Tonight
Oct 28 - Oct 29
- 60 °F
9 percent cloud cover - 58 °F0 percent cloud cover
- 56 °F0 percent cloud cover
Northern Lights Forecast for Detroit
Detroit, Michigan, United States
42°19′53.0″N ⋅ 83°2′44.9″W
Aurora data last updated at
Current local time:
Can you see the Northern Lights in Detroit tonight?
No significant aurora activity is expected in Detroit over the next 24 hours. Sky will be dark from 7:32 PM to 6:59 AM local time. Cloud cover around that time looks clear skies at around 5%.
Aurora Forecast for Detroit, MI
Today at 1:00 PM
No activity
Cloud Cover:6%
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Hourly aurora forecast for Detroit
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3-Night Weather Forecast for Detroit, MI
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Tomorrow night
Oct 29 - Oct 30
- 61 °F
33 percent cloud cover - 57 °F0 percent cloud cover
- 52 °F0 percent cloud cover
Friday night
Oct 30 - Oct 31
- 51 °F
99 percent cloud cover - 51 °F95 percent cloud cover
- 51 °F99 percent cloud cover
Sun & Moon
Sunset
Sunrise
Dark from 07:32 PM to 06:59 AM (11 h 27 min)
Current Moon
Waning Gibbous
91% illumination
Refresh to load today's sun path.
Long-Term Aurora Forecast for Detroit, MI
| 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 Detroit
The nights in Detroit 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 Detroit, January at the top: how long it's dark, and the chance of aurora on a clear night.
Northern Lights in Detroit
Detroit sits at 42.3°N on the Detroit River, with 4.4 million people in the metro area. What Detroit has is a way out: within an hour or two you are on the Lake Huron shore, and northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula lie beyond.
Ann Arbor, Monroe and the suburbs in a big storm
For color overhead from the city or the inner suburbs it takes a G4 severe geomagnetic storm, around Kp 8. One step down, a faint glow can show low in the north from the outer suburbs and the Thumb, not from downtown.
In the strongest storms the aurora has been visible throughout metro Detroit, and photographed from Ann Arbor, Monroe, Oakland Township, New Haven, Brownstown Township and Sterling State Park in Monroe. A phone in night mode will often find color in a sky that looks gray to you; see how to photograph the aurora with an iPhone.
The Lake Huron shore and the Thumb
Lakeport State Park and Lexington, on Lake Huron north of Port Huron, are about 70 to 80 miles north-east of Detroit, a little over an hour, with open water in front of you. The aurora has been photographed from Lexington. Port Crescent State Park at the tip of the Thumb near Port Austin, about two and a half hours north, has been a state dark sky preserve on Lake Huron since 2012.
For live reports, the Michigan Aurora Chasers group on Facebook, started in 2021 by Melissa Kaelin of Ann Arbor, is where chasers across the state post what they see and from where.
Lake Hudson and the Headlands
Lake Hudson Recreation Area in Lenawee County, about an hour and a half south-west, is Michigan’s first dark sky preserve, from 1993. It gains you darkness, not latitude.
Headlands International Dark Sky Park, two miles west of Mackinaw City at the top of the Lower Peninsula, is about four hours north. It has two miles of undeveloped shore on the Straits of Mackinac and was certified in 2011.
FAQ
Can you see the northern lights in Detroit?
Rarely, and only in a major geomagnetic storm. In the strongest storms the aurora has been seen across metro Detroit, from Ann Arbor to Monroe, and photographed from Oakland Township and Brownstown Township.
In anything weaker, the city's glow hides it. Drive north-east to the Lake Huron shore above Port Huron, or north into the Thumb, for a dark horizon.
Where do people in metro Detroit drive to see the northern lights?
The Lake Huron shore is the usual choice. Lakeport State Park and the village of Lexington, north of Port Huron, are about 70 to 80 miles north-east, a little over an hour, with open water in front of you. Port Crescent State Park at the tip of the Thumb, a state dark sky preserve, is about two and a half hours away. Lake Hudson Recreation Area in Lenawee County, Michigan's first dark sky preserve, is about an hour and a half south-west.
How far is Headlands International Dark Sky Park from Detroit?
About four hours north by road. The park is two miles west of Mackinaw City at the northern tip of the Lower Peninsula, with two miles of undeveloped shoreline on the Straits of Mackinac, and it has held International Dark Sky Park status since 2011. It is a trip for a forecast storm with a clear sky, not a drive out for the evening. From there the Upper Peninsula is just across the Mackinac Bridge.
Which Facebook group posts northern lights alerts for Michigan?
Michigan Aurora Chasers, founded in January 2021 by Melissa Kaelin of Ann Arbor. Members across the state, including the Upper Peninsula, post live alerts with the time and place they are seeing the aurora. Detroit's WDIV has described it as a group that tracks the aurora in real time to help people find it.
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Detroit?
The nights in Detroit 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 Detroit in summer?
Yes. The nights in Detroit 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 Detroit?
In Detroit, 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 Detroit, so seeing the aurora is unlikely.