Tonight
Oct 28 - Oct 29
- 3 °C
4 percent cloud cover - 2 °C6 percent cloud cover
- 3 °C
88 percent cloud cover
Northern Lights Forecast for St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
47°33′41.4″N ⋅ 52°42′45.4″W
Aurora data last updated at
Current local time:
Can you see the Northern Lights in St. John's tonight?
No significant aurora activity is expected in St. John's over the next 24 hours. Sky will be dark from 6:57 PM to 6:32 AM local time. Cloud cover around that time looks mostly cloudy at around 60%.
Aurora Forecast for St. John's
Today at 3:30 PM
No activity
Cloud Cover:59%
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Hourly aurora forecast for St. John's
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3-Night Weather Forecast for St. John's
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Tomorrow night
Oct 29 - Oct 30
- 6 °C
55 percent cloud cover - 7 °C45 percent cloud cover
- 7 °C73 percent cloud cover
Friday night
Oct 30 - Oct 31
- 9 °C
100 percent cloud cover - 9 °C100 percent cloud cover
- 9 °C100 percent cloud cover
Sun & Moon
Sunset
Sunrise
Dark from 06:57 PM to 06:32 AM (11 h 35 min)
Current Moon
Waning Gibbous
91% illumination
Refresh to load today's sun path.
Long-Term Aurora Forecast for St. John's
| 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. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 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 St. John's
The nights in St. John's are dark all year. But the aurora rarely reaches this far south: only in strong storms, which can come in any month.
- 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 St. John's, January at the top: how long it's dark, and the chance of aurora on a clear night.
Northern Lights in St. John’s
St. John’s is the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada’s easternmost city, at 47.6°N on the north-east corner of the Avalon Peninsula. The aurora needs a G1 minor geomagnetic storm or stronger to show over the northern horizon here. VOCM has described it as a rare sight on the island, especially around St. John’s. The weather is the bigger obstacle: of Canada’s major cities, St. John’s is the foggiest, with fog on about 124 days a year.
Fog and the clearer months
Clear nights are likelier from late summer into October. September averages 45% of its possible sunshine, December and January less than a quarter. When a strong storm lines up with a clear night the aurora has shown red and green across the province, and where it is hard to make out, a phone in night mode picks up the colour. See how to photograph the aurora with an iPhone.
Signal Hill and Cape Spear face south and east
The grounds of Signal Hill are open all year, a few minutes up Signal Hill Road from downtown. The view from Cabot Tower over the Narrows faces south. For the aurora, look the other way, north over Quidi Vidi and the sea.
Cape Spear, the easternmost point of North America outside Greenland, is about 12 km from downtown and looks east. North from there is over water, with the city’s glow off to the north-west.
The shore north to Cape St. Francis
The shore north of the city gets darker as the towns get smaller. Torbay is 12 km north and Pouch Cove 27 km. Beyond them, about 33 km from downtown at the end of a gravel road, Cape St. Francis marks the mouth of Conception Bay, with open sea to the north.
The nearest designated dark sky is Terra Nova National Park, a Dark-Sky Preserve since 2018, about 250 km north-west on the Trans-Canada Highway.
FAQ
Can you see the northern lights from St. John's?
Yes, but rarely, and only on strong nights. VOCM has described the aurora as a rare sight on the island and around St. John's. In a strong geomagnetic storm it has shown in red and green across Newfoundland and Labrador. Many people saw more of it on their phones than with their own eyes: where it was hard to make out, night mode photos showed the colour.
Why is it so hard to see the northern lights in St. John's?
Mostly the weather. St. John's is the foggiest major city in Canada, with fog on about 124 days a year, and cloud is common on top of that. Clear nights are likelier in September and October than in December and January, when the city gets less than a quarter of its possible sunshine.
Can you see the northern lights from Signal Hill?
On a strong night, yes, and the grounds of the national historic site are open all year. Keep in mind that the view from Cabot Tower, over the Narrows, faces south. The aurora will be on the other side of the hill, to the north over Quidi Vidi and the open Atlantic, with the city's lights off to your left.
Is there a dark sky preserve near St. John's?
The nearest is Terra Nova National Park, recognised by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada as a Dark-Sky Preserve in 2018. It is about 250 km north-west of St. John's and 60 km south-east of Gander, and the Trans-Canada Highway runs through it. Closer to the city, the small towns along the shore north to Pouch Cove and the headland at Cape St. Francis, under an hour's drive, are far less built up than St. John's.
When is the best time to see the northern lights in St. John's?
The nights in St. John's are dark all year. But the aurora rarely reaches this far south: only in strong storms, which can come in any month. The longest nights, around 21 December, have about 13 hours of darkness.
Can you see the northern lights in St. John's in summer?
Yes. The nights in St. John's 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 St. John's?
In St. John's, you usually need at least Kp 5 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 St. John's, so seeing the aurora is unlikely.