Northern lights forecast Ruka & Kuusamo

Can you see the aurora in Ruka & Kuusamo tonight? Live chance, Kp forecast, cloud cover and dark hours – updated every few minutes.

18
Tonight in Ruka & KuusamoLow chanceClouds … · dark 17:13–06:28
Live forecast

Tonight’s aurora chance in Ruka & Kuusamo

Aurora chance
18/100 · Low
Kp tonight (max)
…
Kp usually needed
2.1+
Clouds tonight
…
Dark
17:13–06:28
Moon
48 % lit
Cloud cover, next hours
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 · 66.17° N

Seeing the northern lights in Ruka & Kuusamo

Ruka ski resort and the town of Kuusamo, just south of Lapland, next to Oulanka National Park.

At 66.2° N, Ruka & Kuusamo sees the aurora on most active nights – a Kp of about 2 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 Ruka & Kuusamo has about 16 hours of darkness every night, around the autumn equinox about 8 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
66.17° N
Kp usually needed
2.1+
From Rovaniemi
≈ 160 km (straight line)
Nearest airport
KAO · ≈ 20 km
Darkness, 21 Dec
16 h
Nearest live camera: Riisitunturi, Posio all-sky camera
Questions

Northern lights in Ruka & Kuusamo: FAQ

Can you see the northern lights in Ruka & Kuusamo 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 Ruka & Kuusamo into one chance from 0 to 100, updated every few minutes.

What Kp index do you need to see the aurora in Ruka & Kuusamo?

At 66.2° N, the aurora is usually visible in Ruka & Kuusamo with Kp 2 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 Ruka & Kuusamo?

From late August to mid-April. In Ruka & Kuusamo there are about 16 dark hours a night in late December, 8 in late September, 9 around the March equinox and still about 5 in mid-April.

What is the nearest airport to Ruka & Kuusamo?

Kuusamo Airport (KAO), about 20 km away in a straight line.