Aurora forecast Spruce Grove
Northern Lights tonight in Spruce Grove, AB
Updated
Low chance tonight (Kp 1.3 forecast; needs about Kp 2 at Spruce Grove) A camera may pick up a faint glow on the horizon if activity runs above forecast.
Will you see the northern lights from Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada tonight? We combine NOAA's Kp forecast, the OVATION aurora model, cloud cover and the hours of darkness. Times are local (America/Edmonton).
- Kp now
- 1.7 quiet, estimated
- Max Kp forecast tonight
- 1.3 quiet
- Kp needed at Spruce Grove
- about 2 geomagnetic latitude 59.9°
- Cloud cover tonight
- 23% average lowest 2%
- Dark sky
- 7:33 pm – 7:08 am Sun 12° below the horizon
- Aurora probability in view now
- 5% NOAA OVATION, 30–90 min ahead
- Moon
- 100% lit Full Moon
Tonight in Spruce Grove
Spruce Grove sits at a geomagnetic latitude of 59.9° N, so the aurora usually needs a Kp index of about 2 or higher before it rises above the northern horizon. Tonight's NOAA forecast peaks at Kp 1.3 (quiet) during the dark hours, 0.7 short of what Spruce Grove needs.
Open-Meteo expects about 23% cloud cover on average between 9 pm and 8 am local time, with 7 of 11 dark hours mostly clear (30% cloud or less).
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, low on the horizon, from somewhere away from street lights.
Right now NOAA's OVATION model gives up to 5% chance of aurora in the part of the sky visible from Spruce Grove. OVATION is a short-range nowcast (30 to 90 minutes ahead), useful for deciding whether to step outside now.
| Local time | Kp forecast | Cloud cover | Aurora chance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 9 pm | 1.3 | 5% | Low |
| Sun 10 pm | 1.3 | 7% | Low |
| Sun 11 pm | 1.3 | 2% | Low |
| Mon 12 am | 1.3 | 6% | Low |
| Mon 1 am | 1.3 | 31% | Low |
| Mon 2 am | 1.3 | 37% | Low |
| Mon 3 am | 1.3 | 20% | Low |
| Mon 4 am | 1.3 | 13% | Low |
| Mon 5 am | 1.3 | 4% | Low |
| Mon 6 am | 1.3 | 58% | Low |
| Mon 7 am | 1.3 | 68% | Low |
3-day Kp forecast
3 of the next 3 days reach the Kp 2 that Spruce Grove 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.
| Day (UTC) | Max Kp | Level | Enough for Spruce Grove? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-26 | 1.7 | quiet | Yes |
| 2026-10-27 | 1.7 | quiet | Yes |
| 2026-10-28 | 1.7 | quiet | Yes |
Why Spruce Grove needs Kp 2
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 59.9° geomagnetic, Spruce Grove needs about Kp 2 for aurora low on the horizon, Kp 4 or more for a display high in the sky.
Aurora forecast for nearby cities
More sky and weather
Data: NOAA SWPC (Kp, OVATION), Open-Meteo, GeoNames.