Northern lights in New Jersey tonight
The aurora reaches New Jersey at about Kp 6.9 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, 12:00 UTC.
Radar
Reflectivity now over New Jersey. Open it to see the aurora forecast on the map.
Radar mosaic and map layers from NOAA MRMS. Boundaries from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet.
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.
Tonight at Vernon Valley
The most poleward town in New Jersey 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 6.9, which is 50 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, 70% lit, and up for part of the dark hours.
Towns best placed in New Jersey
The 24 most poleward of the 589 towns in New Jersey with a page. Each page gives tonight’s chance there, the darkness, the moon and that town’s own cloud forecast.
- Vernon ValleySussex County · population 1,626 · 50.4° geomagneticKp 6.9
- SussexSussex County · population 2,043 · 50.4° geomagneticKp 6.9
- Vernon CenterSussex County · population 1,713 · 50.4° geomagneticKp 6.9
- Highland LakeSussex County · population 4,933 · 50.4° geomagneticKp 6.9
- HamburgSussex County · population 3,155 · 50.3° geomagneticKp 6.9
- BranchvilleSussex County · population 802 · 50.3° geomagneticKp 6.9
- West MilfordPassaic County · population 26,968 · 50.3° geomagneticKp 6.9
- Crandon LakesSussex County · population 1,178 · 50.3° geomagneticKp 6.9
- FranklinSussex County · population 4,855 · 50.3° geomagneticKp 6.9
- RingwoodPassaic County · population 12,448 · 50.3° geomagneticKp 6.9
- MahwahBergen County · population 24,062 · 50.3° geomagneticKp 6.9
- OgdensburgSussex County · population 2,286 · 50.3° geomagneticKp 6.9
- Upper Saddle RiverBergen County · population 8,379 · 50.3° geomagneticKp 6.9
- RamseyBergen County · population 15,102 · 50.3° geomagneticKp 6.9
- NewtonSussex County · population 7,979 · 50.3° geomagneticKp 6.9
- HardwickWarren County · population 1,464 · 50.2° geomagneticKp 7
- MontvaleBergen County · population 8,442 · 50.2° geomagneticKp 7
- AllendaleBergen County · population 6,822 · 50.2° geomagneticKp 7
- Park RidgeBergen County · population 8,919 · 50.2° geomagneticKp 7
- WanaquePassaic County · population 11,848 · 50.2° geomagneticKp 7
- Saddle RiverBergen County · population 3,255 · 50.2° geomagneticKp 7
- SpartaSussex County · population 19,722 · 50.2° geomagneticKp 7
- HaskellPassaic County · population 4,942 · 50.2° geomagneticKp 7
- Woodcliff LakeBergen County · population 5,917 · 50.2° geomagneticKp 7
Every town in New Jersey with a page
589 towns at 48 degrees geomagnetic latitude or higher, which a strong storm reaches. The figure after each is the Kp it takes there.
