Yellowknife vs Fairbanks

Aurora forecast comparison — updated hourly

Tonight's Verdict

🇨🇦

Yellowknife

Peak: Sep–Mar

Skip it

Maybe

Book it

☀️ Too bright — midnight sun

Kp tonight3.7

Clouds (ECMWF)2%

Aurora probability1%

🇺🇸

Fairbanks

Peak: Sep–Mar

Skip it

Maybe

Book it

☀️ Too bright — midnight sun

Kp tonight2.3

Clouds (ECMWF)96%

Aurora probability3%

Head-to-Head

Metric🇨🇦 Yellowknife🇺🇸 Fairbanks

Latitude62.5°N64.8°N

Kp for overhead auroraKp 1+Kp 1+

Kp for good displayKp 2+Kp 2+

Cloud cover (ECMWF)2%96%

Cloud cover (GFS)0%100%

Dark hours0.7h–

Aurora probability1%3%

Solar wind speed––

Bz value––

Best window tonight22h (2%)00h (93%)

Highlighted cell = better value for aurora viewing

Next 3 Nights

Night🇨🇦 Yellowknife🇺🇸 Fairbanks

Wed, Jul 15

✓

Kp 3.7

✗

96%

Kp 2.3

Thu, Jul 16

✓

30%

Kp 3.0

✗

100%

Kp 3.7

Fri, Jul 17

✓

Kp 2.7

✗

100%

Kp 3.0

Which should I choose?

Yellowknife vs Fairbanks — Which should I choose?

Both cities require Kp 1+ to see aurora overhead, placing them at a similar position relative to the auroral oval. Tonight Yellowknife has the clearer sky at 2% cloud cover versus 96% for the other city. Yellowknife: Canada's aurora capital — over 240 clear aurora-viewing nights per year. Fairbanks: Directly under the auroral oval — one of Earth's top aurora hot spots.

Full Forecasts

🇨🇦View full Yellowknife forecast→🇺🇸View full Fairbanks forecast→