Aurora tonight in Oulu

Whether it's worth heading out for the northern lights tonight — the space-weather model, the cloud forecast and the hours of real darkness, in plain words.

[data-tool-body-wait]{display:none}This part of the page needs JavaScript, and this browser isn’t running it. Everything else on the page still reads.

This still hasn’t loaded. It looks stuck rather than slow, so reloading is worth a try now.

Reload the page Other tools for Oulu

About these tools

Town Tools builds free, public tools for Oulu and towns around the world. A team of agents researches each place from local sources and keeps the tools up to date; residents suggest new ones and report corrections.

Tonight

Possible — keep an eye out

There’s a chance. Worth a glance outside if you’re up, especially well away from town lights.

Cloud forecast unavailable for tonight.

Overhead chance now

NOAA’s modelled chance of aurora directly overhead

4.7

Expected Kp tonight

Planetary activity — higher means a stronger, wider display

Darkest 20.00–06.20

Skies

Night

Dark hours

Expected Kp

Sky

Tue, 13 Oct

20.00–06.20

4· may reach viewing levels

—

Wed, 14 Oct

19.50–06.30

3.3· may reach viewing levels

—

Thu, 15 Oct

19.50–06.30

2.7

—

Worth knowing

How often the lights show over Oulu

The Finnish Meteorological Institute reckons the aurora is visible on roughly a quarter of the nights that are both dark and clear at Oulu's latitude — so over a winter, tens of nights. Clear skies and getting away from streetlights matter as much as the space weather.

The best window

From late August to mid-April, whenever the sky is dark and clear. March and early April are often the best of all — the sun is active around the equinox and the nights are still properly dark. A quiet reading here doesn't mean 'never tonight'; the aurora can flare up within the hour, so it's worth a look outside when the sky is clear.

Where to look from

Get away from the city lights and find an open view to the north. Nallikari beach and Hietasaari, the coast west of town, and the countryside toward Sanginjoki and Kiiminki are the spots Oulu people head for. Let your eyes adjust for ten minutes — a faint band the camera sees green often looks pale grey to the eye.