Vermont · 5 towns compared
Northern lights in Vermont: tonight’s chance
Vermont needs a moderate to strong storm, and offers what the rest of the Northeast lacks: dark, quiet northern horizons.
Tonight at Burlington, VT
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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 | 6.5 (G2 moderate) |
| Cloud cover in the dark hours | loading |
| Dark sky (Sun 18° down) | 7:48 PM to 5:30 AM EDT |
| Moon | 13% lit |
| Right now, OVATION (30 to 90 min) | loading or unavailable |
| Magnetic latitude (AACGM) | 52.4° |
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 Burlington
- 6.5
- Storm level needed
- G2 (Moderate)
- Kp for aurora overhead
- 6.8
- Most clear dark hours
- September
Vermont sees the northern lights during moderate to strong geomagnetic storms. In the AACGM model the state lies between about 51.5 and 52.7 degrees magnetic latitude: Newport, on Lake Memphremagog near the Quebec border, and St. Albans need a planetary Kp of about 6.5; Burlington about 6.5; Montpelier 6.6; and Rutland, in the south, 6.7. That is a G2 (Moderate) storm for most of the state. What Vermont has going for it is darkness: small towns, forests and hills, with the Northeast Kingdom among the darkest corners of New England. Clouds are the limit, with Burlington's NASA POWER cloud amount ranging from 56% in September to 80% in December. The tool opens on Burlington; type your own town or ZIP code for tonight's hours.
The Northeast Kingdom and the border
The three northeastern counties of Vermont, the Northeast Kingdom, are forest, lakes and small farms with very few lights. Newport, on Lake Memphremagog, which stretches north across the Quebec border, has one of the best northern horizons of the state: the lake runs straight toward the oval. Its threshold of Kp 6.5 is the lowest of the Vermont towns compared here, together with St. Albans. On a G2 night, a lakeshore or a hilltop in the Kingdom gives as good a chance as anywhere in New England south of Maine's north woods.
What Kp does this town need?
Kp to see aurora from here
6.5
| Magnetic latitude (AACGM) | 52.7° |
| Kp for aurora overhead | 6.6 |
| 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.
Lake Champlain
West of the Green Mountains, the Champlain valley is broader and flatter, with the lake running north into Quebec. From the islands of Grand Isle County or the shore north of Burlington, the view up the lake offers a dark northern horizon over water, while Burlington's lights stay to the south. Across the lake, the Adirondacks rise on the New York side; the New York page covers Plattsburgh, which shares the same valley.
A small state, a narrow range
From St. Albans to Rutland the thresholds differ by only about 0.2 Kp, so in Vermont the storm level matters less than where you stand. Two towns a few miles apart can give very different nights: one on a ridge with a northern view, the other in a hollow where the hills rise twenty degrees above the horizon. Before a storm night, pick a spot in daylight, check that the northern skyline is low, and note how to reach it in snow.
Hills, valleys and clouds
The Green Mountains split the state, and their valleys close much of the horizon. Towns like Montpelier and Rutland sit in such valleys, and on a storm night the drive up to an open ridge, a high pasture or a ski area parking lot with a northern view makes the difference. Clouds are frequent, as everywhere in the interior Northeast: Burlington's cloud amount averages 80% in December. Autumn, with 9.8 hours of full darkness on October 15, is the season that balances darkness and clear skies best. The New Hampshire page and the Montreal page cover the neighbors.
Kp needed across Vermont
| Town | Magnetic latitude | Kp to see it | Kp overhead | Storm level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Albans | 52.7° | 6.5 | 6.6 | G2 (Moderate) |
| Newport | 52.7° | 6.5 | 6.6 | G2 (Moderate) |
| Burlington | 52.4° | 6.5 | 6.8 | G2 (Moderate) |
| Montpelier | 52.1° | 6.6 | 6.9 | G2 (Moderate) |
| Rutland | 51.5° | 6.7 | 7.2 | G3 (Strong) |
Darkness and clouds by month in Burlington
| Month | Dark hours | Dark sky, 15th | Mean cloud | Clear dark hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 11.3 h | 6:22 PM to 5:42 AM | 77% | 2.7 h |
| February | 10.2 h | 6:59 PM to 5:14 AM | 77% | 2.4 h |
| March | 8.8 h | 8:36 PM to 5:26 AM | 70% | 2.7 h |
| April | 6.9 h | 9:24 PM to 4:21 AM | 69% | 2.2 h |
| May | 4.9 h | 10:20 PM to 3:17 AM | 69% | 1.5 h |
| June | 3.5 h | 11:07 PM to 2:39 AM | 66% | 1.2 h |
| July | 4.2 h | 10:52 PM to 3:06 AM | 61% | 1.7 h |
| August | 6.2 h | 9:51 PM to 4:03 AM | 59% | 2.6 h |
| September | 8.2 h | 8:43 PM to 4:53 AM | 56% | 3.6 h |
| October | 9.8 h | 7:45 PM to 5:32 AM | 70% | 2.9 h |
| November | 11.0 h | 6:06 PM to 5:09 AM | 74% | 2.9 h |
| December | 11.6 h | 5:59 PM to 5:37 AM | 80% | 2.3 h |