A
- Absecon Kp 7.3
- Allendale Kp 7
- Allentown Kp 7.1
- Allenwood Kp 7.1
- Alloway Kp 7.3
- Alpha Kp 7
- Alpine Kp 7
- Andover Kp 7
- Annandale Kp 7
- Asbury Park Kp 7.1
- Ashland Kp 7.2
- Atco Kp 7.2
- Atlantic City Kp 7.3
- Atlantic Highlands Kp 7.1
- Audubon Kp 7.2
- Audubon Park Kp 7.2
- Avalon Kp 7.3
- Avenel Kp 7
- Avon-by-the-Sea Kp 7.1
B
- Barnegat Kp 7.2
- Barnegat Light Kp 7.2
- Barrington Kp 7.2
- Basking Ridge Kp 7
- Bay Head Kp 7.1
- Bayonne Kp 7
- Bayville Kp 7.2
- Beach Haven Kp 7.2
- Beach Haven West Kp 7.2
- Beachwood Kp 7.2
- Beattystown Kp 7
- Beckett Kp 7.2
- Bedminster Kp 7
- Belford Kp 7.1
- Belleplain Kp 7.3
- Belleville Kp 7
- Bellmawr Kp 7.2
- Belmar Kp 7.1
- Belvidere Kp 7
- Bergenfield Kp 7
- Berkeley Heights Kp 7
- Berlin Kp 7.2
- Bernardsville Kp 7
- Beverly Kp 7.1
- Blackwells Mills Kp 7.1
- Blackwood Kp 7.2
- Blairstown Kp 7
- Bloomfield Kp 7
- Bloomingdale Kp 7
- Bloomingdale Kp 7.1
- Bloomsbury Kp 7
- Bogota Kp 7
- Boonton Kp 7
- Bordentown Kp 7.1
- Borough of Far Hills Kp 7
- Bound Brook Kp 7
- Bradley Beach Kp 7.1
- Bradley Gardens Kp 7
- Branchville Kp 6.9
- Brass Castle Kp 7
- Brick Kp 7.1
- Bridgeton Kp 7.3
- Bridgewater Kp 7
- Brielle Kp 7.1
- Brigantine Kp 7.3
- Brookdale Kp 7
- Brookfield Kp 7
- Brookfield Kp 7.2
- Brooklawn Kp 7.2
- Browns Mills Kp 7.2
- Brownville Kp 7.1
- Budd Lake Kp 7
- Buena Kp 7.3
- Burleigh Kp 7.4
- Burlington Kp 7.1
- Butler Kp 7
C
- Caldwell Kp 7
- Califon Kp 7
- Camden Kp 7.2
- Cape May Kp 7.4
- Cape May Court House Kp 7.3
- Carlstadt Kp 7
- Carneys Point Kp 7.2
- Carteret Kp 7
- Cedar Glen Lakes Kp 7.2
- Cedar Glen West Kp 7.2
- Cedar Grove Kp 7
- Cedar Knolls Kp 7
- Cedarville Kp 7.3
- Chatham Kp 7
- Cherry Hill Kp 7.2
- Cherry Hill Mall Kp 7.2
- Chesilhurst Kp 7.2
- Chester Kp 7
- Cinnaminson Kp 7.2
- Clark Kp 7
- Clayton Kp 7.2
- Clearbrook Park Kp 7.1
- Clementon Kp 7.2
- Cliffside Park Kp 7
- Cliffwood Beach Kp 7.1
- Clifton Kp 7
- Clinton Kp 7
- Closter Kp 7
- Collings Lakes Kp 7.2
- Collingswood Kp 7.2
- Colonia Kp 7
- Colts Neck Kp 7.1
- Columbus Kp 7.1
- Concordia Kp 7.1
- Country Lake Estates Kp 7.2
- Cranbury Kp 7.1
- Crandon Lakes Kp 6.9
- Cranford Kp 7
- Cresskill Kp 7
- Crestwood Village Kp 7.2
D
- Dayton Kp 7.1
- Deal Kp 7.1
- Delanco Kp 7.2
- Demarest Kp 7
- Denville Kp 7
- Dover Kp 7
- Dover Beaches North Kp 7.2
- Dover Beaches South Kp 7.2
- Dumont Kp 7
