Tonight
Oct 28 - Oct 29
- 5 °C
100 percent cloud cover - 3 °C
100 percent cloud cover - 3 °C100 percent cloud cover
Northern Lights Forecast for Ylläs
Ylläs, Lapland, Finland
67°34′0.1″N ⋅ 24°13′59.9″E
Aurora data last updated at
Current local time:
Can you see the Northern Lights in Ylläs tonight?
Aurora activity is expected to be low between 21:00 and 07:00 in Ylläs tonight. Sky will be dark from 18:00 to 06:11 local time. Cloud cover around that time looks overcast at around 95%. Low activity and cloud cover together may make the aurora difficult to spot.
Can you see the Northern Lights in Ylläs tonight?
Aurora activity is expected to be low between 21:00 and 07:00 in Ylläs tonight. Sky will be dark from 18:00 to 06:11 local time. Cloud cover around that time looks overcast at around 95%. Low activity and cloud cover together may make the aurora difficult to spot.
Aurora Forecast for Ylläs
Today at 20:00
Low Activity
Cloud Cover:100%
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Fog
Aurora activity
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Fog
Hourly aurora forecast for Ylläs
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3-Night Weather Forecast for Ylläs
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Tomorrow night
Oct 29 - Oct 30
- 1 °C100 percent cloud cover
- 1 °C100 percent cloud cover
- 1 °C100 percent cloud cover
Friday night
Oct 30 - Oct 31
- -1 °C
31 percent cloud cover - -1 °C29 percent cloud cover
- -1 °C
66 percent cloud cover
Sun & Moon
Sunset
Sunrise
Dark from 18:00 to 06:11 (12 h 11 min)
Current Moon
Waning Gibbous
91% illumination
Refresh to load today's sun path.
Long-Term Aurora Forecast for Ylläs
| 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 6 out of 10. Last quarter, 65% illumination | Sunday, November 1, 2026. Moderate aurora activity. Aurora score 5 out of 10. Last quarter, 54% illumination | ||
Monday, November 2, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 3 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 3 out of 10. Waning crescent, 14% illumination | Friday, November 6, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 3 out of 10. Waning crescent, 8% illumination | Saturday, November 7, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 3 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. Moderate aurora activity. Aurora score 4 out of 10. New moon, 0% illumination | Tuesday, November 10, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 3 out of 10. New moon, 2% illumination | Wednesday, November 11, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 3 out of 10. Waxing crescent, 5% illumination | Thursday, November 12, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 3 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 3 out of 10. First quarter, 41% illumination | Tuesday, November 17, 2026. Moderate aurora activity. Aurora score 5 out of 10. First quarter, 50% illumination | Wednesday, November 18, 2026. Moderate aurora activity. Aurora score 5 out of 10. First quarter, 60% illumination | Thursday, November 19, 2026. Low aurora activity. Aurora score 3 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 Ylläs
The aurora season in Ylläs runs from late August to mid-April, when the nights get dark. Your best chances are from September to November, 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 Ylläs, January at the top: how long it's dark, and the chance of aurora on a clear night.
Northern Lights in Ylläs
Ylläs is a 719 m fell in Kolari municipality, western Lapland, about 110 km north of the Arctic Circle, with a village on each side: Äkäslompolo to the north and Ylläsjärvi to the south. Both are ski villages built around a lake, and Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park starts at the edge of both.
The Ylläs Swing, Kellokas and the Scenic Road
The two lakes are the obvious places, and the Äkäslompolo side has most of the easy ones.
- Lake Äkäslompolo. A short walk from the village, the Ylläs Swing on the shore looks out over the water toward Kesänki fell and the northern sky. On calm autumn nights the lake reflects the aurora.
- Kellokas Visitor Centre. The yard behind the national park’s visitor center on the Äkäslompolo side has a wide view over the park and the northern sky.
- The Scenic Road (Maisematie). The road over the flank of the fell between the villages has a parking area used for sunsets and the aurora, and the ski resort’s parking area on the Äkäslompolo side looks straight north. You can wait in the car; do not park on the road itself.
The cross-country network is 330 km, of which 38 km is lit. For the aurora, pick an unlit trail.
Tuomikuru and Kukastunturi
Two spots need a walk. From the Ylläsjärvi side, a trail leads into the national park to the Tuomikuru day hut, where the sky is open in every direction around the firepit. Kukastunturi, a fell about 6 km north of Äkäslompolo, has a bare top with a view all round; in autumn the easiest way up is by bike.
The night train to Kolari
Kolari, the northernmost railway station in Finland, is 35 to 40 km from the villages, and VR’s night train from Helsinki runs there overnight. Buses meet the trains for the last stretch. The other way in is by air: Kittilä Airport is 35 to 50 km east, depending on the village, with Finnair from Helsinki all year and direct flights from several European cities in winter, and airport buses run to both villages.
Kino Ylläs and the autumn lakes
The season runs from late August to late April. Autumn is cloudier than spring here, but the lakes are still open, and in September the Kino Ylläs festival shows films outdoors at Ihmisen Rinki, an open-air auditorium on the slope of the fell. Ylläs is just inside the polar night zone, so for a short spell around the winter solstice the sun does not clear the horizon.
FAQ
Should I stay in Äkäslompolo or Ylläsjärvi for the northern lights?
Both villages have a lake with an open view. Äkäslompolo, on the north side of the fell, is the larger village, with the Kellokas visitor center, the lakeside swing and the ski resort's parking area that looks north. Ylläsjärvi, on the south side, has the gondola to the summit and the trail to the Tuomikuru hut. The scenic road over the flank of the fell links them, so you can watch from either.
Can you get to Ylläs by train?
Yes. VR's night train from Helsinki runs to Kolari, the northernmost railway station in Finland, 35 to 40 km from the Ylläs villages. The train can also carry your car. Buses meet the trains for the ride up to Äkäslompolo and Ylläsjärvi. The other option is flying to Kittilä, 35 to 50 km east, and taking the airport bus.
Is autumn a good time for the northern lights in Ylläs?
The nights are dark enough from late August, the lakes are still open for reflections, and it is warm enough to sit outside for a long wait. The trade-off is cloud: autumn in Ylläs is cloudier than spring. March and April give clearer skies and skiing in the daytime, with the season ending in late April when the nights get too light.
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Ylläs?
The aurora season in Ylläs runs from late August to mid-April, when the nights get dark. Your best chances are from September to November, and again in February and March, when the aurora shows on many clear nights. The longest nights, around 21 December, have about 16 hours of darkness.
Can you see the northern lights in Ylläs in summer?
No. From early May to early August the nights in Ylläs stay light, and the midnight sun lasts from late May to mid-July. 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 Ylläs?
In Ylläs, you usually need at least Kp 1 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 around the usual Kp index threshold for Ylläs, so you might have a chance of seeing the aurora if the sky is clear and dark.