Northern lights in Nebraska tonight
The aurora reaches Nebraska at about Kp 6.8 in the far north of the state and Kp 7.4 at its southern edge. SWPC's highest forecast Kp over the next three days is 2, in the 03-06 UTC block on Mon, Sep 21. 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 20, 23:14 UTC.
The oval right now
NOAA’s OVATION model: the chance of aurora overhead 30 to 90 minutes from now, valid Sep 21, 00:19 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 Butte
The most poleward town in Nebraska 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 (2.00) during tonight's dark hours: quiet.
- The moon is waxing gibbous, 71% lit, and up for part of the dark hours.
Towns best placed in Nebraska
The 24 most poleward of the 217 towns in Nebraska with a page. Each page gives tonight’s chance there, the darkness, the moon and that town’s own cloud forecast.
- ButteBoyd County · population 310 · 51.0° geomagneticKp 6.8
- CroftonKnox County · population 691 · 50.9° geomagneticKp 6.8
- HartingtonCedar County · population 1,506 · 50.8° geomagneticKp 6.8
- SpringviewKeya Paha County · population 236 · 50.8° geomagneticKp 6.8
- PoncaDixon County · population 940 · 50.8° geomagneticKp 6.8
- ValentineCherry County · population 2,836 · 50.8° geomagneticKp 6.8
- BloomfieldKnox County · population 977 · 50.8° geomagneticKp 6.8
- CenterKnox County · population 93 · 50.8° geomagneticKp 6.8
- South Sioux CityDakota County · population 13,319 · 50.8° geomagneticKp 6.8
- VerdigreKnox County · population 552 · 50.8° geomagneticKp 6.8
- Dakota CityDakota County · population 1,906 · 50.7° geomagneticKp 6.9
- WausaKnox County · population 607 · 50.7° geomagneticKp 6.9
- StuartHolt County · population 597 · 50.7° geomagneticKp 6.9
- LaurelCedar County · population 935 · 50.7° geomagneticKp 6.9
- CreightonKnox County · population 1,120 · 50.6° geomagneticKp 6.9
- BassettRock County · population 557 · 50.6° geomagneticKp 6.9
- AtkinsonHolt County · population 1,241 · 50.6° geomagneticKp 6.9
- GordonSheridan County · population 1,531 · 50.6° geomagneticKp 6.9
- HomerDakota County · population 541 · 50.6° geomagneticKp 6.9
- RandolphCedar County · population 920 · 50.6° geomagneticKp 6.9
- O'NeillHolt County · population 3,653 · 50.6° geomagneticKp 6.9
- AinsworthBrown County · population 1,626 · 50.6° geomagneticKp 6.9
- ChadronDawes County · population 5,775 · 50.6° geomagneticKp 6.9
- OsmondPierce County · population 763 · 50.6° geomagneticKp 6.9
Every town in Nebraska with a page
217 towns at 48 degrees geomagnetic latitude or higher, which a strong storm reaches. The figure after each is the Kp it takes there.
A
- Adams Kp 7.2
- Ainsworth Kp 6.9
- Albion Kp 7
- Alda Kp 7.2
- Alliance Kp 7
- Alma Kp 7.4
- Arapahoe Kp 7.3
- Arlington Kp 7
- Arnold Kp 7.1
- Arthur Kp 7.1
- Ashland Kp 7.1
- Atkinson Kp 6.9
- Auburn Kp 7.3
- Aurora Kp 7.2
- Axtell Kp 7.3
B
- Bartlett Kp 7
- Bassett Kp 6.9
- Battle Creek Kp 7
- Bayard Kp 7.1
- Beatrice Kp 7.3
- Beaver City Kp 7.4
- Beemer Kp 7
- Bellevue Kp 7.1
- Bennet Kp 7.2
- Bennington Kp 7.1
- Bertrand Kp 7.3
- Blair Kp 7
- Bloomfield Kp 6.8
- Blue Hill Kp 7.3
- Brewster Kp 7
- Bridgeport Kp 7.1
- Broken Bow Kp 7.1
- Burwell Kp 7
- Butte Kp 6.8
C
- Cairo Kp 7.2
- Callaway Kp 7.1
- Cambridge Kp 7.3
- Cedar Bluffs Kp 7.1
- Center Kp 6.8
