Northern Lights Forecast for Edmonton

Yes, more readily than from Calgary or Vancouver, because Edmonton is further north. On a moderate storm night an arc shows low in the north from the outskirts, and on big nights it has been photographed from downtown. For anything fainter, drive about 50 km east to Elk Island National Park, which is inside the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve.

Sign up for AuroraWatch.ca, run by the University of Alberta's physics department. It watches a magnetometer just outside Edmonton and emails a yellow alert when the probability of aurora is more than 50%, or a red alert when it is more than 70%. Because it reads the local magnetic field rather than a global forecast, it tells you what is happening over Edmonton right now.

Yes, with a check first. The park is about 50 km east of downtown Edmonton on the Yellowhead Highway, open around the clock all year (park fees apply), and it sits inside the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve, designated in 2006. The Astotin Lake area is one of its listed viewing areas. Parks Canada posts temporary area closures for wildlife, so check the park's bulletins before you go, and drive slowly at night because bison roam freely.

Yes. Edmonton is at 53.5°N and Calgary at 51°N, 280 km further south. That difference means a storm that only gives Calgary a glow on the horizon can put an arc well up the sky over Edmonton, and a moderate storm is enough for a good show from the edge of the city. The aurora is still not a nightly event in Edmonton, but it takes less to see it.

The nights in Edmonton are dark all year. Your best chances are in September and October, and again in March, when the aurora shows on some clear nights. The longest nights, around 21 December, have about 14 hours of darkness.

Yes. The nights in Edmonton are dark all year, so the aurora can show in summer too when it reaches this far south.

In Edmonton, you usually need at least Kp 4 to have a reasonable chance of seeing the northern lights. Lower Kp can still bring a faint aurora display low on the northern horizon, but it is less common.

This is based on magnetic latitude, and Kp index is a global geomagnetic index, so treat it as a rule of thumb, not a location-specific guarantee.

Tonight, the NOAA Kp index forecast is 1.3 to 1.7. That is below the usual Kp index threshold for Edmonton, so seeing the aurora is unlikely.