife right now: NOAA aurora probability, the Kp index the city needs (Kp 1), the dark-sky season dates and 8 guided tours. Canonical: https://kpforecast.com/yellowknife/ Updated on: 2026-10-09 Aurora probability over Yellowknife right now from NOAA, the Kp index the city needs by geomagnetic latitude, the nights that get dark enough, calculated from the sun, and the 8 guided tours that pass the catalogue filter. ## In short Northern lights in Yellowknife do not wait for a storm: the city sits at 68.5° N geomagnetic latitude, inside the auroral oval already at Kp 0, where NOAA's rule of thumb puts the oval's equatorward edge at about 66°. Any Kp is enough with a dark, clear sky, and the cards on this site use Kp 1, the lowest value they show. Fully dark nights in Yellowknife (sun 18° below the horizon) run from 29 August to 14 April. 8 guided tours leave from Yellowknife with at least 4.3 stars and 20 reviews, from 65 USD. The aurora probability over the city right now, from NOAA's OVATION model, is on this page and refreshes every 15 minutes. ## Key points - Yellowknife sits inside the auroral oval already at Kp 0 (68.5° N geomagnetic): any Kp with a dark sky, Kp 1 on the cards - Fully dark nights in Yellowknife (sun 18° below the horizon) run from 29 August to 14 April. - Aurora probability over Yellowknife from NOAA OVATION, refreshed every 15 minutes with the fetch time shown - 8 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, and the other places in Canada for comparison ## Aurora over Yellowknife right now Live figures on the web page, refreshed every 15 minutes. ## The Kp index Yellowknife needs Yellowknife lies at 62.5° N, which is 68.5° 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 68.5° N Yellowknife is inside the oval before any storm begins, so the cards on this site use Kp 1, the lowest value they show. 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. ## Kp forecast for the next 3 days Live figures on the web page, refreshed every 15 minutes. ## When the sky over Yellowknife is dark enough The aurora needs a dark sky as much as it needs Kp, and darkness is a matter of latitude and date. Fully dark nights in Yellowknife (sun 18° below the horizon) run from 29 August to 14 April. From 3 May to 9 August the sky never gets darker than nautical twilight, so only a strong display shows, low on the horizon. Dates are an own calculation from the sun's declination for the latitude of Yellowknife, 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. ## Why 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. [All places in Canada with their odds tonight](/canada/). ## Yellowknife compared with the other places in Canada The table ranks the 3 places in Canada on this site by the Kp they need. Yellowknife and Churchill share the lowest figure, Kp 1. Place | Latitude | Geomagnetic | Kp needed | Tours Yellowknife | 62.5° N | 68.5° N | 1 | 8 Churchill | 58.8° N | 67.1° N | 1 | 0 Whitehorse | 60.7° N | 63.8° N | 2 | 3 ## Northern lights tours in Yellowknife 8 guided tours from Yellowknife pass the catalogue filter (at least 4.3 stars, 20 reviews and the aurora in the title), from 65 USD per person. Prices are starting prices read from the booking catalogue and change with the date. [All tours in the country](/northern-lights-tours/canada/). [[TOURS:yellowknife:6]] ## Yellowknife in numbers for northern lights planning | Fact | Value | Source | |---|---|---| | Coordinates | 62.5° N, 114.4° W | site destination list | | Geomagnetic latitude | 68.5° N (WMM2025) | NOAA NCEI, own calculation | | Kp needed | any, Kp 1 on the cards | NOAA rule of thumb | | Fully dark nights | 29 August to 14 April | own calculation (Meeus), USNO definitions | | Too bright for faint aurora | 3 May to 9 August | own calculation (Meeus), USNO definitions | | Tours that pass the filter | 8, from 65 USD, counted 9 Oct 2026 | booking catalogue | ## Frequently asked questions ### What Kp index do you need to see the northern lights in Yellowknife? Any Kp with a dark, clear sky. Yellowknife sits at 68.5° N geomagnetic latitude, inside the auroral oval already at Kp 0 by NOAA's rule of thumb, which puts the oval's edge at about 66°. The cards on this site use Kp 1, the lowest value they show. ### When is the best time to see the northern lights in Yellowknife? Fully dark nights in Yellowknife (sun 18° below the horizon) run from 29 August to 14 April. 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 Yellowknife in summer? From 3 May to 9 August the sky never gets darker than nautical twilight, so only a strong display shows, low on the horizon. ### How many northern lights tours are there in Yellowknife? 8 guided tours from Yellowknife pass the filter of 4.3 stars and 20 reviews, from 65 USD per person, counted from the booking catalogue on 9 Oct 2026. ### Is Yellowknife the best place in Canada for the northern lights? By Kp needed Yellowknife shares the lowest figure in Canada, Kp 1, with Churchill. Clouds and light decide the rest. ### Why does the Yellowknife 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, 1, does not change: it is geography. ## Sources - [NOAA SWPC, tips on viewing the aurora](https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/content/tips-viewing-aurora), checked on 2026-10-09 - [NOAA NCEI, World Magnetic Model 2025, geomagnetic pole](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/world-magnetic-model), checked on 2026-10-09 - [NOAA SWPC, OVATION aurora forecast model](https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-30-minute-forecast), checked on 2026-10-09 - [Viator Partner API, catalogue and operator listings](https://www.viator.com/), checked on 2026-10-09 - [US Naval Observatory, rise, set and twilight definitions](https://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/RST_defs), checked on 2026-10-09