Duluth, MN · magnetic latitude 55.9°
Northern lights in Duluth: tonight’s chance
Duluth climbs a steep hill above Lake Superior, so the right viewpoint matters as much as the storm.
Tonight at Duluth, MN
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Reading the SWPC Kp forecast and the cloud forecast…
| Kp forecast during the dark hours | not yet forecast |
|---|---|
| Kp needed here | 5.0 (G1 minor) |
| Cloud cover in the dark hours | loading |
| Dark sky (Sun 18° down) | 8:05 PM to 5:44 AM CDT |
| Moon | 13% lit |
| Right now, OVATION (30 to 90 min) | loading or unavailable |
| Magnetic latitude (AACGM) | 55.9° |
Hour by hour, CDT
7 PM
Kp –
– ☁
No
8 PM
Kp –
– ☁
No
9 PM
Kp –
– ☁
No
10 PM
Kp –
– ☁
No
11 PM
Kp –
– ☁
No
12 AM
Kp –
– ☁
No
1 AM
Kp –
– ☁
No
2 AM
Kp –
– ☁
No
3 AM
Kp –
– ☁
No
4 AM
Kp –
– ☁
No
5 AM
Kp –
– ☁
No
6 AM
Kp –
– ☁
No
Rules checked · Built by Radif Partners · How the answer works
- Kp to see it from Duluth
- 5.0
- Storm level needed
- G1 (Minor)
- Kp for aurora overhead
- 5.0
- Most clear dark hours
- January
Duluth needs a planetary Kp of about 5.0 for the northern lights to clear its horizon, which is a G1 (Minor) storm on the NOAA scale, the lowest bar of any sizable Minnesota city. In the AACGM model the city sits at 55.9 degrees magnetic latitude, and in this site's method the same Kp 5.0 that lifts the aurora into view also brings the edge of the oval overhead. For comparison, Minneapolis needs Kp 5.9 and International Falls Kp 4.2. Darkness is generous in winter, 11.8 hours on December 15, and scarce in June, with only 2.4 hours. NASA POWER cloud averages run from 51% in July to 71% in December, and the months with the most clear dark hours are January, February and September. The tool below sets tonight's Kp blocks against the National Weather Service sky cover for Duluth.
A city on a slope, and a lake to the east
Duluth has an odd layout for aurora watching. The city stretches for miles along the western tip of Lake Superior, but it is built on a steep hillside that rises from the water toward the north and west. Stand on the waterfront by the lift bridge and the hill is right behind you, exactly where a modest aurora would sit. The lake itself lies to the east and southeast, so the famous water views of Duluth face away from the oval. The fix is to go up: the ridge road that runs along the top of the hill looks out over the city, and from there the northern sky opens past the last streets. The alternative is to leave town on the North Shore, where the coast bends northeast and the lake becomes a dark foreground on your right.
Across the harbor, Superior, Wisconsin, needs Kp 5.1, practically the same figure. Minnesota Point, the long sandbar that closes the harbor, gives a flat horizon in most directions but sits inside the city's light.
A threshold right at the minor storm line
At Kp 5.0, Duluth stands almost exactly where the NOAA scale switches from active conditions to a G1 (Minor) storm. That position is useful in practice: SWPC counts about 1,700 G1 storm periods in an average solar cycle, and each of them is a real possibility here, cloud permitting. The storm scale guide explains what each level means. Because the threshold and the overhead Kp are the same here in this site's method, the night a storm finally reaches Duluth's level tends to put the glow well up the sky, not just a thin line on the horizon. The Twin Cities, 1.8 degrees of latitude farther south, need about 0.9 Kp more.
How dark, how clear: one town, one month
Hours of full darkness on the 15th
10.2 h
| Dark sky | 7:15 PM to 5:29 AM |
| Including nautical twilight | 11.4 h |
| Mean cloud amount (NASA POWER) | 59% |
| Clear dark hours on an average night | 4.2 h |
Computed for 2027; the hours move by a few minutes from one year to the next.
Lake Superior's cloud season
The lake that complicates the view also shapes the sky. In early winter, before Lake Superior cools, cold air crossing the water picks up moisture and builds low cloud and snow showers along the shore, which is why December averages 71% cloud amount. Later in winter, Arctic high pressure brings the dry nights that put January and February at the top of the clear dark hours. On a storm night with low cloud on the shore, driving inland up the hill and away from the lake often finds a clearer sky. The Minnesota page compares the rest of the state, and the Marquette page covers the other big Lake Superior city.
Kp needed around Duluth
| Town | Magnetic latitude | Kp to see it | Kp overhead | Storm level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Falls | 57.6° | 4.2 | 4.2 | no storm |
| Ely | 57.0° | 4.5 | 4.5 | no storm |
| Bemidji | 56.5° | 4.7 | 4.8 | G1 (Minor) |
| Duluth | 55.9° | 5.0 | 5.0 | G1 (Minor) |
| St. Cloud | 54.7° | 5.7 | 5.7 | G1 (Minor) |
| Minneapolis | 54.2° | 5.9 | 5.9 | G2 (Moderate) |
| Rochester | 53.3° | 6.3 | 6.3 | G2 (Moderate) |
Darkness and clouds by month in Duluth
| Month | Dark hours | Dark sky, 15th | Mean cloud | Clear dark hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11.4 h | 6:35 PM to 6:00 AM | 63% | 4.2 h |
| February | 10.2 h | 7:15 PM to 5:29 AM | 59% | 4.2 h |
| March | 8.7 h | 8:55 PM to 5:38 AM | 62% | 3.3 h |
| April | 6.6 h | 9:49 PM to 4:26 AM | 64% | 2.4 h |
| May | 4.3 h | 10:55 PM to 3:14 AM | 65% | 1.5 h |
| June | 2.4 h | 11:56 PM to 2:21 AM | 61% | 1.0 h |
| July | 3.4 h | 11:32 PM to 2:57 AM | 51% | 1.7 h |
| August | 5.8 h | 10:19 PM to 4:07 AM | 52% | 2.8 h |
| September | 8.0 h | 9:04 PM to 5:03 AM | 56% | 3.5 h |
| October | 9.7 h | 8:02 PM to 5:46 AM | 64% | 3.5 h |
| November | 11.1 h | 6:20 PM to 5:26 AM | 69% | 3.4 h |
| December | 11.8 h | 6:11 PM to 5:56 AM | 71% | 3.4 h |