Northern lights in Connecticut tonight
The aurora reaches Connecticut at about Kp 6.8 in the far north of the state and Kp 7 at its southern edge. SWPC's highest forecast Kp over the next three days is 3+, in the 00-03 UTC block on Thu, Sep 24. Not tonight. The forecast Kp of 2- is well below what it takes for the aurora to reach this far south.
From NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, read Sep 21, 01:36 UTC.
The oval right now
NOAA’s OVATION model: the chance of aurora overhead 30 to 90 minutes from now, valid Sep 21, 02:40 UTC. Green is a low chance, red a high one.
Rain and snow mean cloud, and cloud is the last thing between a forecast aurora and the sky you are standing under. Each town page carries that town’s own sky cover forecast for the dark hours.
Open the live map with the aurora forecast
Aurora forecast from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. Original at SWPC
Tonight at Canaan
The most poleward town in Connecticut with a page, and the first place in the state an aurora reaches. Cloud cover is on each town’s own page.
No tonight
Not tonight. The forecast Kp of 2- is well below what it takes for the aurora to reach this far south.
- The aurora reaches this place at about Kp 6.8, which is 51 degrees geomagnetic latitude on NOAA's storm scales.
- SWPC forecasts a highest Kp of 2- (1.67) during tonight's dark hours: quiet.
- The moon is waxing gibbous, 70% lit, and up for part of the dark hours.
Towns best placed in Connecticut
The 24 most poleward of the 198 towns in Connecticut with a page. Each page gives tonight’s chance there, the darkness, the moon and that town’s own cloud forecast.
- CanaanNorthwest Hills Planning Region County · population 1,212 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- QuinebaugNortheastern Connecticut Planning Region County · population 1,133 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- Sherwood ManorCapitol Planning Region County · population 5,410 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- ThompsonvilleCapitol Planning Region County · population 8,577 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- North GranbyCapitol Planning Region County · population 1,944 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- NorfolkNorthwest Hills Planning Region County · population 553 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- UnionNortheastern Connecticut Planning Region County · population 797 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- HazardvilleCapitol Planning Region County · population 4,599 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- North Grosvenor DaleNortheastern Connecticut Planning Region County · population 1,530 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- SomersCapitol Planning Region County · population 1,789 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- StaffordCapitol Planning Region County · population 12,029 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- Suffield DepotCapitol Planning Region County · population 1,325 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- EnfieldCapitol Planning Region County · population 45,212 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- LakevilleNorthwest Hills Planning Region County · population 928 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- Southwood AcresCapitol Planning Region County · population 7,657 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- ThompsonNortheastern Connecticut Planning Region County · population 9,358 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- Salmon BrookCapitol Planning Region County · population 2,324 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- Falls VillageNorthwest Hills Planning Region County · population 538 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- Stafford SpringsCapitol Planning Region County · population 4,988 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
- South WoodstockNortheastern Connecticut Planning Region County · population 1,291 · 51.1° geomagneticKp 6.8
- Crystal LakeCapitol Planning Region County · population 1,945 · 51.1° geomagneticKp 6.8
- Windsor LocksCapitol Planning Region County · population 12,498 · 51.1° geomagneticKp 6.8
- BarkhamstedNorthwest Hills Planning Region County · population 3,647 · 51.1° geomagneticKp 6.8
- WinstedNorthwest Hills Planning Region County · population 7,712 · 51.1° geomagneticKp 6.8
Every town in Connecticut with a page
198 towns at 48 degrees geomagnetic latitude or higher, which a strong storm reaches. The figure after each is the Kp it takes there.
