Tonight
Oct 28 - Oct 29
- 36 °F
72 percent cloud cover - 31 °F84 percent cloud cover
- 28 °F66 percent cloud cover
Northern Lights Forecast for Helena
Helena, Montana, United States
46°35′20.8″N ⋅ 112°2′20.8″W
Aurora data last updated at
Current local time:
Can you see the Northern Lights in Helena tonight?
No significant aurora activity is expected in Helena over the next 24 hours. Sky will be dark from 7:25 PM to 6:58 AM local time. Cloud cover around that time looks partly cloudy at around 30%.
Aurora Forecast for Helena, MT
Today at 12:00 PM
No activity
Cloud Cover:34%
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Hourly aurora forecast for Helena
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3-Night Weather Forecast for Helena, MT
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Tomorrow night
Oct 29 - Oct 30
- 36 °F98 percent cloud cover
- 33 °F
96 percent cloud cover - 33 °F100 percent cloud cover
Friday night
Oct 30 - Oct 31
- 38 °F74 percent cloud cover
- 35 °F20 percent cloud cover
Sun & Moon
Sunset
Sunrise
Dark from 07:25 PM to 06:58 AM (11 h 33 min)
Current Moon
Waning Gibbous
91% illumination
Refresh to load today's sun path.
Long-Term Aurora Forecast for Helena, MT
| 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 Helena
The nights in Helena are dark all year. The aurora is rare in Helena: your best chances are in October.
- 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 Helena, January at the top: how long it's dark, and the chance of aurora on a clear night.
Northern Lights in Helena
Helena, the capital of Montana, sits at 46.6°N and almost 4,000 feet up, east of the Continental Divide, with about 32,000 people. The Missouri River passes east and north of town through three reservoirs, Canyon Ferry, Hauser and Holter lakes. The Sleeping Giant, the mountain formation north of Helena, marks the direction to face.
For color overhead it takes about a G3 strong geomagnetic storm. A step or two below that, a glow or red tint can sit low in the north from outside town.
Black Sandy and Canyon Ferry on the Missouri
Black Sandy State Park is on the west shore of Hauser Lake about 13 miles north-east of town. Montana State Parks keeps it open 24 hours a day all year.
Canyon Ferry Lake, about 20 miles east, is a 30-mile reservoir on the Missouri with two dozen recreation sites around its shore, including the Silos on the south-west side near Townsend.
Fire-season smoke and the gray sky
In fire season smoke is the local spoiler: the aurora has shown over south-west Montana only through a break of several hours in the smoke.
KTVH’s Weather Wise column has reported color visible to the naked eye overhead and even to the southern horizon in the strongest storms, but on most nights the eye sees the aurora as faint color and shades of white and gray. Phone cameras in night mode pick up the color the eye misses, so take a picture before giving up on a gray sky; see how to photograph the aurora with an iPhone.
Waterton-Glacier, four hours north
Waterton-Glacier International Dark Sky Park is about four hours’ drive north. Glacier National Park and Canada’s Waterton Lakes received a joint provisional Gold Tier dark-sky designation in 2017 and full certification in 2021.
FAQ
Can you see the northern lights in Helena, Montana?
Yes, during strong storms, when KTVH has reported the aurora overhead in Helena and across Montana. On weaker nights the city's lights wash out a low glow, so drive out to Black Sandy State Park on Hauser Lake, about 13 miles north-east, or to the shores of Canyon Ferry Lake, about 20 miles east.
Can you go to Black Sandy State Park at night?
Yes. Montana State Parks lists Black Sandy as open 24 hours a day, all year, for day use and camping, with limited facilities from December through April. It is a 43-acre park on the west shore of Hauser Lake, a Missouri River reservoir about 13 miles north-east of Helena, with a boat launch and parking.
Is Glacier National Park a dark sky park?
Yes. In April 2017 Glacier and Canada's Waterton Lakes National Park, which together form Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, received a provisional Gold Tier designation as Waterton-Glacier International Dark Sky Park, and full certification followed in 2021. From Helena it is about four hours' drive north, so it is an overnight trip rather than an evening one. The park lies on the Canadian border, about two degrees of latitude north of Helena.
Why can't I see the northern lights in Helena when there is a storm?
Smoke and your own eyes are the two local culprits. In fire season, smoke over south-west Montana can hide the sky: KTVH has reported the aurora showing only through a break of several hours in the smoke. And the eye usually sees the aurora as faint color and shades of white and gray; KTVH's Weather Wise column has pointed out that a camera shows it brighter and more colorful.
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Helena?
The nights in Helena are dark all year. The aurora is rare in Helena: your best chances are in October. The longest nights, around 21 December, have about 13 hours of darkness.
Can you see the northern lights in Helena in summer?
Yes. The nights in Helena 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 Helena?
In Helena, you usually need at least Kp 7 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 Helena, so seeing the aurora is unlikely.