Northern Lights in Alaska
Alaska
Tonight's forecast 91%
of the Moon lit
Best Time to See the Northern Lights in Alaska
The nights get dark in mid-August and stay dark until late April. The interior is the place to be: around Fairbanks and Chena Hot Springs the aurora shows on many clear nights, and further north at Coldfoot on most of them. Inland skies are clearer than the coast's. September and March tend to be active, and March is usually clearer and milder than midwinter. Denali sees it fairly often, while Anchorage and Juneau get it less, with more cloud.
Every night of 2026 in Utqiaġvik (Barrow), January at the top: how long it's dark, and the chance of aurora on a clear night.
- Utqiaġvik (Barrow) Over 90%
- Coldfoot Up to 80%
- Chena Hot Springs Up to 60%
- Fairbanks Up to 55%
- Denali Up to 45%
- Juneau Up to 15%
Best chance of aurora on a clear night, north to south.
- Dark hours
- Chance of aurora
Long-term averages for clear nights, since 1985. Geomagnetic data: GFZ, CC BY 4.0