Northern Lights tonight in Fort Smith, NT

Tonight in Fort Smith, NT

Fort Smith, NT sits at a geomagnetic latitude of 66.5° N, close to the auroral oval itself, so aurora is possible even on quiet nights (Kp 0–1) whenever the sky is dark and clear. Tonight's NOAA forecast peaks at Kp 3 (quiet) during the dark hours, which is enough for Fort Smith, NT.

The Moon is 100% illuminated (full moon), bright enough to wash out a faint aurora, so only a stronger display will stand out. For the best view look north and overhead, from somewhere away from street lights.

Right now NOAA's OVATION model gives up to 8% chance of aurora in the part of the sky visible from Fort Smith, NT. OVATION is a short-range nowcast (30 to 90 minutes ahead), useful for deciding whether to step outside now.

3-day Kp forecast

3 of the next 3 days reach the Kp 0 that Fort Smith, NT needs. Kp is a global 0–9 index of geomagnetic activity, issued in 3-hour blocks (UTC); NOAA forecasts beyond 24 hours are uncertain, because storms are triggered by solar eruptions that take 1–3 days to arrive.

Why Fort Smith, NT sees aurora on quiet nights

The aurora forms in an oval around the geomagnetic pole, which sits in the Canadian Arctic (about 80.8° N, 72.8° W), not at the geographic pole. That is why North American cities see aurora further south than European cities at the same latitude. At Kp 0 the oval's edge is near 66° geomagnetic; each step of Kp pushes it roughly 2° toward the equator.

At 66.5° geomagnetic, Fort Smith, NT lies under the usual position of the auroral oval: on quiet nights the aurora is often overhead, and during strong storms (Kp 5+) the oval can move equatorward past the city, so the display may then be to the south.

Aurora forecast for nearby cities

• Northern lights Hay River
• Northern lights Yellowknife
• Northern lights Fort McMurray
• Northern lights Grande Prairie
• Northern lights St. Albert
• Northern lights Edmonton
• Northern lights Sherwood Park
• Northern lights Spruce Grove

More sky and weather

• Aurora forecast (all cities)
• Northern Taurids meteor shower
• Meteor showers
• Weather warnings