Seattle · Washington, United States

Northern lights tonight in Seattle

Are the northern lights visible tonight from Seattle?

Wait for a real gap in the clouds.

Cloud or rain at the NOAA forecast time blocks a useful local check, even if activity is modeled above it.

Astronomical darkness
Dark now · dark at 6 Nov, 19:56
Local modeled activity
0 · NOAA grid indicator, not a visibility %
Cloud at NOAA forecast time
99%

Local visibility probability: not rated. Nearby activity is conditional, not a guaranteed display; exceptionally bright aurora may show through twilight.

Open aurora tool for this position

Seattle city reference, not the whole metropolitan area. Calculated 6 Nov, 19:05 local. NOAA forecast valid 6 Nov, 19:56 local; darkness and clouds are assessed at that time.

Calculation details, times & sources

City reference: 47.60621°, -122.33207° · America/Los_Angeles. This is one position, not a forecast for the entire metropolitan area.

Current local time: 6 Nov, 19:05 · astronomically dark.

Calculated for local · 2026-11-07T03:05:00.000Z.

Weather basis: Live forecast in use · coverage through 16 Nov, 04:00.

NOAA activity fetched 2026-11-07T03:06:17.395Z · latest Kp sample 2026-11-07T00:00:00 UTC. OVATION observation 2026-11-07T02:57:00Z · forecast valid at 2026-11-07T03:56:00Z. Current activity is not a promise for the whole night, tomorrow or the weekend. Bz and solar-wind source timestamps are not supplied by the existing data adapter.

What supports this assessment

Current Kp
3.0
Local OVATION indicator
0 · nearest grid point 50 km away; not a personal viewing percentage
Maximum indicator within 1,000 km
5 · 932 km away; distant viewing conditional
Forecast-time darkness
Astronomically dark
Forecast-time clouds
99% · matching forecast hour
Bz
1.0 nT · fetched with this snapshot
Solar wind
443 km/s · fetched with this snapshot
Night cloud average
88%
Astronomical darkness begins
6 Nov, 18:29
Astronomical darkness ends
7 Nov, 05:17
Moon illumination
5% · context, not an aurora score input

NOAA OVATION supplies the geographic activity grid for both hemispheres. Indicators are not personal viewing probabilities. NOAA says bright aurora may be visible up to 1,000 km away under suitable conditions; the nearby maximum is conditional context, not a guarantee. SnapCosmos accepts observations up to two hours old and targets no more than 20 minutes past or 90 minutes ahead. Moonlight remains separate context; no new scoring input is introduced.

Full assessment basis: The forecast-time sky is 99% cloud-covered. Modeled aurora above the clouds is not a reason to make an observing trip. Darkness boundaries are astronomical geometry, not a promise of aurora activity during those hours.

Northern lights in Seattle: What you should know

Summer darkness comes late

The University of Washington's Jacobsen Observatory notes that summer observing in Seattle begins late, once skies are clear and dark. Its public programme runs April–September. A clock time that works in winter is not a reliable summer observing instruction; use the calculated darkness boundaries below.

Source: University of Washington — Jacobsen Observatory

Farther north is not the same as beneath the oval

Seattle's 47.61° north reference is geographically farther north than Chicago, but NOAA's aurora guidance uses magnetic geography and storm strength. NOAA OVATION models geographic activity; its indicator is not a personal viewing probability. A strong reading still needs a dark sky and an actual gap in Seattle's cloud cover.

Source: NOAA aurora viewing guidance

Coordinates and IANA time zone: Open-Meteo geocoding / GeoNames, checked 25 October 2026. Local clocks follow the named time zone, including applicable clock changes.