Northern lights in Wyoming tonight

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 6.6, which is 52 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, 71% lit, and up for part of the dark hours.

1. RanchesterSheridan County · population 940 · 52.2° geomagneticKp 6.6
2. DaytonSheridan County · population 804 · 52.2° geomagneticKp 6.6
3. SheridanSheridan County · population 17,873 · 52.1° geomagneticKp 6.6
4. CowleyBig Horn County · population 735 · 52.0° geomagneticKp 6.6
5. LovellBig Horn County · population 2,422 · 52.0° geomagneticKp 6.6
6. SundanceCrook County · population 1,272 · 52.0° geomagneticKp 6.6
7. ByronBig Horn County · population 617 · 52.0° geomagneticKp 6.6
8. StorySheridan County · population 828 · 51.9° geomagneticKp 6.6
9. Pine HavenCrook County · population 519 · 51.9° geomagneticKp 6.6
10. PowellPark County · population 6,462 · 51.9° geomagneticKp 6.6
11. MoorcroftCrook County · population 1,062 · 51.8° geomagneticKp 6.6
12. GilletteCampbell County · population 32,649 · 51.8° geomagneticKp 6.6
13. Sleepy HollowCampbell County · population 1,308 · 51.7° geomagneticKp 6.7
14. Antelope Valley-CrestviewCampbell County · population 1,658 · 51.7° geomagneticKp 6.7
15. BuffaloJohnson County · population 4,632 · 51.7° geomagneticKp 6.7
16. GreybullBig Horn County · population 1,879 · 51.7° geomagneticKp 6.7
17. UptonWeston County · population 1,109 · 51.7° geomagneticKp 6.7
18. CodyPark County · population 9,792 · 51.6° geomagneticKp 6.7
19. BasinBig Horn County · population 1,305 · 51.6° geomagneticKp 6.7
20. NewcastleWeston County · population 3,534 · 51.5° geomagneticKp 6.7
21. Washakie TenWashakie County · population 619 · 51.3° geomagneticKp 6.7
22. WorlandWashakie County · population 5,372 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
23. WrightCampbell County · population 1,862 · 51.2° geomagneticKp 6.8
24. LucerneHot Springs County · population 535 · 50.9° geomagneticKp 6.8

A

• Afton Kp 7.1
• Alpine Kp 7
• Antelope Valley-Crestview Kp 6.7
• Arapahoe Kp 7

B

• Bar Nunn Kp 6.9
• Basin Kp 6.7
• Bear River Kp 7.3
• Big Piney Kp 7.1
• Buffalo Kp 6.7
• Byron Kp 6.6

C

• Casper Kp 6.9
• Cheyenne Kp 7.3
• Clearview Acres Kp 7.3
• Cody Kp 6.7
• Cokeville Kp 7.2
• Cowley Kp 6.6

D

• Dayton Kp 6.6
• Diamondville Kp 7.2
• Douglas Kp 6.9
• Dubois Kp 6.9

E

• Ethete Kp 7
• Evanston Kp 7.4
• Evansville Kp 6.9

F

• Fort Washakie Kp 7
• Fox Farm-College Kp 7.3

G

• Gillette Kp 6.6
• Glenrock Kp 6.9
• Green River Kp 7.3
• Greybull Kp 6.7
• Guernsey Kp 7

H

• Hanna Kp 7.1
• Hartrandt Kp 6.9
• Hoback Kp 7

J

• Jackson Kp 6.9
• James Town Kp 7.3

K

• Kemmerer Kp 7.2

L

• La Barge Kp 7.1
• Lander Kp 7
• Laramie Kp 7.2
• Lovell Kp 6.6
• Lucerne Kp 6.8
• Lusk Kp 6.9
• Lyman Kp 7.3

M

• Marbleton Kp 7.1
• Mills Kp 7
• Moorcroft Kp 6.6
• Moose Wilson Road Kp 6.9
• Mountain View Kp 7.3

N

• Newcastle Kp 6.7
• North Rock Springs Kp 7.2

P

• Pine Bluffs Kp 7.2
• Pine Haven Kp 6.6
• Pinedale Kp 7
• Powell Kp 6.6
• Purple Sage Kp 7.3

R

• Rafter J Ranch Kp 6.9
• Ranchester Kp 6.6
• Ranchettes Kp 7.2
• Rawlins Kp 7.2
• Reliance Kp 7.2
• Riverton Kp 7
• Rock Springs Kp 7.3

S

• Saratoga Kp 7.2
• Sheridan Kp 6.6
• Shoshoni Kp 6.9
• Sleepy Hollow Kp 6.7
• South Greeley Kp 7.3
• South Park Kp 6.9
• Star Valley Ranch Kp 7
• Story Kp 6.6
• Sundance Kp 6.6

T

• Thermopolis Kp 6.8
• Torrington Kp 7.1

U

• Upton Kp 6.7

V

• Vista West Kp 6.9

W

• Washakie Ten Kp 6.7
• Wheatland Kp 7.1
• Wilson Kp 6.9
• Worland Kp 6.8
• Wright Kp 6.8

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.

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.

• 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 Jersey
• New York
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Dakota
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin

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.

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, 09:48 UTC.

Aurora forecastBy countryLive radar