A
B
- Baltic Kp 6.8
- Bantam Kp 6.8
- Barkhamsted Kp 6.8
- Bethel Kp 6.9
- Bethlehem Village Kp 6.8
- Bloomfield Kp 6.8
- Blue Hills Kp 6.8
- Branford Kp 6.9
- Branford Center Kp 6.9
- Bridgeport Kp 6.9
- Bristol Kp 6.8
- Brooklyn Kp 6.8
- Byram Kp 7
C
- Canaan Kp 6.8
- Canton Valley Kp 6.8
- Central Waterford Kp 6.9
- Cheshire Kp 6.9
- Cheshire Village Kp 6.9
- Chester Center Kp 6.9
- City of Milford (balance) Kp 6.9
- Clinton Kp 6.9
- Colchester Kp 6.8
- Collinsville Kp 6.8
- Conning Towers-Nautilus Park Kp 6.9
- Cos Cob Kp 7
- Coventry Lake Kp 6.8
- Cromwell Kp 6.8
- Crystal Lake Kp 6.8
D
E
- East Brooklyn Kp 6.8
- East Haddam Kp 6.9
- East Hampton Kp 6.8
- East Hartford Kp 6.8
- East Haven Kp 6.9
- East Norwalk Kp 6.9
- East Windsor Kp 6.8
- Easton Kp 6.9
- Ellington Kp 6.8
- Enfield Kp 6.8
- Essex Village Kp 6.9
F
- Fairfield Kp 6.9
- Falls Village Kp 6.8
- Farmington Kp 6.8
G
- Gales Ferry Kp 6.9
- Georgetown Kp 6.9
- Glastonbury Kp 6.8
- Glastonbury Center Kp 6.8
- Glenville Kp 7
- Greenwich Kp 7
- Groton Kp 6.9
- Groton Long Point Kp 6.9
- Guilford Kp 6.9
- Guilford Center Kp 6.9
H
- Hamden Kp 6.9
- Hartford Kp 6.8
- Hazardville Kp 6.8
- Hebron Kp 6.8
- Heritage Village Kp 6.9
- Higganum Kp 6.9
J
- Jewett City Kp 6.8
K
- Kensington Kp 6.8
- Kent Kp 6.8
- Killingly Center Kp 6.8
- Killingworth Kp 6.9
L
- Lake Pocotopaug Kp 6.8
- Lakeville Kp 6.8
- Ledyard Kp 6.9
- Lisbon Kp 6.8
- Litchfield Kp 6.8
- Long Hill Kp 6.9
M
- Madison Kp 6.9
- Madison Center Kp 6.9
- Manchester Kp 6.8
- Mansfield Center Kp 6.8
- Mansfield City Kp 6.8
- Meriden Kp 6.9
- Middlebury Kp 6.9
- Middletown Kp 6.8
- Milford Kp 6.9
- Montville Center Kp 6.9
- Moodus Kp 6.9
- Moosup Kp 6.8
- Mystic Kp 6.9
N
- Naugatuck Kp 6.9
- New Britain Kp 6.8
- New Canaan Kp 6.9
- New Fairfield Kp 6.9
- New Hartford Center Kp 6.8
- New Haven Kp 6.9
- New London Kp 6.9
- New Milford Kp 6.8
- New Preston Kp 6.8
- Newington Kp 6.8
- Newtown Kp 6.9
- Niantic Kp 6.9
- Noank Kp 6.9
- Norfolk Kp 6.8
- North Branford Kp 6.9
- North Granby Kp 6.8
- North Grosvenor Dale Kp 6.8
- North Haven Kp 6.9
- North Stamford Kp 6.9
- Northwest Harwinton Kp 6.8
- Norwalk Kp 6.9
- Norwich Kp 6.9
O
- Oakville Kp 6.8
- Old Greenwich Kp 7
- Old Mystic Kp 6.9
- Old Saybrook Kp 6.9
- Old Saybrook Center Kp 6.9
- Orange Kp 6.9
- Oxford Kp 6.9
- Oxoboxo River Kp 6.9
P
- Pawcatuck Kp 6.9
- Pemberwick Kp 7
- Plainfield Kp 6.8
- Plainfield Village Kp 6.8
- Plainville Kp 6.8
- Plymouth Kp 6.8
- Poquonock Bridge Kp 6.9
- Portland Kp 6.8
- Preston City Kp 6.9
- Prospect Kp 6.9
- Putnam Kp 6.8
Q
- Quinebaug Kp 6.8
R
- Ridgefield Kp 6.9
- Riverside Kp 7
- Rockville Kp 6.8
S
- Salem Kp 6.9
- Salmon Brook Kp 6.8
- Saybrook Manor Kp 6.9
- Seymour Kp 6.9
- Sharon Kp 6.8
- Shelton Kp 6.9
- Sherman Kp 6.8
- Sherwood Manor Kp 6.8
- Simsbury Center Kp 6.8
- Somers Kp 6.8
- South Coventry Kp 6.8
- South Windham Kp 6.8
- South Windsor Kp 6.8
- South Woodstock Kp 6.8
- Southbury Kp 6.9
- Southington Kp 6.8
- Southport Kp 6.9
- Southwood Acres Kp 6.8
- Stafford Kp 6.8
- Stafford Springs Kp 6.8
- Stamford Kp 6.9
- Stonington Kp 6.9
- Storrs Kp 6.8
- Stratford Kp 6.9
- Suffield Depot Kp 6.8
T
- Tariffville Kp 6.8
- Terramuggus Kp 6.8
- Terryville Kp 6.8
- Thomaston Kp 6.8
- Thompson Kp 6.8
- Thompsonville Kp 6.8
- Tolland Kp 6.8
- Torrington Kp 6.8
- Trumbull Kp 6.9
U
- Uncasville Kp 6.9
- Union Kp 6.8
W
- Wallingford Kp 6.9
- Wallingford Center Kp 6.9
- Washington Kp 6.8
- Waterbury Kp 6.8
- Waterford Kp 6.9
- Watertown Kp 6.8
- Wauregan Kp 6.8
- Weatogue Kp 6.8
- West Hartford Kp 6.8
- West Haven Kp 6.9
- West Simsbury Kp 6.8
- West Torrington Kp 6.8
- Westbrook Center Kp 6.9
- Westport Kp 6.9
- Wethersfield Kp 6.8
- Willimantic Kp 6.8
- Wilton Kp 6.9
- Winchester Center Kp 6.8
- Windham Kp 6.8
- Windsor Kp 6.8
- Windsor Locks Kp 6.8
- Winsted Kp 6.8
- Wolcott Kp 6.8
- Woodbridge Kp 6.9
- Woodbury Kp 6.9
- Woodbury Center Kp 6.9
- Woodmont Kp 6.9
How far south each storm level reaches
NOAA’s space weather scales state the geomagnetic latitude each level of geomagnetic storm reaches, and the places its aurora has been seen from. The geographic latitudes are those lines converted with the geomagnetic dipole; the aurora sits low on the northern horizon there, and overhead far poleward of it.
