Tonight
Oct 28 - Oct 29
- 44 °F
0 percent cloud cover - 38 °F0 percent cloud cover
- 35 °F0 percent cloud cover
Northern Lights Forecast for Bismarck
Bismarck, North Dakota, United States
46°48′29.9″N ⋅ 100°47′1.3″W
Aurora data last updated at
Current local time:
Can you see the Northern Lights in Bismarck tonight?
No significant aurora activity is expected in Bismarck over the next 24 hours. Sky will be dark from 7:40 PM to 7:14 AM local time. Cloud cover around that time looks clear skies at around 0%.
Aurora Forecast for Bismarck, ND
Today at 1:00 PM
No activity
Cloud Cover:0%
Aurora activity
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Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
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Fog
Hourly aurora forecast for Bismarck
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3-Night Weather Forecast for Bismarck, ND
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Tomorrow night
Oct 29 - Oct 30
- 41 °F
16 percent cloud cover - 38 °F8 percent cloud cover
- 36 °F0 percent cloud cover
Friday night
Oct 30 - Oct 31
- 43 °F13 percent cloud cover
- 40 °F15 percent cloud cover
- 40 °F
25 percent cloud cover
Sun & Moon
Sunset
Sunrise
Dark from 07:40 PM to 07:14 AM (11 h 34 min)
Current Moon
Waning Gibbous
91% illumination
Refresh to load today's sun path.
Long-Term Aurora Forecast for Bismarck, ND
| 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 Bismarck
The nights in Bismarck are dark all year. The aurora is rare in Bismarck: 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 Bismarck, January at the top: how long it's dark, and the chance of aurora on a clear night.
Northern Lights in Bismarck
Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota, sits at 46.8°N on the east bank of the Missouri River, with Mandan across the water and about 74,000 people in the city. It is more than a degree of latitude south of Grand Forks, so it needs a stronger storm.
For color overhead it takes about a G2 moderate geomagnetic storm. A step or two below that, a glow or red tint can sit low on the northern horizon from outside town. In the strongest storms the aurora has lit up the sky over the Bismarck-Mandan area. Night mode on a phone camera picks up color the eye does not, so a gray-looking sky can still give a pink and green photo; see how to photograph the aurora with an iPhone.
Double Ditch Indian Village on ND 1804
Double Ditch Indian Village State Historic Site is about 8 miles north of the city on ND 1804, on the east bank of the Missouri. It holds the remains of a Mandan earth-lodge village lived in from about 1490 to 1785, with walking paths and signs. It is free and open all year.
Lake Sakakawea and Garrison Dam
Upstream, the Missouri comes down from the north-west, from Garrison Dam and Lake Sakakawea. Lake Sakakawea State Park is about 70 miles north-west beside the dam near Pick City. The park is on the lake’s south shore, so the view north is over open water.
The badlands at Theodore Roosevelt National Park
The park is 133 miles west on I-94, with the South Unit entrance in Medora. The badlands have very dark skies, and the northern lights show there from time to time.
FAQ
Can you see the northern lights from Bismarck, ND?
Yes, during stronger storms, when the aurora has lit up the sky over the Bismarck-Mandan area. Inside the city, streetlights hide the weaker nights. Double Ditch State Historic Site, about 8 miles north on ND 1804 on the bank of the Missouri, is the quick way out of them.
Can you visit Double Ditch Indian Village in the winter?
Yes. The State Historical Society of North Dakota keeps the site open year-round, and it is free. It lies about 8 miles north of Bismarck on ND 1804, on the east bank of the Missouri, where the Mandan lived in an earth-lodge village from about 1490 to 1785. There is a parking lot, a paved path through the village and interpretive signs.
Can you see the northern lights in Theodore Roosevelt National Park?
Yes, occasionally. The park's badlands have very dark night skies. The South Unit is 133 miles west of Bismarck on I-94, with its entrance in Medora at exits 24 and 27, and the Painted Canyon Visitor Center is 7 miles east of Medora at exit 32. The North Unit is about an hour and ten minutes' drive further north on US 85, about 14 miles south of Watford City.
Is Lake Sakakawea a good place to watch the aurora from Bismarck?
It gives you a wide stretch of water to the north. Lake Sakakawea State Park is on the south shore beside Garrison Dam, about a mile north of Pick City and about 70 miles north-west of Bismarck. The reservoir behind the dam runs up the Missouri for 178 miles, so from the park's shore the view north and west is over the lake rather than over land.
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Bismarck?
The nights in Bismarck are dark all year. The aurora is rare in Bismarck: 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 Bismarck in summer?
Yes. The nights in Bismarck 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 Bismarck?
In Bismarck, you usually need at least Kp 6 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 Bismarck, so seeing the aurora is unlikely.