Northern lights forecast tonight in Yukon
2 towns across Yukon, 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 1 before your eyes pick anything up.
Best tonight
Dawson City
Dawson City has the strongest chance in Yukon right now, at 11%.
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Every town in Yukon tonight
| Town | Chance now | Your eyes need | Tonight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson City | 11% | Kp 1 | Auroras likely tonight |
| Whitehorse | 8% | Kp 1 | Auroras likely tonight |
Faint aurora looks gray to your eyes and green to a phone. In Yukon a phone picks it up from about Kp 1, and your eyes need Kp 1.
Aurora is possible in Yukon 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 Yukon
Places locals and guides name, with what each one gives you. Every town below has its own page.
Dawson City
Midnight Dome
2 km north-east · car
A lookout 879 metres up, two kilometres northeast of town by Dome Road, with the Klondike and Yukon valleys spread out beneath. The height puts you above the town's lights, so even a low northern arc stays clear of the ridge line.
Dempster Highway junction
40 km east · car
Forty kilometres east of Dawson the Dempster Highway leaves the Klondike Highway and heads north, well beyond any town light. There is nothing on that horizon for hundreds of kilometres, which is the whole point on a night with a low arc.
Whitehorse
Fish Lake
17 km south-west · car
A broad lake 17 km southwest of downtown along Fish Lake Road, well clear of the city's light. Travel Yukon singles out its wide-open views for aurora, and the valley gives a low horizon rather than a slot between trees.
Chadburn Lake
10 km south-east · car
Ten kilometres southeast of downtown, on the far side of the Yukon River inside the city's own recreation area but away from its streetlights. Travel Yukon lists it among the darker places within easy reach of Whitehorse.
Schwatka Lake
5 km south · car
Schwatka Lake is a dammed stretch of the Yukon River five kilometres south of the centre, reachable in minutes. It sits close in, so a faint band will struggle against the town, but the open lake gives you clear sky overhead.
Questions about the northern lights in Yukon
Where in Yukon is the best place tonight?
Dawson City has the strongest chance right now at 11%. 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 Yukon?
Kp 1, 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 Yukon?
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 Yukon?
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 Dawson City 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