Tonight
Oct 28 - Oct 29
- 10 °C
100 percent cloud cover - 10 °C
100 percent cloud cover - 10 °C100 percent cloud cover
Northern Lights Forecast for Helsinki
Helsinki, Finland
60°10′10.2″N ⋅ 24°56′7.4″E
Aurora data last updated at
Current local time:
Can you see the Northern Lights in Helsinki tonight?
No significant aurora activity is expected in Helsinki over the next 24 hours. Sky will be dark from 18:05 to 06:01 local time. Cloud cover around that time looks overcast at around 100%.
Aurora Forecast for Helsinki
Today at 20:00
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 Helsinki
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3-Night Weather Forecast for Helsinki
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Tomorrow night
Oct 29 - Oct 30
- 11 °C94 percent cloud cover
- 11 °C100 percent cloud cover
- 10 °C
81 percent cloud cover
Friday night
Oct 30 - Oct 31
- 9 °C86 percent cloud cover
- 8 °C76 percent cloud cover
- 7 °C95 percent cloud cover
Sun & Moon
Sunset
Sunrise
Dark from 18:05 to 06:01 (11 h 56 min)
Current Moon
Waning Gibbous
91% illumination
Refresh to load today's sun path.
Long-Term Aurora Forecast for Helsinki
| 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. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 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. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 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. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. First quarter, 50% illumination | Wednesday, November 18, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 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 Helsinki
The aurora season in Helsinki runs from early August to early May, when the nights get dark. The aurora is rare in Helsinki: 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 Helsinki, January at the top: how long it's dark, and the chance of aurora on a clear night.
Northern Lights in Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital of Finland, spread over a peninsula and 315 islands on the Gulf of Finland at 60°N. The Finnish Meteorological Institute puts the aurora over Helsinki at about once a month in the dark part of the year, and adds that the city’s lights usually hide it. A faint glow or a red tint low in the north can appear with less, but anything that climbs above the rooftops takes about a G1 minor storm.
The sea is south, the aurora is north
The sea lies south of the city, and the aurora shows up in the north, over the suburbs. The open horizon from the shoreline parks faces away from it, and turning around to look north from them means looking back over lit streets. That is why people in Helsinki drive north or west on a storm night instead of going down to the shore.
Phone cameras in night mode pick up color the eye does not, so the sky can look gray to you while the photo comes out pink and green; the site’s guide to photographing the aurora with an iPhone covers the settings.
Driving out to Sipoonkorpi, Nuuksio or Porkkala
- Sipoonkorpi National Park, about 20 km north-east, is the closest national park to the capital, founded in 2011 across Helsinki, Vantaa and Sipoo. From its car parks the city glow is behind you.
- Nuuksio National Park, north-west of Helsinki and under 30 km from the center, spreads across Espoo, Kirkkonummi and Vihti, with the Haltia nature center at its edge.
- Porkkalanniemi, in Kirkkonummi nearly 40 km south-west of the city as the crow flies, is a long peninsula into the Gulf of Finland with the Pampskatan birdwatching point at its tip.
In strong storms the aurora has also been photographed from the Oittaa recreation area in Espoo, west of the city.
FAQ
Can you see the northern lights in Helsinki?
Only on strong nights. The Finnish Meteorological Institute reckons the aurora is over Helsinki about once a month in the dark months, but the city's lights usually hide it, and a normal display is a dim band in the north behind the rooftops. In strong storms it has been photographed from the Oittaa recreation area in Espoo, west of the city. For anything less, drive out to Sipoonkorpi, Nuuksio or Porkkalanniemi.
Where is the nearest dark place to Helsinki to watch the aurora?
Sipoonkorpi National Park, about 20 km north-east across Helsinki, Vantaa and Sipoo, is the closest national park to the capital and puts the city glow behind you. Nuuksio National Park is under 30 km to the north-west, and Porkkalanniemi in Kirkkonummi is nearly 40 km south-west. All three are a drive from the city at night.
Does the sea help when watching the northern lights from Helsinki?
No. Helsinki's coast faces south over the Gulf of Finland, and the aurora appears in the north, so the open horizon over the water is on the wrong side. From the city's shoreline parks you would be looking back over the lit suburbs. That is why Helsinki people drive north or west on a storm night rather than down to the shore.
How do I get an aurora alert in Helsinki?
The Finnish Meteorological Institute's Auroras Now service maps its magnetometer stations across Finland. A station turns yellow when auroras are possible but usually dim, and red when they are very likely. Ursa's Taivaanvahti service collects sightings from observers, so you can see whether anyone in southern Finland is reporting the aurora at that moment.
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Helsinki?
The aurora season in Helsinki runs from early August to early May, when the nights get dark. The aurora is rare in Helsinki: your best chances are in October. The longest nights, around 21 December, have about 14 hours of darkness.
Can you see the northern lights in Helsinki in summer?
Only a bright one. After early May the sky doesn't get fully dark again until early August. The nights still reach twilight, so a strong aurora can show around midnight.
What Kp index do I need to see the northern lights in Helsinki?
In Helsinki, 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 Helsinki, so seeing the aurora is unlikely.