| Storm | Geomagnetic | Central US | Eastern US | Northern Europe | NOAA says the aurora |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G1 MinorKp 5 | 60° | 52°N | 51°N | 61°N | commonly visible at high latitudes: northern Michigan and Maine |
| G2 ModerateKp 6 | 55° | 47°N | 46°N | 56°N | has been seen as low as New York and Idaho |
| G3 StrongKp 7 | 50° | 42°N | 41°N | 51°N | has been seen as low as Illinois and Oregon |
| G4 SevereKp 8 | 45° | 37°N | 36°N | 45°N | has been seen as low as Alabama and northern California |
| G5 ExtremeKp 9 | 40° | 32°N | 31°N | 40°N | has been seen as low as Florida and southern Texas |
Source: NOAA space weather scales, swpc.noaa.gov/noaa-scales-explanation. Below Kp 5 the oval contracts more slowly; this section runs the line from 66 degrees geomagnetic at Kp 0 to the scale’s 60 degrees at Kp 5.
Kp by 3-hour block
SWPC’s planetary K index forecast, three days ahead. Kp is a single number for the whole planet, from magnetometers around the world, on a scale of 0 to 9 in thirds.
| Block (UTC) | Kp | Level | Seen from | Central US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.33 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N | |
| 1.33 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N | |
| 1.67 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N | |
| 1.67 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N | |
| 1.33 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N | |
| 1.33 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N | |
| 1.33 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N | |
| 1.33 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N | |
| 1.67 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N | |
| 2.00 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 55°N | |
| 1.67 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N | |
| 1.33 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N | |
| 0.67 | Quiet | 65° geomag. | 57°N | |
| 0.67 | Quiet | 65° geomag. | 57°N | |
| 1.67 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N | |
| 1.67 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N | |
| 1.67 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N | |
| 2.00 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 55°N | |
| 1.67 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N | |
| 1.33 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N | |
| 0.67 | Quiet | 65° geomag. | 57°N | |
| 0.67 | Quiet | 65° geomag. | 57°N | |
| 1.67 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N | |
| 1.67 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°N |
The forecast is for the planet, not for your sky. A block at Kp 5 means the field is disturbed enough for the aurora to reach 60 degrees geomagnetic somewhere along the night side; whether you see it depends on being on the night side, on darkness, and on the clouds.
Other states with aurora pages
What this means
Each place is placed by its geomagnetic latitude, measured from the geomagnetic dipole pole, and compared with the reach NOAA states for each storm level on its space weather scales: G1 (Kp 5) about 60 degrees geomagnetic, G2 55, G3 50, G4 45, G5 (Kp 9) 40. Reading that backwards gives the Kp a place needs. Below Kp 5 the oval contracts more slowly and the line runs from 66 degrees at Kp 0 to 60 at Kp 5.
The forecasts have different horizons and the pages keep them apart: OVATION is the only thing that knows whether an aurora is out now, and it reaches 30 to 90 minutes ahead; the planetary Kp forecast runs three days; the 27-day outlook names likely active days and is not a forecast of any one night. None of them knows the clouds, which is why a town page reads its own forecast for those.
Sources
From NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center: the OVATION aurora forecast, the planetary K index forecast, the 3-day forecast, the 27-day outlook, its watches, warnings and alerts, and the real-time solar wind. Read Sep 21, 01:36 UTC.