Tonight
Oct 28 - Oct 29
- 47 °F
3 percent cloud cover - 45 °F6 percent cloud cover
- 44 °F
15 percent cloud cover
Northern Lights Forecast for Boston
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
42°21′36.4″N ⋅ 71°3′32.0″W
Aurora data last updated at
Current local time:
Can you see the Northern Lights in Boston tonight?
No significant aurora activity is expected in Boston over the next 24 hours. Sky will be dark from 6:44 PM to 6:11 AM local time. Cloud cover around that time looks overcast at around 95%.
Aurora Forecast for Boston, MA
Today at 2:00 PM
No activity
Cloud Cover:95%
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Hourly aurora forecast for Boston
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3-Night Weather Forecast for Boston, MA
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Tomorrow night
Oct 29 - Oct 30
- 55 °F0 percent cloud cover
- 53 °F0 percent cloud cover
- 55 °F
59 percent cloud cover
Friday night
Oct 30 - Oct 31
- 52 °F3 percent cloud cover
- 48 °F21 percent cloud cover
- 46 °F1 percent cloud cover
Sun & Moon
Sunset
Sunrise
Dark from 06:44 PM to 06:11 AM (11 h 27 min)
Current Moon
Waning Gibbous
91% illumination
Refresh to load today's sun path.
Long-Term Aurora Forecast for Boston, MA
| 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. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. Last quarter, 65% illumination | Sunday, November 1, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 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. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 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. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 out of 10. First quarter, 50% illumination | Wednesday, November 18, 2026. No aurora activity. Aurora score 0 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 Boston
The nights in Boston are dark all year. But the aurora rarely reaches this far south: only in strong storms, which can come in any month.
- 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 Boston, January at the top: how long it's dark, and the chance of aurora on a clear night.
Northern Lights in Boston
Boston is at 42.4°N on Massachusetts Bay, with 5 million people in the metro area and the light that goes with them. The aurora turns up here only in big storms, and when it does it is usually a glow or a few pink streaks in the north rather than anything overhead. The North Shore, where the coast faces open water, is where people drive.
Dorchester Bay and the skyline
A glow on the northern horizon can show from a dark beach during a G3 strong storm. A display that fills the sky over the city takes a G4 severe storm. In the strongest storms it has been photographed over Dorchester Bay and from Millennium Park, pink over the skyline from Squantum in Quincy, and from Brookline, Belmont and Marblehead.
On a phone in night mode the sky comes out pink and green even where your eyes see only gray haze; see how to photograph the aurora with an iPhone.
Halibut Point and Plum Island after dark
Halibut Point State Park in Rockport, about 40 miles northeast at the tip of Cape Ann, looks out over Ipswich Bay toward the Isles of Shoals and Mount Agamenticus in Maine, an open northern horizon over water. People have photographed the aurora from here.
Plum Island off Newburyport, about 35 miles north, is a barrier island. The Parker River refuge that covers most of it is open only from sunrise to sunset, so use Plum Island Point at the Newburyport end, outside the refuge. Salisbury Beach State Reservation, about 40 miles north at the mouth of the Merrimack, has 3.8 miles of beach facing east over the open Atlantic.
Wachusett and the road to New Hampshire
Inland, Wachusett Mountain in Princeton, about 55 miles west, is 2,006 feet with Mount Monadnock in the view to the north, but the summit road is open only from spring to fall. For darker sky the next step is north into New Hampshire and Maine; Portland, Maine is about 105 miles up I-95, and the Massachusetts page covers the state.
FAQ
Can you see the northern lights from inside Boston?
Only in the strongest storms. Long exposures of the lights have been published over Dorchester Bay and from Millennium Park, and the aurora has shown pink over the skyline from Squantum in Quincy, with photos from Brookline and Belmont. It takes a severe or extreme storm; anything weaker needs a drive out of the city.
Where do people in Boston drive to see the northern lights?
North, to the coast. Halibut Point State Park in Rockport, about 40 miles northeast, looks over Ipswich Bay toward New Hampshire and Maine and is a place people have photographed the aurora from. Plum Island Point in Newburyport, about 35 miles north, and Salisbury Beach, about 40 miles north at the mouth of the Merrimack, are beaches facing the open Atlantic. All three are roughly an hour's drive from the city.
Is Plum Island open at night for the northern lights?
Only partly. The Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, which covers the southern three-quarters of the island, is open from sunrise to sunset, so its beaches and parking lots are closed when the aurora is out. The northern end of the island belongs to Newburyport and is outside the refuge; Plum Island Point, with its beach and the 1898 lighthouse, is the part people use after dark.
Is Halibut Point State Park a good aurora spot?
It is one of the usual ones near Boston. The park is at the tip of Cape Ann in Rockport, about 40 miles northeast of the city, and its seaward view runs across Ipswich Bay to the Isles of Shoals off New Hampshire and Mount Agamenticus in Maine, which means an open horizon exactly where the aurora appears. People have photographed the lights from here.
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Boston?
The nights in Boston are dark all year. But the aurora rarely reaches this far south: only in strong storms, which can come in any month. The longest nights, around 21 December, have about 13 hours of darkness.
Can you see the northern lights in Boston in summer?
Yes. The nights in Boston are dark all year, so the aurora can show in summer too when it reaches this far south.
What Kp index do I need to see the northern lights in Boston?
In Boston, you usually need at least Kp 8 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 Boston, so seeing the aurora is unlikely.