Aurora forecast for Norway

Northern lights forecast for Norway tonight

Will you see the northern lights in Norway tonight? Check the chance, cloud cover and best time for Tromsø (Tromso), Lofoten, Alta, Senja, Nordkapp and the other places we cover, updated about every 30 minutes.

Norway right now

Best chance tonight: Nordkapp, 60 out of 100. 8 of 8 places in northern Norway look promising, none south of the Arctic Circle.

Neither darkness, space weather nor cloud stands out as a clear limit tonight.

See the Nordkapp forecast (in Norwegian) →Updated 01:30Sources: NOAA/SWPC and MET Norway
God sjanseMuligLav sjanseLite sannsynligVeiledende. Kilder: NOAA/SWPC og MET Norway.

Tonight's chance, place by place

All 12 places, ranked. Each score combines aurora activity, location, cloud cover and darkness.

Nordkapp

Finnmark

Forecast page in Norwegian

60/100
Good

Nordkapp lies so far north that aurora can appear even at moderate activity — but the weather is harsh.

Senja

Troms

56/100
Possible

Senja is Norway's second-largest island — wild, mountainous and full of calm bays perfect for aurora.

Kirkenes

Finnmark

Forecast page in Norwegian

53/100
Possible

Kirkenes lies in the far east near the Russian and Finnish borders, with a stable winter climate.

Tromsø

Troms

49/100
Possible

Tromsø sits in the heart of the auroral oval and is one of the world's best places to see the northern lights.

Narvik

Nordland

Forecast page in Norwegian

49/100
Possible

Narvik has inland mountains, few people and frequent clear nights — strong conditions for aurora.

Alta

Finnmark

44/100
Possible

Alta is known as the 'aurora town' and has a long history as a centre for northern lights research.

Lofoten

Nordland

44/100
Possible

Lofoten combines dramatic peaks and ocean with strong aurora chances — one of Norway's most photogenic spots.

Bodø

Nordland

Forecast page in Norwegian

40/100
Possible

Bodø sits on the edge of the aurora oval and can have great nights when the clouds break up.

Trondheim

Trøndelag

Forecast page in Norwegian

16/100
Unlikely

Trondheim is south of the typical aurora oval, but strong activity can bring lights to the northern sky.

Oslo

Oslo

Forecast page in Norwegian

15/100
Unlikely

Oslo needs strong activity and clear skies to see aurora. It does happen, but rarely.

Stavanger

Rogaland

Forecast page in Norwegian

15/100
Unlikely

Stavanger is Norway's southernmost large city, and aurora is rare — but possible during strong storms.

Bergen

Vestland

Forecast page in Norwegian

14/100
Unlikely

Bergen is far south and often cloudy, but strong displays can be seen on occasion.

Frequently asked questions

Can I see the northern lights in Norway tonight?

It depends on three things at once: whether the sky gets dark enough, whether geomagnetic activity reaches your latitude, and whether clouds are in the way. The status box at the top of this page says which of the three is the limiting factor right now.

Where in Norway is the best place to see the northern lights?

Tromsø, Alta, Senja, Lofoten and Nordkapp sit inside the auroral oval and have the highest base chance. Which one is best on a given night usually comes down to cloud cover rather than latitude, so check the ranking on this page before you drive.

What time of night should I go out?

The window we forecast runs from 21:00 to 01:00 local time. Aurora can appear outside it, especially during strong activity, but that period is when darkness and typical activity overlap best.

How often is this forecast updated?

Geomagnetic data from NOAA/SWPC and cloud cover from MET Norway are refreshed about every 30 minutes. The timestamp in the status box shows when the underlying data was last published.

Forecasts are advisory and based on open data sources. The northern lights can never be guaranteed.