Alaska · United States
Can I see the northern lights in Alaska tonight?
The reference points below reach different assessments. Use the one nearest you, or set your exact position.
| Reference point | Assessment | Local modeled activity | Cloud at forecast time | Fully dark (current or next night) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utqiaġvik (Arctic coast) | Wait for darkness, then check a new forecast. | 10 · NOAA grid indicator | 100% | 19:43–06:40 |
| Fairbanks (Interior) | Wait for darkness, then check a new forecast. | 5 · NOAA grid indicator | 100% | 19:06–06:04 |
| Anchorage (Southcentral) | Wait for darkness, then check a new forecast. | 2 · NOAA grid indicator | 96% | 19:15–06:13 |
| Juneau (Southeast) | Wait for a real gap in the clouds. | 2 · NOAA grid indicator | 100% | 18:14–05:10 |
Indicators are NOAA OVATION grid values, not personal viewing probabilities. Each row is a separate calculation; none stands for the whole state. Darkness is astronomical darkness (Sun 18° below the horizon) in each point's local time.
Calculated local. NOAA forecast valid 6 Nov, 18:56 local; darkness and clouds are assessed at that time for each point.
The State of Alaska's travel guide says the northern lights can be seen anywhere in the state but are most often seen in the Interior and Arctic regions, with Southcentral, including Anchorage, as another base. That matches the order of the reference points above, from Utqiaġvik and Fairbanks to Anchorage and Juneau. Each row is assessed separately; for a single-city answer with Fairbanks detail, use the Fairbanks forecast page.
Source: Travel Alaska — Northern lights viewingThe aurora occurs all summer, but University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists note that bright summer skies make it invisible from about April until the nights darken again in August, and that there is a slight tendency for more aurora in spring and autumn than in summer and winter. The darkness column above shows, point by point, whether and when the sky is fully dark tonight.
Source: UAF Geophysical Institute — Fall auroraFor Fairbanks, the Geophysical Institute gives the best watching time as roughly 9 pm to 2 am, while aurora can appear at any time during the night, and notes that by mid-April the sky is too light. This page assesses each point at the NOAA forecast time, so check again closer to those hours.
Source: UAF Geophysical Institute — March, a month for the auroraReference coordinates: Utqiaġvik 71.291°, -156.789° · Fairbanks 64.838°, -147.716° · Anchorage 61.218°, -149.900° · Juneau 58.302°, -134.420° (America/Anchorage).
