Northern Lights tonight in Oulu

Tonight in Oulu

Oulu sits at a geomagnetic latitude of 62.3° N, so the aurora usually needs a Kp index of about 1 or higher before it rises above the northern horizon. Tonight's NOAA forecast peaks at Kp 3 (quiet) during the dark hours, which is enough for Oulu.

The Moon is 99% 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 14% chance of aurora in the part of the sky visible from Oulu. 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 1 that Oulu 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 Oulu needs Kp 1

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 the Kp a city needs depends on its geomagnetic rather than its geographic latitude. At Kp 0 the oval's edge is near 66° geomagnetic; each step of Kp pushes it roughly 2° toward the equator.

At 62.3° geomagnetic, Oulu needs about Kp 1 for aurora low on the horizon, Kp 3 or more for a display high in the sky. Rovaniemi, 165 km away, needs about Kp 0.

Aurora forecast for nearby cities

• Northern lights Rovaniemi
• Northern lights Kuopio
• Northern lights Umeå
• Northern lights Jyväskylä
• Northern lights Joensuu
• Northern lights Tampere
• Northern lights Lahti
• Northern lights Vantaa

More sky and weather

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