Aurora destinations · Alaska & Canada
Northern lights in Anchorage
Alaska, USA · 61.22°N, 149.90°W
Anchorage lies under the auroral oval, so aurora is often overhead: a dark, clear night has good odds even when activity is low (magnetic latitude 61°). Light pollution: city lights brighten the sky. In town you need about Kp 3.7; at a dark site nearby, Kp 0.9.
Open the live forecast for Anchorage
At a glance
- Good odds: from Kp 0.9 at a dark site, Kp 3.7 in town
- Best months: March, January and February
- Best weeks in the coming year: 2–15 Mar · 23–29 Mar
- Too light for aurora: 18 May – 19 Jul (bright nights)
Month by month
A typical night: real darkness and moon, average aurora activity (Kp 2014–2025) and satellite cloud cover (NASA, 2001–2025). Long-range odds, not a forecast.
| Month | Typical night | Clear sky | Dark hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5% | 35% | 15 h |
| February | 5% | 31% | 12 h |
| March | 6% | 36% | 10 h |
| April | 4% | 27% | 6 h |
| May | 2% | 22% | 2 h |
| June | Too light | 19% | – |
| July | 1% | 17% | 1 h |
| August | 3% | 21% | 6 h |
| September | 4% | 22% | 9 h |
| October | 4% | 24% | 12 h |
| November | 4% | 30% | 14 h |
| December | 4% | 29% | 15 h |
Tips for Anchorage
- Clouds decide most nights: check the hour-by-hour forecast, and the “Clearer skies nearby” card for a spot within a drive.
- Aurora is usually best between about 22:00 and 02:00 local time; give your eyes 15 minutes in the dark.
- Get away from the town lights: even 10–20 km makes a difference.
Nearby destinations
Fairbanks · Coldfoot · Yellowknife · Whitehorse · Churchill · Banff