Yellowknife vs Fairbanks

Aurora forecast comparison — updated hourly

Tonight's Verdict
🇨🇦
Yellowknife
Peak: Sep–Mar
Skip it
Maybe
Book it
✅ Great night — book it!
Kp tonight3.7
Clouds (ECMWF)0%
Aurora probability0%
🇺🇸
Fairbanks
Peak: Sep–Mar
Skip it
Maybe
Book it
🚫 Not tonight — too cloudy
Kp tonight3.7
Clouds (ECMWF)74%
Aurora probability0%
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)0%74%
Cloud cover (GFS)22%100%
Dark hours3.6h1.3h
Aurora probability0%0%
Solar wind speed416 km/s416 km/s
Bz value+4.2 nT+4.2 nT
Best window tonight22h (0%)22h (74%)

Highlighted cell = better value for aurora viewing

Next 3 Nights
Night🇨🇦 Yellowknife🇺🇸 Fairbanks
Thu, May 14
✓
0%
Kp 3.7
✗
74%
Kp 3.7
Fri, May 15
✗
95%
Kp 5.7
✗
72%
Kp 5.7
Sat, May 16
✓
1%
Kp 5.0
~
52%
Kp 5.0
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 0% cloud cover versus 74% for the other city. Yellowknife offers 3.6h of darkness tonight — a longer window to catch a display. 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→
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