Northern lights by US state and Canadian province: geomagnetic latitudes & Kp thresholds
State-by-state and regional aurora viewing guide across the United States and Canada. WMM2025 geomagnetic latitudes, required Kp thresholds for horizon vs. overhead aurora, IDA Dark Sky locations, and seasonal cloud cover.
Kp right now:3.67 (3-hour interval from 2026-10-31 21:00 UTC, snapshot at build time). Live dashboard
Data: NOAA SWPC planetary K-index (U.S. government work, public domain). Not an official forecast.
Why Michigan, Maine, Minnesota and Montana beat the Pacific Northwest at the same latitude
Why the magnetic pole's tilt helps the East and Midwest. When an aurora alert goes out, many people look only at a standard map. However, the northern lights circle Earth's magnetic pole, not the geographic North Pole. Today, the north magnetic dipole axis tilts toward eastern Canada (near 80.8°N, 72.7°W). [1][2]
Michigan beats Washington at the same map latitude. Because of that eastward tilt, magnetic latitudes dip 3 to 4 degrees farther south over the Great Lakes and New England than over the Pacific Northwest. Marquette, Michigan (46.5°N) sits at 56.1°N magnetic latitude—more than three degrees closer to the aurora ring than Seattle, Washington (47.6°N, 52.9°N magnetic). [1][3]
State-by-state & provincial geomagnetic latitude and Kp threshold table
How to read this table. At Kp 0, the southern edge of the aurora ring sits near 66.5° magnetic latitude. Every +1 step in Kp pushes the ring about 2 degrees farther south. Because green auroras glow 60 to 125 miles (100–200 km) up and red tops glow 125 to 250 miles (200–400 km) up, you can spot them on a dark northern horizon from 250+ miles (400 km) away. [2][3][4]
State / Province & reference hub
Geographic lat.
Geomagnetic lat. (WMM2025)
Min. Kp (northern horizon)
Min. Kp (overhead corona)
Premier dark-sky viewing sites (northern sightline)
Northwest Territories (Yellowknife, NT)
62.5°N
68.9°N
Kp 1
Kp 1–2
Ingraham Trail (Prelude & Prosperous Lakes), Great Slave Lake
Jasper Dark Sky Preserve (Pyramid Lake), Lake Minnewanka
North Dakota (Minot / Theodore Roosevelt NP)
48.2°N
56.8°N
Kp 3–4
Kp 5 (G1)
Lake Sakakawea north shore, Theodore Roosevelt NP
Minnesota — North Shore & Boundary Waters
46.8°N–48.6°N
56.2°N–58.0°N
Kp 3–4
Kp 5 (G1)
Voyageurs NP, Boundary Waters (IDA Sanctuary), Grand Marais
Michigan — Upper Peninsula & Mackinac
45.8°N–47.5°N
55.3°N–57.0°N
Kp 4
Kp 5–6 (G1–G2)
Keweenaw Dark Sky Park, Headlands International Dark Sky Park, Pictured Rocks
Maine — Aroostook, Katahdin & Acadia
44.3°N–46.9°N
53.7°N–56.2°N
Kp 4–5
Kp 6 (G2)
Katahdin Woods & Waters (IDA Sanctuary), Aroostook NWR, Schoodic Point
Wisconsin — Apostle Islands & Door County
45.0°N–46.9°N
54.5°N–56.4°N
Kp 4
Kp 5–6 (G1–G2)
Newport State Park (IDA Park), Meyers Beach (Lake Superior)
Montana — Glacier NP & Flathead Valley
48.5°N
55.4°N
Kp 4
Kp 5–6 (G1–G2)
Lake McDonald (Glacier NP IDA Park), Fort Peck Lake
Vermont, New Hampshire & Upstate New York
44.0°N–45.0°N
53.4°N–54.5°N
Kp 5 (G1)
Kp 6–7 (G2–G3)
Adirondack High Peaks, Lake Champlain north shore, Pittsburg NH
Washington & Northern Idaho
47.6°N–48.8°N
52.9°N–54.3°N
Kp 5 (G1)
Kp 6–7 (G2–G3)
Artist Point (Mt. Baker), North Cascades, Priest Lake ID
South Dakota & Wyoming
44.1°N–44.8°N
51.9°N–52.8°N
Kp 5 (G1)
Kp 7 (G3)
Badlands NP, Bighorn Mountains, Grand Teton north turnouts
Pennsylvania, Ohio & Indiana (Lake Erie shore)
41.5°N–42.2°N
51.0°N–51.8°N
Kp 5–6 (G1–G2)
Kp 7 (G3)
Cherry Springs State Park PA (IDA Gold), Presque Isle, Indiana Dunes
Oregon, Colorado & Utah
40.0°N–45.5°N
47.8°N–50.6°N
Kp 6 (G2)
Kp 7–8 (G3–G4)
Oregon Outback Dark Sky Sanctuary, Trail Ridge Rd CO, Antelope Island UT
Virginia, Maryland & Mid-Atlantic
37.5°N–39.5°N
47.0°N–49.0°N
Kp 6–7 (G2–G3)
Kp 8–9 (G4–G5)
Shenandoah NP (Skyline Drive overlooks), Blue Ridge Parkway, Assateague
California, Arizona, Texas & Southeast US
30.0°N–36.0°N
38.5°N–44.5°N
Kp 8–9 (G4–G5)
Kp 9 (G5)
McDonald Observatory TX, Joshua Tree CA, Flagstaff AZ (red high-altitude tops during G4–G5 superstorms)
Why North-facing Great Lakes shorelines are the contiguous US sweet spot
Wide-open water to the north. From the lower 48 states, most G1 to G3 aurora displays sit low—just 5° to 20° above the northern horizon. Trees, hills, or town lights to your north easily block that band of sky. The south shores of Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie give you 30 to 150 miles of flat, pitch-dark water looking straight north. [3][5]
