Tonight
Oct 28 - Oct 29
- 5 °C
2 percent cloud cover - 5 °C0 percent cloud cover
- 4 °C0 percent cloud cover
Northern Lights Forecast for Montreal
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
45°30′6.1″N ⋅ 73°34′2.3″W
Aurora data last updated at
Current local time:
Can you see the Northern Lights in Montreal tonight?
No significant aurora activity is expected in Montreal over the next 24 hours. Sky will be dark from 6:52 PM to 6:24 AM local time. Cloud cover around that time looks overcast at around 100%.
Aurora Forecast for Montreal
Today at 2:00 PM
No activity
Cloud Cover:100%
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Hourly aurora forecast for Montreal
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3-Night Weather Forecast for Montreal
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Tomorrow night
Oct 29 - Oct 30
- 14 °C
91 percent cloud cover - 12 °C
34 percent cloud cover - 11 °C
46 percent cloud cover
Friday night
Oct 30 - Oct 31
- 8 °C96 percent cloud cover
- 7 °C34 percent cloud cover
- 6 °C13 percent cloud cover
Sun & Moon
Sunset
Sunrise
Dark from 06:52 PM to 06:24 AM (11 h 32 min)
Current Moon
Waning Gibbous
91% illumination
Refresh to load today's sun path.
Long-Term Aurora Forecast for Montreal
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wednesday, October 28, 2026. Today. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 92% illumination | Thursday, October 29, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 85% illumination | Friday, October 30, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 76% illumination | Saturday, October 31, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Last quarter, 65% illumination | Sunday, November 1, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Last quarter, 54% illumination | ||
Monday, November 2, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Last quarter, 43% illumination | Tuesday, November 3, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Last quarter, 32% illumination | Wednesday, November 4, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning crescent, 23% illumination | Thursday, November 5, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning crescent, 14% illumination | Friday, November 6, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waning crescent, 8% illumination | Saturday, November 7, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. New moon, 3% illumination | Sunday, November 8, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. New moon, 1% illumination |
Monday, November 9, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. New moon, 0% illumination | Tuesday, November 10, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. New moon, 2% illumination | Wednesday, November 11, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 5% illumination | Thursday, November 12, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 10% illumination | Friday, November 13, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 16% illumination | Saturday, November 14, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 23% illumination | Sunday, November 15, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 32% illumination |
Monday, November 16, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 41% illumination | Tuesday, November 17, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 50% illumination | Wednesday, November 18, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 60% illumination | Thursday, November 19, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 70% illumination | Friday, November 20, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 79% illumination | Saturday, November 21, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 87% illumination | Sunday, November 22, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 94% illumination |
Monday, November 23, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Full moon, 98% illumination | Tuesday, November 24, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Full moon, 100% illumination |
LowAurora ActivityHigh
Best Time to See the Northern Lights in Montreal
The nights in Montreal are dark all year. The aurora is rare in Montreal: your best chances are in October.
- Dark hours
- Chance of aurora
Long-term averages for clear nights, since 1985. Geomagnetic data: GFZ, CC BY 4.0
Every night of 2026 in Montreal, January at the top: how long it's dark, and the chance of aurora on a clear night.
Northern Lights in Montreal
Montreal covers most of an island in the St. Lawrence at 45.5°N, in southern Quebec about 250 km upriver from Quebec City. Here the aurora is a rare event. A faint glow low in the north can turn up with a smaller storm, but a display you would notice needs about a G2 moderate geomagnetic storm, and the island’s own light takes a lot of it away.
Île-Perrot, Lachine and the South Shore
On the strongest nights the aurora has been visible across the island, though the light pollution leaves the colours faint. People have photographed it from Île-Perrot, just off the west end, and from Lachine, the east end of Montreal and beside Montmorency metro station in Laval. The Canadian Space Agency has filmed a timelapse of it from Boucherville on the South Shore.
On the island the eye gets little, and a phone in night mode picks up more. See how to photograph the aurora with an iPhone.
Saint-Colomban, Mont-Tremblant and Oka
North-west of the island, the Laurentians get darker the further you drive. Saint-Colomban is about 50 km away, and people there have seen strong colour in the big storms. Mont-Tremblant is about 130 km by Autoroute 15 and Route 117, and the Parc national du Mont-Tremblant beyond it has more than 400 lakes, where a shoreline gives you a horizon clear of trees.
Parc national d’Oka, 40 km west, is less useful than it looks. It lies on the north shore of Lac des Deux Montagnes, so the beach looks south across the water.
Mont-Mégantic, east of Sherbrooke
Near the US border, the Parc national du Mont-Mégantic was recognised in 2007 as the first International Dark Sky Reserve in the world. The ASTROLab at the foot of the mountain runs astronomy evenings. It is two and a half to three hours’ drive from Montreal.
FAQ
Can you see the northern lights from the island of Montreal?
Only in strong storms, and faintly. On the strongest nights the aurora has been visible across the island, and photos have come from Lachine, the east end and beside Montmorency metro station in Laval, but light pollution leaves the colours faint. Further north, people in Saint-Colomban in the Laurentians have seen strong colour.
Is there a dark sky reserve near Montreal?
Yes, the Mont-Mégantic International Dark Sky Reserve, east of Sherbrooke near the US border, two and a half to three hours' drive away. It was recognised in 2007 as the first reserve of its kind in the world, after the region worked to cut its light pollution. Closer to Montreal, the Laurentians to the north-west are darker than the island, with Saint-Colomban about an hour away and Mont-Tremblant about 130 km by road.
Does the beach at Parc national d'Oka face the right way for the northern lights?
No. Oka is only about 40 km west of downtown Montreal, but the park sits on the north shore of Lac des Deux Montagnes, so the open view is south across the lake. The aurora seen from southern Quebec is usually low in the northern sky. For that you want somewhere with an open view north, such as a lake shore in the Laurentians.
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Montreal?
The nights in Montreal are dark all year. The aurora is rare in Montreal: your best chances are in October. The longest nights, around 21 December, have about 13 hours of darkness.
Can you see the northern lights in Montreal in summer?
Yes. The nights in Montreal are dark all year, so the aurora can show in summer too when it reaches this far south.
What Kp index do I need to see the northern lights in Montreal?
In Montreal, you usually need at least Kp 6 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 Montreal, so seeing the aurora is unlikely.