- Dunellen Kp 7
E
- East Brunswick Kp 7.1
- East Franklin Kp 7.1
- East Freehold Kp 7.1
- East Hanover Kp 7
- East Millstone Kp 7.1
- East Newark Kp 7
- East Orange Kp 7
- East Rutherford Kp 7
- Eatontown Kp 7.1
- Echelon Kp 7.2
- Edgewater Kp 7
- Edgewater Park Kp 7.1
- Edison Kp 7.1
- Egg Harbor City Kp 7.3
- Elizabeth Kp 7
- Ellisburg Kp 7.2
- Elmer Kp 7.2
- Elmwood Park Kp 7
- Elwood Kp 7.2
- Emerson Kp 7
- Englewood Kp 7
- Englewood Cliffs Kp 7
- Englishtown Kp 7.1
- Erma Kp 7.4
- Essex Fells Kp 7
- Estell Manor Kp 7.3
- Ewing Kp 7.1
F
- Fair Haven Kp 7.1
- Fair Lawn Kp 7
- Fairfield Kp 7
- Fairton Kp 7.3
- Fairview Kp 7
- Fairview Kp 7.1
- Fanwood Kp 7
- Far Hills Kp 7
- Farmingdale Kp 7.1
- Fieldsboro Kp 7.1
- Finderne Kp 7
- Flemington Kp 7.1
- Florence Kp 7.1
- Florence Kp 7.2
- Florham Park Kp 7
- Folsom Kp 7.2
- Fords Kp 7.1
- Forked River Kp 7.2
- Fort Dix Kp 7.2
- Fort Lee Kp 7
- Franklin Kp 6.9
- Franklin Center Kp 7.1
- Franklin Lakes Kp 7
- Franklin Park Kp 7.1
- Freehold Kp 7.1
- Frenchtown Kp 7.1
G
- Garfield Kp 7
- Garwood Kp 7
- Gibbsboro Kp 7.2
- Gibbstown Kp 7.2
- Gladstone Kp 7
- Glassboro Kp 7.2
- Glen Gardner Kp 7
- Glen Ridge Kp 7
- Glen Rock Kp 7
- Glendora Kp 7.2
- Gloucester City Kp 7.2
- Golden Triangle Kp 7.2
- Green Knoll Kp 7
- Greentree Kp 7.2
- Griggstown Kp 7.1
- Groveville Kp 7.1
- Guttenberg Kp 7
H
- Hackensack Kp 7
- Hackettstown Kp 7
- Haddon Heights Kp 7.2
- Haddonfield Kp 7.2
- Haledon Kp 7
- Hamburg Kp 6.9
- Hamilton Square Kp 7.1
- Hammonton Kp 7.2
- Hampton Kp 7
- Hanover Kp 7
- Hardwick Kp 7
- Harrington Park Kp 7
- Harrison Kp 7
- Hasbrouck Heights Kp 7
- Haskell Kp 7
- Haworth Kp 7
- Hawthorne Kp 7
- Heathcote Kp 7.1
- Helmetta Kp 7.1
- Hi-Nella Kp 7.2
- High Bridge Kp 7
- Highland Lake Kp 6.9
- Highland Park Kp 7.1
- Highlands Kp 7.1
- Hightstown Kp 7.1
- Hillsborough Kp 7.1
- Hillsdale Kp 7
- Hillside Kp 7
- Ho-Ho-Kus Kp 7
- Hoboken Kp 7
- Holiday City South Kp 7.2
- Holiday City-Berkeley Kp 7.2
- Holiday Heights Kp 7.2
- Hopatcong Kp 7
- Hopatcong Hills Kp 7
- Hopewell Kp 7.1
I
- Interlaken Kp 7.1
- Irvington Kp 7
- Iselin Kp 7
- Island Heights Kp 7.2
J
- Jackson Kp 7.2
- Jamesburg Kp 7.1
- Jersey City Kp 7
K
- Keansburg Kp 7.1
- Kearny Kp 7
- Kendall Park Kp 7.1
- Kenilworth Kp 7
- Kenvil Kp 7
- Keyport Kp 7.1
- Kingston Kp 7.1
- Kingston Estates Kp 7.2
- Kinnelon Kp 7
L
- Lake Como Kp 7.1
