How Far South Can You See the Northern Lights?

In a normal week, the aurora stays near Canada and Alaska. In a rare, extreme storm, it can be photographed from the southern US. The difference comes down to storm strength and your magnetic latitude.

Kp sets the size of the auroral oval

The aurora forms a ring around the magnetic pole called the auroral oval. The Kp index, a scale from 0 to 9, measures geomagnetic activity. As Kp rises, the oval grows wider and pushes toward the equator.

• Kp 0-3: the oval stays mostly over Alaska, northern Canada and the Arctic.
• Kp 4-5: it can reach southern Canada and the northern edge of the US.
• Kp 6-7: it can be seen across many northern and some central states.
• Kp 8-9: rare storms, when aurora may reach far into the southern US.

These are rough guides. Read Kp index explained for how the scale works.

Why geomagnetic latitude matters

Earth's magnetic poles are not at the geographic poles. The north geomagnetic pole sits over the Arctic north of Canada, closer to North America than to Europe or Asia.

That means North America is closer to the auroral oval than other places at the same latitude. Minnesota is farther south on a globe than London, yet it is closer to the geomagnetic pole. So it usually needs a lower Kp to see the aurora.

This is why the Kp needed differs by state. Places in the Northeast, the Great Lakes and the northern Plains sit at a higher geomagnetic latitude than places at a similar latitude in the Pacific Northwest, so they often need a lower Kp. Our state pages list the typical Kp for each state.

You see the aurora from far away

The aurora is high, often 60 to 250 miles up. So you do not need it overhead. A display above Canada can appear as a glow low on the northern horizon from hundreds of miles south.

This is also why people at lower latitudes often see the top of the aurora first, which is usually red. Our guide to aurora colors explains why.

The 2024 storms: what happened

May 10-11, 2024. A series of CMEs produced a G5 storm, the highest level on NOAA's scale, with Kp reaching 9. It was the strongest geomagnetic storm in about two decades. Aurora was reported and photographed across the US, including Florida, Texas and California, and in many other countries at mid-latitudes.

October 10-11, 2024. A G4 storm brought aurora far south again. Many people across the US saw it or caught it on a phone camera, often for the first time.

Storms of G4 or G5 strength are uncommon, even in the busiest years of the solar cycle.

Camera vs eye at low latitudes

Far from the oval, the aurora is often too faint to show color to the eye. It may look like a pale glow or a grey haze in the north.

A phone or camera on a long exposure picks up much more. Many people in the southern US saw clear pink and red in photos while the sky looked only faintly tinted in person. See northern lights pictures with a phone for settings.

How to check your chances tonight

1. Look up the typical Kp for your state on the northern lights by state page.
2. Compare it with the 3-day forecast and the live Kp.
3. Check the aurora map to see where the oval sits now.
4. Find a dark spot with a clear view of the northern horizon.

Even when the numbers line up, clouds, moonlight and local light pollution can still hide the aurora.

Questions people ask