- Central City Kp 7.1
- Ceresco Kp 7.1
- Chadron Kp 6.9
- Chalco Kp 7.1
- Chappell Kp 7.2
- Clarkson Kp 7
- Clay Center Kp 7.3
- Columbus Kp 7.1
- Cozad Kp 7.2
- Crawford Kp 6.9
- Creighton Kp 6.9
- Crete Kp 7.2
- Crofton Kp 6.8
- Culbertson Kp 7.4
- Curtis Kp 7.3
D
- Dakota City Kp 6.9
- David City Kp 7.1
- De Witt Kp 7.3
- Deshler Kp 7.3
- Dodge Kp 7
- Doniphan Kp 7.2
- Dorchester Kp 7.2
E
- Eagle Kp 7.2
- Elgin Kp 7
- Elkhorn Kp 7.1
- Elm Creek Kp 7.2
- Elmwood Kp 7.2
- Elwood Kp 7.3
- Emerson Kp 6.9
- Exeter Kp 7.2
F
- Fairbury Kp 7.3
- Fairmont Kp 7.2
- Falls City Kp 7.3
- Firth Kp 7.2
- Fort Calhoun Kp 7
- Franklin Kp 7.4
- Fremont Kp 7.1
- Friend Kp 7.2
- Fullerton Kp 7.1
G
- Geneva Kp 7.3
- Genoa Kp 7.1
- Gering Kp 7.1
- Gibbon Kp 7.2
- Gordon Kp 6.9
- Gothenburg Kp 7.2
- Grand Island Kp 7.2
- Grant Kp 7.3
- Greeley Kp 7.1
- Greenwood Kp 7.1
- Gretna Kp 7.1
H
- Harrisburg Kp 7.2
- Harrison Kp 6.9
- Hartington Kp 6.8
- Harvard Kp 7.2
- Hastings Kp 7.3
- Hay Springs Kp 6.9
- Hayes Center Kp 7.3
- Hebron Kp 7.3
- Hemingford Kp 7
- Henderson Kp 7.2
- Hershey Kp 7.2
- Hickman Kp 7.2
- Hillsborough Kp 7.1
- Holdrege Kp 7.3
- Homer Kp 6.9
- Hooper Kp 7
- Howells Kp 7
- Humboldt Kp 7.3
- Humphrey Kp 7
- Hyannis Kp 7
I
J
- Juniata Kp 7.3
K
L
- La Vista Kp 7.1
- Laurel Kp 6.9
- Lexington Kp 7.2
- Lincoln Kp 7.2
- Louisville Kp 7.1
- Loup City Kp 7.1
- Lyons Kp 7
M
- Macy Kp 6.9
- Madison Kp 7
- McCook Kp 7.4
- Mead Kp 7.1
- Milford Kp 7.2
- Minatare Kp 7.1
- Minden Kp 7.3
- Mitchell Kp 7.1
- Morrill Kp 7.1
- Mullen Kp 7
N
- Nebraska City Kp 7.2
- Neligh Kp 6.9
- Nelson Kp 7.3
- Newman Grove Kp 7
- Norfolk Kp 7
- North Bend Kp 7.1
- North Platte Kp 7.2
O
- O'Neill Kp 6.9
- Oakland Kp 7
- Offutt Air Force Base Kp 7.1
- Ogallala Kp 7.2
- Omaha Kp 7.1
- Ord Kp 7.1
- Osceola Kp 7.1
- Oshkosh Kp 7.2
- Osmond Kp 6.9
- Overton Kp 7.2
- Oxford Kp 7.3
P
- Palmyra Kp 7.2
- Papillion Kp 7.1
- Pawnee City Kp 7.3
- Paxton Kp 7.2
- Pender Kp 6.9
- Peru Kp 7.2
- Pierce Kp 6.9
- Plainview Kp 6.9
- Plattsmouth Kp 7.1
- Ponca Kp 6.8
R
S
- Saint Edward Kp 7
- Saint Paul Kp 7.1
- Sargent Kp 7.1
- Schuyler Kp 7.1
- Scottsbluff Kp 7.1
- Scribner Kp 7
- Seward Kp 7.2
- Shelby Kp 7.1
- Shelton Kp 7.2
- Sidney Kp 7.2
- South Sioux City Kp 6.8
- Springfield Kp 7.1
- Springview Kp 6.8
- Stanton Kp 7
- Stapleton Kp 7.1
- Stockville Kp 7.3
- Stromsburg Kp 7.1
- Stuart Kp 6.9
- Superior Kp 7.4
- Sutherland Kp 7.2
- Sutton Kp 7.2
- Syracuse Kp 7.2
T
- Taylor Kp 7
- Tecumseh Kp 7.3
- Tekamah Kp 7
- Terrytown Kp 7.1
- Thedford Kp 7
- Tilden Kp 7
- Trenton Kp 7.4
- Tryon Kp 7.1
U
- Utica Kp 7.2
V
- Valentine Kp 6.8
- Valley Kp 7.1
- Valparaiso Kp 7.1
- Verdigre Kp 6.8
W
- Wahoo Kp 7.1
- Wakefield Kp 6.9
- Walthill Kp 6.9
- Waterloo Kp 7.1
- Wauneta Kp 7.3
- Wausa Kp 6.9
- Waverly Kp 7.2
- Wayne Kp 6.9
- Weeping Water Kp 7.2
- West Point Kp 7
- Wilber Kp 7.3
- Winnebago Kp 6.9
- Wisner Kp 7
- Wood River Kp 7.2
- Wymore Kp 7.3
Y
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.67 | Quiet | 65° geomag. | 57°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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 |
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
- Alaska
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
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 20, 23:14 UTC.