Can you see the northern lights in Oulu tonight?
Check the live forecast at the top of this page. It combines tonight’s Kp forecast from NOAA, the auroral oval and the cloud forecast for Oulu into one chance from 0 to 100, updated every few minutes.
Northern lights forecast Oulu
Can you see the aurora in Oulu tonight? Live chance, Kp forecast, cloud cover and dark hours – updated every few minutes.
16
Tonight in OuluLow chanceClouds … · dark 17:33–06:38
Live forecast
Tonight’s aurora chance in Oulu
- Aurora chance
- 16/100 · Low
- Kp tonight (max)
- …
- Kp usually needed
- 2.8+
- Clouds tonight
- …
- Dark
- 17:33–06:38
- Moon
- 48 % lit
Loading cloud forecast…
Kp: NOAA SWPC · Clouds: Open-Meteo · The chance combines aurora activity, cloud cover and darkness.
Dashed line: with tonight’s highest forecast Kp, the aurora is typically visible north of this line (a rough rule of thumb for Finland). Open the full live aurora map.
Northern Ostrobothnia · 65.01° N
Seeing the northern lights in Oulu
The largest city in northern Finland. Auroras are seen here on active nights – head to the sea shore or out of town to escape the city lights.
At 65.0° N, Oulu sees the aurora on most active nights – a Kp of about 3 is usually enough when the sky is dark and clear. Clouds are the biggest obstacle, so always check the cloud forecast above before heading out.
In late December Oulu has about 16 hours of darkness every night, around the autumn equinox about 9 hours and around the spring equinox about 9 hours; in mid-April still about 5 hours. See when to see the northern lights for a month-by-month guide.
Quick facts
- Latitude
- 65.01° N
- Kp usually needed
- 2.8+
- From Rovaniemi
- ≈ 170 km (straight line)
- Nearest airport
- OUL
- Darkness, 21 Dec
- 16 h
Guided aurora tours
Aurora tours from Rovaniemi
Book Lapland’s guided tours start from Rovaniemi, about 170 km from Oulu. The guides follow the cloud maps and drive to where the sky is clearest.
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Max 8 guests · unlimited distance- 4–12 h (usually 6–8 h)
- Max 8 guests
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- Up to 48 guests, coach
👑 Private ExperiencePro Tour – Private
Your own guide & vehicle · up to 8 people- 4–12 h
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Questions
Northern lights in Oulu: FAQ
What Kp index do you need to see the aurora in Oulu?
At 65.0° N, the aurora is usually visible in Oulu with Kp 3 or more, as long as the sky is dark and clear. Stronger activity brings it higher in the sky.
When is the northern lights season in Oulu?
From late August to mid-April. In Oulu there are about 16 dark hours a night in late December, 9 in late September, 9 around the March equinox and still about 5 in mid-April.
What is the nearest airport to Oulu?
Oulu Airport (OUL) is right next to Oulu.
Local forecasts
Aurora forecast for other places
- Rovaniemi66.5° N · Kp 2+
- Levi67.8° N · Kp 1+
- Ylläs67.6° N · Kp 1+
- Saariselkä68.4° N · Kp 0–1
- Inari68.9° N · Kp 0–1
- Ivalo68.7° N · Kp 0–1
- Kilpisjärvi69.0° N · Kp 0–1
- Sodankylä67.4° N · Kp 1+
- Kittilä67.7° N · Kp 1+
- Muonio68.0° N · Kp 0–1
- Pyhä-Luosto67.1° N · Kp 2+
- Kemijärvi66.7° N · Kp 2+
- Salla66.8° N · Kp 2+
- Pello66.8° N · Kp 2+
- Utsjoki69.9° N · Kp 0–1
- Enontekiö (Hetta)68.4° N · Kp 0–1
- Kemi65.7° N · Kp 2+
- Ruka & Kuusamo66.2° N · Kp 2+
- Helsinki60.2° N · Kp 6+