Kp index now and the 3‑day forecast
NOAA 1-minute estimate
NOAA forecast
Updated 10 min ago
Kp per 3-hour block, in your time zone. Solid bars are measured, striped bars are NOAA's forecast. The dashed line is Kp 5, a geomagnetic storm. Source: NOAA SWPC.
What Kp do you need where you are?
From each place's magnetic latitude, with the rule we calibrated against FMI's records.
| Place | Magnetic latitude | Kp needed | Good nights / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kangerlussuaq Greenland | 71.2° | any | 141 |
| Ilulissat Greenland | 73.5° | any | 123 |
| Inuvik Canada | 70.9° | any | 159 |
| Iqaluit Canada | 70.5° | any | 168 |
| Nuuk Greenland | 68.4° | any | 118 |
| Yellowknife Canada | 68.4° | any | 173 |
| North Cape Norway | 68.2° | 0.5 | 80 |
| Hammerfest Norway | 67.9° | 0.6 | 74 |
| Alta Norway | 67.2° | 0.9 | 84 |
| Utsjoki Finland | 67.0° | 1 | 95 |
| Tromsø Norway | 67.0° | 1 | 71 |
| Churchill Canada | 67.0° | 1 | 170 |
| Coldfoot United States | 67.1° | 1 | 149 |
| Senja Norway | 66.6° | 1.1 | 70 |
| Kirkenes Norway | 66.8° | 1.1 | 65 |
| Kilpisjärvi Finland | 66.3° | 1.3 | 84 |
| Ísafjörður Iceland | 66.3° | 1.3 | 49 |
| Inari Finland | 66.0° | 1.4 | 78 |
| Lofoten Norway | 65.7° | 1.5 | 81 |
| Narvik Norway | 65.8° | 1.5 | 70 |
| Abisko Sweden | 65.7° | 1.5 | 83 |
| Saariselkä Finland | 65.5° | 1.6 | 78 |
| Húsavík Iceland | 65.6° | 1.6 | 55 |
| Dawson City Canada | 65.6° | 1.6 | 118 |
| Chena Hot Springs United States | 65.5° | 1.6 | 114 |
| Akureyri Iceland | 65.3° | 1.7 | 64 |
| Muonio Finland | 65.1° | 1.8 | 68 |
| Kiruna Sweden | 65.1° | 1.8 | 77 |
| Jukkasjärvi Sweden | 65.1° | 1.8 | 77 |
| Fairbanks United States | 65.0° | 1.8 | 89 |
| Levi Finland | 64.9° | 1.9 | 63 |
| Ylläs Finland | 64.8° | 1.9 | 63 |
| Sodankylä Finland | 64.5° | 2 | 55 |
| Bodø Norway | 64.7° | 2 | 60 |
| Luosto Finland | 64.2° | 2.2 | 55 |
| Jokkmokk Sweden | 63.8° | 2.3 | 70 |
| Reykjavík Iceland | 64.0° | 2.3 | 66 |
| Þingvellir Iceland | 64.0° | 2.3 | 66 |
| Rovaniemi Finland | 63.6° | 2.4 | 50 |
| Höfn Iceland | 63.4° | 2.5 | 66 |
| Ruka Finland | 63.2° | 2.6 | 44 |
| Whitehorse Canada | 63.0° | 2.7 | 68 |
| Kemi Finland | 62.8° | 2.8 | 41 |
| Luleå Sweden | 62.7° | 2.8 | 39 |
| Vík Iceland | 62.8° | 2.8 | 49 |
| Oulu Finland | 62.0° | 3.1 | 32 |
| Talkeetna United States | 62.0° | 3.1 | 38 |
| Trondheim Norway | 60.7° | 3.6 | 18 |
| Anchorage United States | 60.9° | 3.6 | 25 |
| Tórshavn Faroe Islands | 60.1° | 3.9 | 11 |
| Edmonton Canada | 59.9° | 4 | 25 |
| Jasper Canada | 58.5° | 4.6 | 10 |
| Shetland United Kingdom | 57.6° | 5 | 5 |
| Banff Canada | 57.3° | 5.1 | 6 |
| Helsinki Finland | 56.9° | 5.3 | 5 |
| Oslo Norway | 56.9° | 5.3 | 5 |
| Grand Marais United States | 56.6° | 5.4 | 5 |
| Orkney United Kingdom | 56.4° | 5.5 | 2 |
| Stockholm Sweden | 56.1° | 5.6 | 2 |
| Caithness United Kingdom | 56.0° | 5.7 | 2 |
| Marquette United States | 55.5° | 5.9 | 3 |
| Isle of Skye United Kingdom | 54.8° | 6.2 | 1 |
| Inverness United Kingdom | 54.7° | 6.2 | 1 |
| Aberdeen United Kingdom | 54.2° | 6.4 | 1 |
| Stewart Island New Zealand | 54.3° S | 6.4 | 2 |
| Hobart Australia | 53.4° S | 6.8 | 1 |
| Edinburgh United Kingdom | 52.9° | 7 | 1 |
| Malin Head Ireland | 52.5° | 7.2 | 0 |
| Queenstown New Zealand | 52.2° S | 7.3 | 1 |
| Lake Tekapo New Zealand | 50.8° S | 7.9 | 1 |
Kp index questions
A 0–9 scale of how disturbed Earth's magnetic field is, measured every 3 hours by magnetometers around the world. Higher Kp pushes the aurora further from the poles. Kp 5 and up is a geomagnetic storm (NOAA G1–G5).
It depends on your magnetic latitude. Our calibration (FMI sighting statistics) gives Kp needed ≈ (69.3 − magnetic latitude) ÷ 2.35. That works out to about Kp 1 in Tromsø, Kp 2.4 in Rovaniemi, Kp 2.3 in Reykjavík, Kp 5.3 in Helsinki and Kp 6.2 in Inverness.
About 1–3 days, and only roughly. NOAA's 3-day forecast is good at spotting storms from coronal mass ejections and fast solar wind, but the exact hour and strength can be off by a lot. The 1-minute estimate shows what is happening right now.