Best months around the Great Lakes. In late November and December, cold air blowing over warm lake water creates lake-effect clouds. Late August through October and February through April usually bring clearer skies right around the spring and autumn equinox peaks. [5][6]
When to drive to a local dark-sky park vs. flying under the auroral oval
Driving locally vs. flying north. In the lower 48 states, you have to wait for a G3–G5 solar storm watch and react with 1 to 2 days' notice. If you want high nightly odds on a pre-booked vacation without needing a big storm, fly to a hub between 65° and 70° magnetic latitude. In North America, those hubs are Fairbanks (Alaska), Yellowknife (Northwest Territories), Whitehorse (Yukon), and Churchill (Manitoba). [4]
Compare vetted lodges. Browse all 38 vetted 3★+ dark-sky lodges and hotels (rated 4.3+/5) in our Where to stay & tour for the aurora directory.
Vetted 3★+ / 4.3+ North American aurora stays & guided chases
Why can Michigan and Maine see the northern lights at a lower Kp than Washington state?
Because Earth's north geomagnetic dipole pole tilts toward the eastern Canadian Arctic (~80.8°N, 72.7°W in WMM2025). That tilt pulls geomagnetic latitudes 3° to 4° further south over the Great Lakes and New England than over the Pacific Northwest at the same geographic latitude.
What Kp index is needed to see the northern lights in the northern tier of the contiguous US?
Along the northern border from Montana through North Dakota, northern Minnesota, Michigan's Upper Peninsula and northern Maine (~55°–58°N geomagnetic latitude), aurora can appear low on a dark northern horizon at Kp 3 to 4 and reach high overhead at Kp 5 to 6 (NOAA G1–G2).
Where in the United States is the aurora visible on normal nights without a geomagnetic storm?
Interior Alaska around Fairbanks (64.8°N geographic, ~65.4°N geomagnetic) sits directly beneath the standard auroral oval, so Kp 1–2 is sufficient for overhead displays whenever the sky is dark and clear between late August and April.
Grandin, M. et al. (2024). The Gannon Storm: citizen science observations during the geomagnetic superstorm of 10 May 2024. Geoscience Communication. doi:10.5194/gc-7-297-2024
Tom Kerss (Royal Observatory Greenwich) · ISBN 9780008465551
A practical field guide by astronomer Tom Kerss on where, when, and how to see the aurora. Covers magnetic latitudes, reading Kp and solar-wind apps, staying warm in the Arctic, and exact phone and camera settings.
Why this book matters to both sides
Gives hands-on forecasting and photography advice so you can capture faint red and green auroras that the human eye barely notices.
Plasma physicist Melanie Windridge travels across Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Canada, and Svalbard in search of the northern lights. Along the way, she explains in plain language why oxygen and nitrogen glow green, red, and pink.
Why this book matters to both sides
Connects the space physics of Earth's magnetic tail to real-world aurora chasing across the Arctic.
The Spinning Magnet: The Electromagnetic Force That Created the Modern World—and Could Destroy It
Alanna Mitchell · ISBN 9781101985182
Science journalist Alanna Mitchell visits the geophysicists studying Earth's molten iron core, the growing weak spot over the South Atlantic. The temporary magnetic flip 41,000 years ago. Explores what a future flip would do to satellites and power grids.
Why this book matters to both sides
Bridges both sides of the magnetic pole-shift debate by combining mainstream satellite data with an honest look at how a weak magnetic shield exposes modern technology to solar storms.
FTC affiliate disclosure: Book links above go to Bookshop.org (Affiliate ID 130218, shop Search for the Truth), which supports independent bookstores. If you buy through one of these links, Solar Evidence earns a 10% commission at no extra cost to you. All affiliate links carry rel="sponsored nofollow noopener". Every recommended title is verified in print and meets our 4.3+/5 reader or landmark scholarly reputation standard; commissions never influence our evidence labels. Affiliate policy.
Sources were checked on 2026-10-24. Text on this page is original. Quoted figures are attributed and linked to the source. General education only, not for safety or operational decisions. Disclaimer.