- Lake Hiawatha Kp 7
- Lake Hopatcong Kp 7
- Lake Mohawk Kp 7
- Lake Telemark Kp 7
- Lakehurst Kp 7.2
- Lakewood Kp 7.1
- Lambertville Kp 7.1
- Landing Kp 7
- Laurel Lake Kp 7.3
- Laurel Springs Kp 7.2
- Laurence Harbor Kp 7.1
- Lavallette Kp 7.2
- Lawnside Kp 7.2
- Lawrenceville Kp 7.1
- Lebanon Kp 7
- Leisure Knoll Kp 7.2
- Leisure Village Kp 7.2
- Leisure Village East Kp 7.2
- Leisure Village West-Pine Lake Park Kp 7.2
- Leisuretowne Kp 7.2
- Leonardo Kp 7.1
- Leonia Kp 7
- Lincoln Park Kp 7
- Lincroft Kp 7.1
- Linden Kp 7
- Lindenwold Kp 7.2
- Linwood Kp 7.3
- Little Falls Kp 7
- Little Ferry Kp 7
- Little Silver Kp 7.1
- Livingston Kp 7
- Lodi Kp 7
- Long Branch Kp 7.1
- Long Valley Kp 7
- Longport Kp 7.3
- Lopatcong Overlook Kp 7
- Lumberton Kp 7.2
- Lyndhurst Kp 7
M
- Madison Kp 7
- Madison Park Kp 7.1
- Magnolia Kp 7.2
- Magnolia Kp 7.2
- Mahwah Kp 6.9
- Manahawkin Kp 7.2
- Manasquan Kp 7.1
- Manville Kp 7.1
- Maple Shade Kp 7.2
- Maplewood Kp 7
- Margate City Kp 7.3
- Marlboro Kp 7.1
- Marlton Kp 7.2
- Martinsville Kp 7
- Matawan Kp 7.1
- Mays Landing Kp 7.3
- Maywood Kp 7
- McGuire AFB Kp 7.2
- Medford Lakes Kp 7.2
- Mendham Kp 7
- Mercerville Kp 7.1
- Mercerville-Hamilton Square Kp 7.1
- Merchantville Kp 7.2
- Metuchen Kp 7.1
- Middlebush Kp 7.1
- Middlesex Kp 7
- Middletown Kp 7.1
- Midland Park Kp 7
- Milford Kp 7
- Millburn Kp 7
- Milltown Kp 7.1
- Millville Kp 7.3
- Monmouth Beach Kp 7.1
- Monmouth Junction Kp 7.1
- Montclair Kp 7
- Montvale Kp 7
- Moonachie Kp 7
- Moorestown-Lenola Kp 7.2
- Morganville Kp 7.1
- Morris Plains Kp 7
- Morristown Kp 7
- Mount Arlington Kp 7
- Mount Ephraim Kp 7.2
- Mount Holly Kp 7.2
- Mount Laurel Kp 7.2
- Mountain Lakes Kp 7
- Mountainside Kp 7
- Mullica Hill Kp 7.2
- Mystic Island Kp 7.3
N
- National Park Kp 7.2
- Navesink Kp 7.1
- Neptune City Kp 7.1
- Netcong Kp 7
- New Brunswick Kp 7.1
- New Egypt Kp 7.1
- New Milford Kp 7
- New Providence Kp 7
- Newark Kp 7
- Newfield Kp 7.3
- Newton Kp 6.9
- North Arlington Kp 7
- North Beach Haven Kp 7.2
- North Bergen Kp 7
- North Brunswick Kp 7.1
- North Caldwell Kp 7
- North Cape May Kp 7.4
- North Haledon Kp 7
- North Middletown Kp 7.1
- North Plainfield Kp 7
- North Wildwood Kp 7.4
- Northfield Kp 7
- Northfield Kp 7.3
- Northvale Kp 7
- Norwood Kp 7
- Nutley Kp 7
O
- Oak Valley Kp 7.2
- Oakhurst Kp 7.1
- Oakland Kp 7
- Oaklyn Kp 7.2
- Ocean Acres Kp 7.2
