Northern lights forecast tonight in Alberta
3 towns across Alberta, each with tonight's chance from NOAA's Ovation model, updated every 15 minutes. Kp is a 0 to 9 scale of how far the lights reach from the pole, and these towns need Kp 1 to Kp 3 before your eyes pick anything up.
Best tonight
Fort McMurray
Fort McMurray has the strongest chance in Alberta right now, at 9%.
🔔 Get free aurora alerts
Sign up and we'll send you one alert when a storm is coming and auroras are likely. Nothing else, ever.
We store only what's needed to send the alert. One-tap unsubscribe in every message.
Every town in Alberta tonight
| Town | Chance now | Your eyes need | Tonight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort McMurray | 9% | Kp 1 | Auroras likely tonight |
| Edmonton | 3% | Kp 1 | Auroras likely tonight |
| Calgary | 0% | Kp 3 | Auroras likely tonight |
Faint aurora looks gray to your eyes and green to a phone. In Alberta a phone picks it up from about Kp 1, and your eyes need Kp 1.
Aurora is possible in Alberta from late August to mid-April. The sky has to be dark and clear. Clouds stop everything, and no camera gets around that.
Where people actually stand in Alberta
Places locals and guides name, with what each one gives you. Every town below has its own page.
Fort McMurray
Gregoire Lake Provincial Park
26 km south-east · car
Alberta Parks puts the campground southeast of town, off Highway 63 and then 10 km east on Highway 881. The Syncrude and Suncor plants light the sky north of Fort McMurray, and from here the town sits between you and that glow.
Edmonton
Elk Island National Park
42 km east · car
Part of the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve since 2006 and the nearest properly dark ground to Edmonton, 42 km east of the centre. Aurora this far south needs a decent storm, and the city dome still sits on the western horizon.
Miquelon Lake Provincial Park
51 km south-east · car
Miquelon Lake sits inside the same Beaver Hills preserve, 51 km southeast of the centre by Highway 21 and Highway 623. Lighting rules there mean nothing on the ground competes with a faint green arc, which is what you get at this latitude.
Calgary
Ghost Lake
52 km west · car
Fifty-odd kilometres west of Calgary toward the mountains, far enough that the city dome sits behind you in the east rather than under the aurora. Travel Alberta names it among the rural spots worth the drive.
Nose Hill Park
9 km north-west · bus
A grassland plateau in the northwest of the city, high enough to look out over the rooftops toward the northern horizon. The park closes at 11 p.m. and the glow surrounds you, so it only works early in a strong display.
Questions about the northern lights in Alberta
Where in Alberta is the best place tonight?
Fort McMurray has the strongest chance right now at 9%. The list above reorders itself every 15 minutes, so the answer changes through the night.
What Kp do you need to see the northern lights in Alberta?
Between Kp 1 and Kp 3, depending on how far north the town is. Kp is a 0 to 9 scale of how far the lights reach from the pole. Fort McMurray needs the least at Kp 1.
When is the best time of year in Alberta?
Aurora is possible from late August to mid-April, because the nights are long enough to be properly dark. A clear sky matters more than the forecast number.
Can an iPhone photograph the northern lights in Alberta?
Yes, from about Kp 1. A phone picks up aurora that is too faint for your eyes. Rest it on something steady and give it a long exposure. What looks gray to you comes out green on the phone.
Aurora possible over Fort McMurray tonight — be ready to film it.
When you're finally standing in the cold under the night you've waited years for, there are no retakes — the sky does its show once and moves on. So pack the jacket, pack the thermos, and pack the one thing that makes the night eternal: the iOS astrophotography app built for auroras. Long after the trip, you'll still have the display itself, moving, in 4K.
- ✦ Set it down and it arms itself
- ✦ 4K timelapse + a still from the session
- ✦ Aurora intelligence tunes every capture
- ✦ Tracks the aurora live — no extra app
- ✦ Apple Watch companion
- ✦ Pay once, own it forever