New York · 7 towns compared
Northern lights in New York: tonight’s chance
NOAA names New York at G2 on its storm scale; upstate needs that storm, the city needs a far bigger one.
Tonight at Syracuse, NY
…
Reading the SWPC Kp forecast and the cloud forecast…
| Kp forecast during the dark hours | not yet forecast |
|---|---|
| Kp needed here | 6.7 (G3 strong) |
| Cloud cover in the dark hours | loading |
| Dark sky (Sun 18° down) | 7:59 PM to 5:42 AM EDT |
| Moon | 13% lit |
| Right now, OVATION (30 to 90 min) | loading or unavailable |
| Magnetic latitude (AACGM) | 51.5° |
Hour by hour, EDT
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 Syracuse
- 6.7
- Storm level needed
- G3 (Strong)
- Kp for aurora overhead
- 7.3
- Most clear dark hours
- September
New York is one of the states NOAA's storm scale names: at G2, a Kp 6 storm, aurora has been seen as low as New York and Idaho. In the AACGM model the north of the state, around Plattsburgh and Watertown, lies near 52.7 degrees magnetic latitude and needs a planetary Kp of about 6.5 to 6.5. Syracuse needs about 6.7, Albany 6.8, and New York City, at 48.8 degrees, about 7.2, a strong G3 storm. Clouds weigh heavily upstate: the Great Lakes feed long overcast spells, and Syracuse's NASA POWER cloud amount reaches 86% in January. September is the clearest month across the state. The tool opens on Syracuse; type your own town or ZIP code for tonight's hours.
The North Country
New York's best aurora ground is the north: the Adirondack Park, the largest protected area in the lower 48, and the St. Lawrence and Champlain valleys that frame it. Plattsburgh, on Lake Champlain, needs about Kp 6.5, and the lake gives a long northern view toward Quebec from its western shore. Watertown, near the eastern end of Lake Ontario, needs about 6.5. Inside the park, summits and lakes give the open horizons that the forested valleys lack, and the darkness is that of a region with very few towns.
What Kp does this town need?
Kp to see aurora from here
6.5
| Magnetic latitude (AACGM) | 52.7° |
| Kp for aurora overhead | 6.7 |
| Storm level | G2 Moderate |
| How often that level comes | about 360 days per 11-year cycle |
View line: the more southern of the SWPC oval rule and the NOAA G scale latitudes at each Kp.
Lakes, snowbelts and clear spells
The Great Lakes shape the cloud calendar of the whole western and central part of the state. From November to February, cold air crossing Lake Ontario and Lake Erie builds the lake-effect bands of the Tug Hill and Buffalo snowbelts, and the sky can stay overcast for long stretches. The clearest month in the NASA POWER averages for Syracuse is September, at 69% cloud amount. On a storm night in winter, the eastern Adirondacks and the Champlain valley, farther from the lakes, are often clearer than the western cities.
Finger Lakes and the Ontario shore
Between the snowbelts and the Hudson, central New York has long, narrow lakes running north to south and farmland that rolls toward Lake Ontario. The lake plain from Rochester to Oswego looks north over open water toward Canada, with only the faint glow of the far shore on the horizon, and Rochester needs about Kp 6.6. The best nights there come in September and October, after the summer haze and before the lake-effect season; a storm watch in those weeks deserves a drive to the shore.
Downstate
South of Albany the thresholds climb, and the Hudson Valley and the city sit at G3. The Catskills offer dark skies within reach of the city, though their valleys close much of the northern horizon; a summit or a high open field does better. The New York City page looks at what a strong storm means from the five boroughs, and the Buffalo page at the western end of the state. Neighbouring Vermont shares the Champlain valley.
Kp needed across New York
| Town | Magnetic latitude | Kp to see it | Kp overhead | Storm level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plattsburgh | 52.7° | 6.5 | 6.7 | G2 (Moderate) |
| Watertown | 52.4° | 6.5 | 6.8 | G2 (Moderate) |
| Rochester | 51.8° | 6.6 | 7.1 | G2 (Moderate) |
| Buffalo | 51.7° | 6.7 | 7.2 | G2 (Moderate) |
| Syracuse | 51.5° | 6.7 | 7.3 | G3 (Strong) |
| Albany | 50.8° | 6.8 | 7.6 | G3 (Strong) |
| New York City | 48.8° | 7.2 | 8.6 | G3 (Strong) |
Darkness and clouds by month in Syracuse
| Month | Dark hours | Dark sky, 15th | Mean cloud | Clear dark hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11.3 h | 6:35 PM to 5:52 AM | 86% | 1.6 h |
| February | 10.2 h | 7:10 PM to 5:25 AM | 82% | 1.8 h |
| March | 8.9 h | 8:45 PM to 5:40 AM | 79% | 1.9 h |
| April | 7.1 h | 9:30 PM to 4:38 AM | 82% | 1.3 h |
| May | 5.3 h | 10:22 PM to 3:39 AM | 85% | 0.8 h |
| June | 4.0 h | 11:03 PM to 3:06 AM | 83% | 0.7 h |
| July | 4.7 h | 10:51 PM to 3:30 AM | 78% | 1.0 h |
| August | 6.4 h | 9:55 PM to 4:22 AM | 75% | 1.6 h |
| September | 8.3 h | 8:51 PM to 5:08 AM | 69% | 2.6 h |
| October | 9.8 h | 7:56 PM to 5:44 AM | 77% | 2.3 h |
| November | 11.0 h | 6:19 PM to 5:19 AM | 78% | 2.4 h |
| December | 11.6 h | 6:13 PM to 5:46 AM | 86% | 1.6 h |