Aurora forecast Finland – can you see the northern lights tonight?

See whether auroras are unlikely, possible or likely right now where you are in Finland. The tool combines the Finnish Meteorological Institute's magnetic field measurements with cloud cover and darkness, and it updates every five minutes.

Pick a place or use your location. The tool takes the R index from the nearest FMI magnetometer station and compares it with the station's two thresholds: above the lower one there is about a 50% chance of faint auroras, above the upper one about a 50% chance of bright or widespread auroras. You also see the cloud cover now, when it is dark tonight and the next three nights: the FMI outlook, the NOAA Kp forecast and hourly cloud cover. The station list shows the whole country from Kevo in the far north to Tartu in Estonia, each with its last 24 hours.

When can you see the northern lights in southern Finland?

In Lapland auroras are common even when space weather is calm. Further south you need more activity: according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, auroras are often seen in southern Finland when the Kp index is 5 or more, which means a geomagnetic storm. You need a dark, clear sky, and auroras are statistically most likely around midnight and a couple of hours either side. Look north, away from street lights. Sources: Finnish Meteorological Institute, NOAA SWPC, Open-Meteo.