Tonight
Oct 28 - Oct 29
- 7 °C
89 percent cloud cover - 7 °C93 percent cloud cover
- 7 °C100 percent cloud cover
Northern Lights Forecast for Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
49°16′57.7″N ⋅ 123°7′14.5″W
Aurora data last updated at
Current local time:
Can you see the Northern Lights in Vancouver tonight?
No significant aurora activity is expected in Vancouver over the next 24 hours. Sky will be dark from 7:07 PM to 6:45 AM local time. Cloud cover around that time looks mostly cloudy at around 70%.
Aurora Forecast for Vancouver
Today at 11:00 AM
No activity
Cloud Cover:61%
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Hourly aurora forecast for Vancouver
| Local time | Aurora activity |
|---|---|
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity |
3-Night Weather Forecast for Vancouver
%22%3E%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22currentColor%22%20d%3D%22M12.262%2045.52h29.086c7.43%200%2013.172-5.626%2013.172-12.82c0-7.29-6-12.75-13.946-12.68c-3-6.047-8.507-9.54-15-9.54c-8.648%200-15.937%206.82-16.617%2015.563c-4.547%201.242-7.477%205.063-7.477%209.68c0%205.812%204.36%209.797%2010.782%209.797%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E){kind=small}
Tomorrow night
Oct 29 - Oct 30
- 7 °C
100 percent cloud cover - 7 °C100 percent cloud cover
- 7 °C82 percent cloud cover
Friday night
Oct 30 - Oct 31
- 7 °C
34 percent cloud cover - 7 °C19 percent cloud cover
- 6 °C
62 percent cloud cover
Sun & Moon
Sunset
Sunrise
Dark from 07:07 PM to 06:45 AM (11 h 38 min)
Current Moon
Waning Gibbous
91% illumination
Refresh to load today's sun path.
Long-Term Aurora Forecast for Vancouver
| 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 Vancouver
The nights in Vancouver are dark all year. The aurora is rare in Vancouver: 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 Vancouver, January at the top: how long it's dark, and the chance of aurora on a clear night.
Northern Lights in Vancouver
Vancouver sits at 49°N on the Pacific coast of British Columbia. The aurora here is rare. It takes a G2 moderate storm for anything to reach the Lower Mainland, and what arrives is usually a glow or a low arc in the north. From November to January the city gets only about a fifth of the possible sunshine.
The North Shore Mountains across Burrard Inlet
The mountains rise straight across the inlet to 1,200 to 1,450 m, so from downtown and the North Shore the low northern sky is behind them. On a weak night the aurora has been spotted from Coal Harbour just above the mountains, barely visible to the eye, though a phone in night mode picks up more. In the very strongest storms, on a clear night, it has been overhead and photographed across the city. See how to photograph the aurora with an iPhone.
The Cypress Mountain lookout faces south over the city, the wrong way.
Spanish Banks, Iona Beach and Boundary Bay
- Spanish Banks and Locarno Beach, on the west side, give a wide low horizon north across English Bay. The west end by Pacific Spirit Park is darkest.
- Iona Beach in Richmond, beside the airport, has a jetty running nearly 4 km into the Strait of Georgia and a low horizon over the water. The park gates close in the evening at set seasonal hours.
- Boundary Bay in Delta has a low horizon in every direction and a long unlit dyke.
Porteau Cove, Pitt Lake and McDonald Park
Porteau Cove Provincial Park, 38 km north on the Sea-to-Sky Highway, looks straight up Howe Sound to the north. Parking is limited, the day-use area closes at 11 pm, and BC Parks does not allow campground access for aurora watching.
Pitt Lake and Grant Narrows in Pitt Meadows, about 40 km east of downtown, are dark and quiet. The nearest dark-sky site is McDonald Park in Abbotsford, a Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Dark Sky Preserve about 70 km east in the Fraser Valley.
FAQ
Can you see the northern lights from Vancouver?
Rarely, and winter cloud takes many of the chances. It needs a moderate storm or stronger, and most of the time it is a glow low in the north, not something overhead. In the very strongest storms, on a clear night, the aurora has been overhead and photographed across the city.
Does Porteau Cove stay open late enough for the northern lights?
Only until 11 pm. The provincial park is 38 km north of the city on the Sea-to-Sky Highway, and from the shore you look straight up Howe Sound to the north with no city in the way. Parking is limited, the day-use area closes at 11 pm, and BC Parks does not allow campground access for aurora watching, so have a second option such as Spanish Banks or Iona Beach.
Why are the northern lights so hard to see from downtown Vancouver?
Three things. The North Shore Mountains rise to 1,200 to 1,450 m straight across Burrard Inlet, so the low northern sky where a faint aurora sits is behind them. The city glow washes out anything weak. And from November to March most days bring rain or cloud. On a weak night the aurora has been spotted from Coal Harbour just above the mountains, barely visible to the eye.
Where is the nearest dark sky park to Vancouver?
McDonald Park in Abbotsford, about 70 km east in the Fraser Valley, is a Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Dark Sky Preserve. For a quicker dark horizon from the city, Pitt Lake and Grant Narrows in Pitt Meadows are about 40 km east of downtown, and Boundary Bay in Delta has a low horizon in every direction.
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Vancouver?
The nights in Vancouver are dark all year. The aurora is rare in Vancouver: 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 Vancouver in summer?
Yes. The nights in Vancouver 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 Vancouver?
In Vancouver, 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 around 1.6. That is below the usual Kp index threshold for Vancouver, so seeing the aurora is unlikely.