- Ocean City Kp 7.3
- Ocean Gate Kp 7.2
- Ocean Grove Kp 7.1
- Oceanport Kp 7.1
- Ogdensburg Kp 6.9
- Old Bridge Kp 7.1
- Old Tappan Kp 7
- Olivet Kp 7.3
- Oradell Kp 7
- Orange Kp 7
- Oxford Kp 7
P
- Palisades Park Kp 7
- Palmyra Kp 7.2
- Paramus Kp 7
- Park Ridge Kp 7
- Parsippany Kp 7
- Passaic Kp 7
- Paterson Kp 7
- Paulsboro Kp 7.2
- Peapack Kp 7
- Pedricktown Kp 7.2
- Pemberton Kp 7.2
- Pemberton Heights Kp 7.2
- Pennington Kp 7.1
- Penns Grove Kp 7.2
- Pennsauken Kp 7.2
- Pennsville Kp 7.2
- Perth Amboy Kp 7.1
- Phillipsburg Kp 7
- Pine Beach Kp 7.2
- Pine Hill Kp 7.2
- Pine Lake Park Kp 7.2
- Pine Ridge at Crestwood Kp 7.2
- Piscataway Kp 7.1
- Pitman Kp 7.2
- Plainfield Kp 7
- Plainsboro Center Kp 7.1
- Pleasant Plains Kp 7.1
- Pleasantville Kp 7.3
- Point Pleasant Kp 7.1
- Point Pleasant Beach Kp 7.1
- Pomona Kp 7.3
- Pompton Lakes Kp 7
- Port Monmouth Kp 7.1
- Port Norris Kp 7.3
- Port Reading Kp 7
- Port Republic Kp 7.3
- Presidential Lakes Estates Kp 7.2
- Princeton Kp 7.1
- Princeton Junction Kp 7.1
- Princeton Meadows Kp 7.1
- Prospect Park Kp 7
- Prospect Park Kp 7.1
Q
- Quinton Kp 7.3
R
- Rahway Kp 7
- Ramblewood Kp 7.2
- Ramsey Kp 6.9
- Ramtown Kp 7.1
- Randolph Kp 7
- Raritan Kp 7
- Red Bank Kp 7.1
- Richwood Kp 7.2
- Ridgefield Kp 7
- Ridgefield Park Kp 7
- Ridgewood Kp 7
- Ringwood Kp 6.9
- Rio Grande Kp 7.4
- River Edge Kp 7
- River Vale Kp 7
- Riverdale Kp 7
- Riverton Kp 7.2
- Robbinsville Kp 7.1
- Robertsville Kp 7.1
- Rochelle Park Kp 7
- Rockaway Kp 7
- Rockleigh Kp 7
- Rocky Hill Kp 7.1
- Roebling Kp 7.1
- Roosevelt Kp 7.1
- Roseland Kp 7
- Roselle Kp 7
- Roselle Park Kp 7
- Rosenhayn Kp 7.3
- Rossmoor Kp 7.1
- Rumson Kp 7.1
- Runnemede Kp 7.2
- Rutherford Kp 7
S
- Saddle Brook Kp 7
- Saddle River Kp 7
- Salem Kp 7.2
- Sayreville Kp 7.1
- Sayreville Junction Kp 7.1
- Scotch Plains Kp 7
- Sea Bright Kp 7.1
- Sea Girt Kp 7.1
- Sea Isle City Kp 7.3
- Seabrook Farms Kp 7.3
- Seaside Heights Kp 7.2
- Seaside Park Kp 7.2
- Secaucus Kp 7
- Sewaren Kp 7.1
- Sewell Kp 7.2
- Shark River Hills Kp 7.1
- Shiloh Kp 7
- Shiloh Kp 7.3
- Ship Bottom Kp 7.2
- Short Hills Kp 7
- Shrewsbury Kp 7.1
- Sicklerville Kp 7.2
- Silver Ridge Kp 7.2
- Singac Kp 7
- Sixmile Run Kp 7.1
- Smithville Kp 7.3
- Society Hill Kp 7.1
- Somerdale Kp 7.2
- Somers Point Kp 7.3
- Somerset Kp 7.1
- Somerville Kp 7
- South Amboy Kp 7.1
- South Belmar Kp 7.1
