Tonight
Oct 28 - Oct 29
- 9 °C
100 percent cloud cover - 8 °C100 percent cloud cover
- 8 °C100 percent cloud cover
Northern Lights Forecast for Ranua
Ranua, Lapland, Finland
66°0′0.0″N ⋅ 26°31′0.1″E
Aurora data last updated at
Current local time:
Can you see the Northern Lights in Ranua tonight?
Aurora activity is expected to be low between 21:00 and 05:00 in Ranua tonight. Sky will be dark from 17:53 to 06:00 local time. Cloud cover around that time looks overcast at around 100%. Low activity and cloud cover together may make the aurora difficult to spot.
Can you see the Northern Lights in Ranua tonight?
Aurora activity is expected to be low between 21:00 and 05:00 in Ranua tonight. Sky will be dark from 17:53 to 06:00 local time. Cloud cover around that time looks overcast at around 100%. Low activity and cloud cover together may make the aurora difficult to spot.
Aurora Forecast for Ranua
Today at 20:00
Low 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 Ranua
| Local time | Aurora activity |
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| Low Activity | |
| Low Activity | |
| Low Activity | |
| Low Activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
| No activity | |
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| Low Activity | |
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| Low Activity |
3-Night Weather Forecast for Ranua
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Tomorrow night
Oct 29 - Oct 30
- 7 °C100 percent cloud cover
- 7 °C100 percent cloud cover
- 6 °C
100 percent cloud cover
Friday night
Oct 30 - Oct 31
- 3 °C
15 percent cloud cover - 1 °C
82 percent cloud cover - 1 °C
97 percent cloud cover
Sun & Moon
Sunset
Sunrise
Dark from 17:53 to 06:00 (12 h 7 min)
Current Moon
Waning Gibbous
91% illumination
Refresh to load today's sun path.
Long-Term Aurora Forecast for Ranua
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wednesday, October 28, 2026. Today. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 92% illumination | Thursday, October 29, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 85% illumination | Friday, October 30, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Waning gibbous, 76% illumination | Saturday, October 31, 2026. Moderate aurora activity. Aurora score 5 out of 10. Last quarter, 65% illumination | Sunday, November 1, 2026. Moderate aurora activity. Aurora score 4 out of 10. Last quarter, 54% illumination | ||
Monday, November 2, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 2 out of 10. Last quarter, 43% illumination | Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Last quarter, 32% illumination | Wednesday, November 4, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Waning crescent, 23% illumination | Thursday, November 5, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 2 out of 10. Waning crescent, 14% illumination | Friday, November 6, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 2 out of 10. Waning crescent, 8% illumination | Saturday, November 7, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 2 out of 10. New moon, 3% illumination | Sunday, November 8, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. New moon, 1% illumination |
Monday, November 9, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 3 out of 10. New moon, 0% illumination | Tuesday, November 10, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 2 out of 10. New moon, 2% illumination | Wednesday, November 11, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 2 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 5% illumination | Thursday, November 12, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 2 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 10% illumination | Friday, November 13, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 16% illumination | Saturday, November 14, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 23% illumination | Sunday, November 15, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. First quarter, 32% illumination |
Monday, November 16, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 2 out of 10. First quarter, 41% illumination | Tuesday, November 17, 2026. Moderate aurora activity. Aurora score 4 out of 10. First quarter, 50% illumination | Wednesday, November 18, 2026. Moderate aurora activity. Aurora score 4 out of 10. First quarter, 60% illumination | Thursday, November 19, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 2 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 70% illumination | Friday, November 20, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 79% illumination | Saturday, November 21, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 87% illumination | Sunday, November 22, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Waxing gibbous, 94% illumination |
Monday, November 23, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Full moon, 98% illumination | Tuesday, November 24, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 1 out of 10. Full moon, 100% illumination |
LowAurora ActivityHigh
Best Time to See the Northern Lights in Ranua
The aurora season in Ranua runs from late August to mid-April, when the nights get dark. Your best chances are in September and October, and again in February and March, when the aurora shows on many clear nights.
- 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 Ranua, January at the top: how long it's dark, and the chance of aurora on a clear night.
Northern Lights in Ranua
Ranua is a municipality of fewer than 4,000 people in the south of Finnish Lapland, 82 km south of Rovaniemi on road 78 and about 70 km south of the Arctic Circle. The country is flat, with the highest point at 277 m, and more than 60 percent of the land is bog, the rest mostly pine forest. Being south of the Circle, Ranua has no polar night; on the shortest day the sun is up for about three hours. A display that stands overhead in Sodankylä or Inari can sit lower on the northern horizon here, so it takes a little more activity than the far north.
Lake shore and bog around Ranua
The village center sits on the shore of Ranuanjärvi, and the lake gives a flat, open horizon without going anywhere. The aurora outings from Ranua go just outside the village into the surrounding forest and bog, away from the last streetlights.
Polar bears at Ranua Wildlife Park
The wildlife park is the reason most people come. It opened in 1983 and keeps around 50 Arctic species and about 150 animals, including Finland’s only polar bears, along a 2.8 km route through the forest. It is open every day of the year.
Reindeer on road 78
By car it is about an hour from Rovaniemi on road 78, 160 km from Oulu and 132 km from Kemi. Long-distance buses connect Ranua with Rovaniemi and Oulu, and the buses from Rovaniemi stop in front of the wildlife park. Reindeer walk on and beside the road, so take the drive back after dark slowly.
FAQ
Can you see the northern lights in Ranua, south of the Arctic Circle?
Yes. Ranua is about 70 km south of the Arctic Circle, which is far enough north for the aurora on most active nights, though a display that stands overhead in the north of Lapland tends to sit lower in the northern sky here, so it takes a little more activity. The advantage is that the country is flat and sparsely lit: a municipality of fewer than 4,000 people, with forest and bog in every direction. There is no polar night, but the sun is only up for about three hours on the shortest day.
Is Ranua Wildlife Park open in winter?
Yes, every day of the year. The park opened in 1983 and has around 50 Arctic species and about 150 animals, including the only polar bears in Finland, along a 2.8 km route, walked in winter as in summer. Buses from Rovaniemi stop in front of the park.
Can you see the northern lights in Ranua on a day trip from Rovaniemi?
Only if you stay past dark. Ranua is 82 km and about an hour from Rovaniemi by road 78, and the long-distance buses cover the daytime, but for the aurora you need to be in Ranua in the evening, which means your own car or a night in the village. Watch for reindeer on the road after dark.
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Ranua?
The aurora season in Ranua runs from late August to mid-April, when the nights get dark. Your best chances are in September and October, and again in February and March, when the aurora shows on many clear nights. The longest nights, around 21 December, have about 15 hours of darkness.
Can you see the northern lights in Ranua in summer?
No. From mid-May to late July the nights in Ranua stay light, and the midnight sun lasts from mid-June to late June. The aurora is still there, but the sky is too bright to see it.
What Kp index do I need to see the northern lights in Ranua?
In Ranua, you usually need at least Kp 2 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 a bit below the usual Kp index threshold for Ranua, so there is still a small chance of seeing faint aurora low on the northern horizon.