Northern Lights tonight in Thompson, MB

Tonight in Thompson

Thompson sits at a geomagnetic latitude of 63.8° 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 Thompson.

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 4% chance of aurora in the part of the sky visible from Thompson. 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 Thompson 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 Thompson 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 63.8° geomagnetic, Thompson 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 Churchill
• Northern lights Prince Albert
• Northern lights Winnipeg
• Northern lights Brandon, MB
• Northern lights Saskatoon
• Northern lights Regina
• Northern lights Moose Jaw
• Northern lights Lloydminster

More sky and weather

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