- South Bound Brook Kp 7.1
- South Hackensack Kp 7
- South Old Bridge Kp 7.1
- South Orange Kp 7
- South Plainfield Kp 7
- South River Kp 7.1
- South Toms River Kp 7.2
- South Vineland Kp 7.3
- Sparta Kp 7
- Spotswood Kp 7.1
- Spring Lake Kp 7.1
- Spring Lake Heights Kp 7.1
- Springdale Kp 7.2
- Springfield Kp 7
- Stanhope Kp 7
- Stockton Kp 7.1
- Stone Harbor Kp 7.4
- Stratford Kp 7.2
- Strathmore Kp 7.1
- Succasunna Kp 7
- Summit Kp 7
- Surf City Kp 7.2
- Sussex Kp 6.9
- Swedesboro Kp 7.2
T
- Teaneck Kp 7
- Ten Mile Run Kp 7.1
- Tenafly Kp 7
- Tinton Falls Kp 7.1
- Toms River Kp 7.2
- Totowa Kp 7
- Trenton Kp 7.1
- Tuckerton Kp 7.2
- Turnersville Kp 7.2
- Twin Rivers Kp 7.1
U
- Union Kp 7
- Union Beach Kp 7.1
- Union City Kp 7
- Upper Montclair Kp 7
- Upper Pohatcong Kp 7
- Upper Saddle River Kp 6.9
V
- Ventnor City Kp 7.3
- Vernon Center Kp 6.9
- Vernon Valley Kp 6.9
- Verona Kp 7
- Victory Gardens Kp 7
- Victory Lakes Kp 7.2
- Vienna Kp 7
- Villas Kp 7.4
- Vincentown Kp 7.2
- Vineland Kp 7.3
- Vista Center Kp 7.1
- Voorhees Kp 7.1
W
- Waldwick Kp 7
- Wallington Kp 7
- Wanamassa Kp 7.1
- Wanaque Kp 7
- Waretown Kp 7.2
- Warren Township Kp 7
- Washington Kp 7
- Watchung Kp 7
- Wayne Kp 7
- Weehawken Kp 7
- Wenonah Kp 7.2
- West Belmar Kp 7.1
- West Caldwell Kp 7
- West Cape May Kp 7.4
- West Freehold Kp 7.1
- West Long Branch Kp 7.1
- West Milford Kp 6.9
- West New York Kp 7
- West Orange Kp 7
- West Wildwood Kp 7.4
- Westfield Kp 7
- Weston Kp 7.1
- Westville Kp 7
- Westville Kp 7.2
- Westwood Kp 7
- Wharton Kp 7
- Whippany Kp 7
- White Horse Kp 7.1
- White Meadow Lake Kp 7
- Whitehouse Station Kp 7
- Whitesboro Kp 7.4
- Whitesboro-Burleigh Kp 7.4
- Whittingham Kp 7.1
- Wildwood Kp 7.4
- Wildwood Crest Kp 7.4
- Williamstown Kp 7.2
- Willingboro Kp 7.2
- Winfield Kp 7
- Wood-Lynne Kp 7.2
- Wood-Ridge Kp 7
- Woodbine Kp 7.3
- Woodbridge Kp 7
- Woodbury Kp 7.2
- Woodbury Heights Kp 7.2
- Woodcliff Lake Kp 7
- Woodland Park Kp 7
- Woodstown Kp 7.2
- Wrightstown Kp 7.2
- Wyckoff Kp 7
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00 | Quiet | 65° geomag. | 57°N | |
| 1.00 | 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 1.33 | Quiet | 64° geomag. | 56°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
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- 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, 12:00 UTC.