Yellowknife vs Fairbanks

Aurora forecast comparison — updated hourly

Tonight's Verdict

🇨🇦

Yellowknife

Peak: Sep–Mar

Skip it

Maybe

Book it

⚠️ Maybe — solar activity is the issue

Kp tonight1.7

Clouds (ECMWF)2%

Aurora probability4%

🇺🇸

Fairbanks

Peak: Sep–Mar

Skip it

Maybe

Book it

🚫 Not tonight — too cloudy

Kp tonight1.7

Clouds (ECMWF)100%

Aurora probability10%

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%100%

Cloud cover (GFS)77%100%

Dark hours11.4h11.4h

Aurora probability4%10%

Solar wind speed––

Bz value––

Best window tonight22h (0%)22h (100%)

Highlighted cell = better value for aurora viewing

Next 3 Nights

Night🇨🇦 Yellowknife🇺🇸 Fairbanks

Thu, Nov 12

Kp 1.7

✗

100%

Kp 1.7

Fri, Nov 13

36%

Kp 1.7

✗

100%

Kp 1.7

Sat, Nov 14

✗

100%

Kp 1.7

✗

84%

Kp 1.7

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 100% 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→