Tonight
Oct 28 - Oct 29
- 72 °F
84 percent cloud cover - 70 °F79 percent cloud cover
- 69 °F91 percent cloud cover
Northern Lights Forecast for Houston
Houston, Texas, United States
29°45′37.4″N ⋅ 95°22′11.3″W
Aurora data last updated at
Current local time:
Can you see the Northern Lights in Houston tonight?
No significant aurora activity is expected in Houston over the next 24 hours. Sky will be dark from 7:30 PM to 6:40 AM local time. Cloud cover around that time looks overcast at around 85%.
Aurora Forecast for Houston, TX
Today at 1:00 PM
No activity
Cloud Cover:86%
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Aurora activity
High clouds
Middle clouds
Low clouds
Fog
Hourly aurora forecast for Houston
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3-Night Weather Forecast for Houston, TX
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Tomorrow night
Oct 29 - Oct 30
- 72 °F
100 percent cloud cover - 71 °F100 percent cloud cover
- 69 °F100 percent cloud cover
Friday night
Oct 30 - Oct 31
- 74 °F54 percent cloud cover
- 72 °F61 percent cloud cover
- 71 °F30 percent cloud cover
Sun & Moon
Sunset
Sunrise
Dark from 07:30 PM to 06:40 AM (11 h 10 min)
Current Moon
Waning Gibbous
91% illumination
Refresh to load today's sun path.
Long-Term Aurora Forecast for Houston, TX
| 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 Houston
The nights in Houston 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 Houston, January at the top: how long it's dark, and the chance of aurora on a clear night.
Northern Lights in Houston
Houston is at 29.8°N on the Gulf Coast, with more than 7 million people in the metro area. The aurora is not something you plan for here. It takes the strongest storms there are, and even then what reaches this latitude is usually a dim red glow on the northern horizon that a camera records before your eyes do.
Red on the northern horizon
Anything you can see from the Houston area takes a G4 severe storm at the very least, and a display that rises above the horizon takes a G5 extreme one. In the strongest storms the aurora has been photographed from the outskirts and beyond: Cypress, Tomball, Baytown, Sealy, The Woodlands, Lake Conroe, Livingston, the Bolivar Peninsula, and Bryan, about 90 miles northwest. Houston itself has too much light pollution to overcome.
The camera sees the red first. A phone in night mode picks it up well before your eyes register it; see how to photograph the aurora with an iPhone.
Sam Houston National Forest and the lakes
Sam Houston National Forest, about 50 miles north around New Waverly, is 163,000 acres of pine. The Cagle Recreation Area on the shore of Lake Conroe gives you a low horizon over water. Huntsville State Park, about 70 miles north on I-45 inside the forest, has Lake Raven and campsites, so you can stay out for the night.
Lake Livingston State Park is near Livingston, about 75 miles northeast, another town the aurora has been photographed from. The lakes give a low, open horizon, which matters when the aurora is only a glow at the edge of the sky.
The George Observatory looks into the city glow
The George Observatory at Brazos Bend State Park, 45 miles southwest near Needville, is the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s public observatory. From there the city glow is in the north, exactly where the aurora would be, so it is for learning the sky, not for chasing a storm.
The Texas page covers the rest of the state.
FAQ
Has anyone actually seen the northern lights from Houston?
From the outskirts, yes, in the strongest storms. Photos have come from Cypress, Tomball, Baytown, The Woodlands, Lake Conroe, Livingston and the Bolivar Peninsula, and from Bryan, about 90 miles northwest. Houston itself has too much light pollution for the aurora to overcome.
Where should I drive from Houston to see the northern lights?
North, out from under the light dome. Sam Houston National Forest starts about 50 miles up I-45 around New Waverly, Huntsville State Park is about 70 miles north inside the forest, and Lake Livingston State Park is about 75 miles northeast. Lake Conroe and Livingston are among the places the aurora has been photographed from, and the lakes give you a low, open horizon, which matters when the aurora is only a glow at the edge of the sky.
Why does my phone show a red aurora in Houston when I can't see anything?
Because at 29.8°N the aurora sits right on the northern horizon, and what reaches this far south is the red top of it. A phone in night mode stacks several seconds of light and pulls out red and pink that your eyes never register. In the strongest storms people in Cypress, Baytown and Sealy have posted photos of pink and green.
Is the George Observatory a good place to see the northern lights?
Not really, though it is the region's public observatory. It sits in Brazos Bend State Park, 45 miles southwest of downtown near Needville, and is run by the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The problem for the aurora is direction: from Brazos Bend the Houston light dome is in the north, exactly where the lights would be. For a storm, drive north to Sam Houston National Forest or Lake Livingston instead.
When is the best time to see the northern lights in Houston?
The nights in Houston 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 12 hours of darkness.
Can you see the northern lights in Houston in summer?
Yes. The nights in Houston 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 Houston?
In Houston, you usually need at least Kp 9 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 Houston, so seeing the aurora is unlikely.