Northern Lights Forecast for Östersund

Only on the more active nights. The city lights wash out the weaker displays, which at 63.2°N usually sit low in the north. For those, go up Östberget on Frösön, the island's high point 176 m above Storsjön, or walk out onto the frozen lake once the Medvinden skating track opens in early February, so the city is behind you.

By car, cross Frösöbron from the center and drive up to the car park by Frösötornet, the lookout tower on top. Without a car, take the bus from the center over to Frösön and walk up. At 468 m, about 176 m above Storsjön, the hill looks over the lake, the city and the mountains to the west as far as Åreskutan.

Yes, once the ice is safe. The Medvinden skating track usually opens in early February and runs about 10 km from Östersund harbor to Kungsgårdsviken, with access at Vinterparken and Frösö Strand. Out on the lake you have open sky to the west and the city behind you. Visit Östersund suggests going with people who are used to skating on natural ice.

The aurora season in Östersund runs from mid-August to late 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 some clear nights. The longest nights, around 21 December, have about 15 hours of darkness.

No. From late May to mid-July the nights in Östersund stay light. The aurora is still there, but the sky is too bright to see it.

In Östersund, 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 Östersund, so there is still a small chance of seeing faint aurora low on the northern horizon.