Northern lights forecast tonight in Washington
2 towns across Washington, 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 every town here needs Kp 5 before your eyes pick anything up.
Best tonight
Seattle
No town in Washington has a measurable chance right now. That changes when a storm arrives, so check again after dark.
Seattle sits closest to the pole in Washington, so it needs the least: Kp 5.
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Every town in Washington tonight
| Town | Chance now | Your eyes need | Tonight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 0% | Kp 5 | No auroras expected right now |
| Spokane | 0% | Kp 5 | No auroras expected right now |
Faint aurora looks gray to your eyes and green to a phone. In Washington a phone picks it up from about Kp 3, and your eyes need Kp 5.
Aurora is possible in Washington 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 Washington
Places locals and guides name, with what each one gives you. Every town below has its own page.
Seattle
Alki Point / Constellation Park
8 km south-west · bus
West Seattle's storm-night gathering spot: the stretch of Beach Drive near 63rd and Alki has a clear shot north across the Sound and is about as dark as you can get without leaving the city. On the October 2024 night a local photographer put out an open invite on West Seattle Blog to meet there at 8:45 and people actually showed. To your eyes it's usually a gray-white smudge; point your phone at it and the color appears, so don't leave just because it looks faint.
Brackett's Landing North, Edmonds
23 km north · car
The classic move is north, and Edmonds is the first place it pays off: the beach beside the ferry dock faces north up the Sound, and every good storm since 2023 has produced a round of waterfront photos in the local news, ferry in the foreground. About 25 minutes up I-5 from downtown when traffic cooperates. If the last Kingston boat is still running you'll share the beach with its headlights, which honestly makes the better photo.
Deception Pass State Park (Bowman Bay)
93 km north · car
The real dark-sky trip: about 90 minutes north past the Skagit flats, with open water views and almost no glow on the northern horizon. It gets named on storm-alert nights by Seattle radio, and on the May 2024 night people were shooting at Pass Lake and West Beach while Anacortes lit up pink. You need a Discover Pass, and check where the gates close before you commit; the pullouts along Rosario Road work if the park lots are shut.
Questions about the northern lights in Washington
Where in Washington is the best place tonight?
Nothing in Washington has a measurable chance right now. Seattle needs the least activity, Kp 5, so it is the first place to light up when a storm arrives.
What Kp do you need to see the northern lights in Washington?
Kp 5, the same for every town here. Kp is a 0 to 9 scale of how far the lights reach from the pole.
When is the best time of year in Washington?
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 Washington?
Yes, from about Kp 3. 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.
Be ready before the next storm hits.
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